MOVIE REVIEW : JACK THE GIANT SLAYER 3D

2 March 2013, Singapore – A beautiful princess in distress, a poor farm boy smitten by love on a rescue mission, a doting king, a loyal and faithful knight who will lay his life and fight to the very end alongside his liege, and an old villainous fart scheming to take over a kingdom. Throw in terrifying man-eating giants, magic beans and there you have it. The ingredients of a modern day fairy tale adventure loosely based on the familiar lore of Jack and the Beanstalk.

 

Nicholas Hoult, whom you may or may not recognise as ‘Beast’ from X-Men: First Class, plays the titular role of orphaned Jack, an ordinary farmhand living on the charity of his uncle tasked to bring the farm’s only horse and cart to the market for sale. Jack unwittingly bartered his possessions for a handful of beans, albeit magical ones that when in contact with water, transforms into gigantic beanstalks.

 

At the same time there is a chance encounter with Princess Isabelle, played by Eleanor Tomlinson whom he gallantly attempted to save from a bunch of harassing lascivious townsmen. The story is set for later when Princess Isabelle runs away from the castle in the middle of a night that turned stormy and she had to take refuge in Jack’s farm shack and the rain got to one of the beans.

 

Having watched a number of movies of this genre churned out by Hollywood in the past years, not all of them have impressed. I must say though Jack The Giant Slayer 3D, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bryan Singer, did not disappoint. It contains all the thrilling elements you need to keep the adults riveted and the kids glued to the big screen.

The visual effects are spectacular. The storyline is simple enough to follow – a princess gets kidnapped by scary giants and an underdog hero courageously goes to the rescue. Veteran actors Stanley Tucci (playing the deceitful Lord Roderick), Bill Nighy (General Fallon, leader of the giants), Ian McShane (King Brahmwell), and a slimmer looking Ewan McGregor (Knight Elmont, with a stylish ‘do more reminiscent of haircuts sported by trendy boy band singers) gave great performances in their respective supporting roles.

Jack The Giant Slayer is entertaining, funny, light hearted fare suitable for the whole family to make a trip to the theatre. Warning : You might want to finish up that box of popcorn you are munching on before the scenes of the giants appear. Can’t promise you won’t lose your appetite after that.

Rating : 3.5 out of 5

 

 

Related articles

• Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase Opens 1 March 2013 at Universal Studios Singapore
• Glen Goei’s The Importance of Being Earnest Is Back