Rifftrax Live: Jack the Giant Killer

Jack the Giant Killer, a 1962 English stop-motion animated adventure fantasy film, was originally intended to be a serious adaptation of the classic 18th-century fairy tale "Jack the Giant Killer." However, with the creative involvement of Reg Park and the film's director, John Pirozzi, the final product became a campy, over-the-top spectacle that is now celebrated for its sheer inadvertent humor. The film opens on a solemn note, with the introduction of King Cleancart, a tyrannical ruler who rules over a beautiful kingdom. Cleancart decrees that anyone attempting to marry will be beheaded unless they first provide a golden apple to present to the king. His decree is intended to prevent his son, Prince John, from marrying a beautiful maiden named Prudence, who is in love with a poor blacksmith named Jack. Despite the king's edict, Jack and Prudence elope to the castle, where they are subsequently forced by the king's men to drink from an enchanted horn that renders them insensate. In the chaos that ensues, Jack is accidentally left in an abandoned well, where he is discovered by a wise and witty leprechaun named Wart, who resides in a miniature bottle. The leprechaun, an apparent amalgamation of Irish folklore and American animation, is perhaps the film's most iconic figure, as Wart is portrayed as an anthropomorphic creature with a cheeky grin, a penchant for witty one-liners, and an affinity for getting into trouble. As Jack spends more time with Wart, he becomes embroiled in an adventure involving a beautiful princess, a wicked queen, and a giant named Cormoran, who terrorizes the countryside with his massive strength. Cormoran is the main antagonist of the film, although his motivations and character development are sketchy at best. Jack decides to become a giant-killer and, with the assistance of Wart and his friends, embarks on a perilous journey to slay the behemoth. Throughout its duration, Jack the Giant Killer features an array of bizarre and fantastical creatures, from drunken Vikings to stop-motion animated dragons, each serving as a backdrop for the film's relentless comedic mayhem. The result is a cinematic experience that is equal parts slapstick humor, witty banter, and absurd spectacle. The movie's visuals and action sequences, while occasionally awkward and rough, possess a charmingly low-budget aesthetic that lends itself to parody. One notable short film included in Rifftrax's adaptation of Jack the Giant Killer is the mind-bending What Is Nothing?, a 1958 experimental film directed by James B. Harris. The film is a surreal, expressionist exploration of existential themes, but ultimately, it defies any concrete explanation. Harris's work challenges the audience to reconsider the very concept of nothingness, inviting viewers to ponder the meaning behind the abyss. The short film offers a fascinating glimpse into the avant-garde cinema of the era, and its inclusion in Rifftrax's live comedy show serves as a thought-provoking juxtaposition to the campy absurdity of Jack the Giant Killer. The 1962 adaptation of Jack the Giant Killer, as a standalone work of cinema, serves as a fascinating example of what happens when a film tries to balance the conventions of popular storytelling with a commitment to innovative special effects and animation techniques. In the end, while Jack the Giant Killer may not have been received as a groundbreaking work of animation when it was initially released, it has since become a cult classic and an essential watch for anyone who enjoys irreverent humor, campy spectacle, and the unintentional comedy that can arise from the best of bad cinema.