Jack the Giant Slayer

Overview

The beloved fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk gets the big-screen treatment courtesy of director Bryan Singer (Valkyrie) and screenwriters Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After), Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), and Dan Studney in this fantasy adventure about a naïve farm boy who attempts to rescue a beautiful princess from a race of vengeful giants. When Jack (Nicholas Hoult) inadvertently opens a passageway that allows giants to cross into our reality, the towering titans stake their claim on the world ...
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Overview

The beloved fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk gets the big-screen treatment courtesy of director Bryan Singer (Valkyrie) and screenwriters Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After), Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), and Dan Studney in this fantasy adventure about a naïve farm boy who attempts to rescue a beautiful princess from a race of vengeful giants. When Jack (Nicholas Hoult) inadvertently opens a passageway that allows giants to cross into our reality, the towering titans stake their claim on the world of humans. Should they succeed, Jack's kingdom will be but the first of many to fall. Now, in order to save his people and rescue a noble princess, Jack must summon every ounce of bravery to drive out the invading giants.
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Jason Buchanan
Once upon a time there was a director named Bryan. Boyish and bright eyed, he wove fantastical tales on a screen made of silver. But as Bryan began to grow older, a funny thing started to happen. In order to draw inspiration, he reached deeper and deeper into the past. At first it was stories from modern-day dream weavers, tales of good versus evil featuring historical villains and contemporary titans. Selling concessions by the ton and soda by the gallon, Bryan gradually sacrificed substance for spectacle until his greatest fans became his harshest critics. By the time Bryan became a man, a glance back at his body of work revealed something curious and troubling: His tales had become too derivative, and his once fiery vision had become but a flicker. Nevertheless, he soldiered on, looking back more than 200 years for a tale to thrill the masses, who seemed to grow more cynical with each passing minute. It was a story that had been told countless times before, by legions of weary parents and armies of talented artists. It followed the journey of a brave young farm boy who fell in love with a beautiful princess and embarked on an amazing journey into a land of giants high above the clouds. But alas -- the story had become too familiar, and few could be bothered to care, and Bryan's happily ever after seemed to slip out of reach because the only ones who saw it did so on a dare. As a young child, Jack marveled at stories of the noble King Erik and his battles against malevolent giants. Years later, when Jack Nicholas Hoult comes into possession of some magical beans stolen from King Brahmwell's trusted Lord Chancellor Roderick Stanley Tucci, who is set to marry Princess Isabelle Eleanor Tomlinson, the poor farm boy has no idea that he will soon follow in King Erik's legendary footsteps. Meanwhile, Isabelle pleads with her father not to marry her off to Roderick, who is secretly plotting to seize the throne. Fleeing from the castle after her father refuses to call off the wedding, she finds herself caught in a storm and seeks shelter at Jack's farmhouse. When one of the magical beans comes into contact with the rain, it sprouts a towering stalk that reaches up to the land of giants that exists between heaven and earth. Despite his bravest attempts to save the princess, she is lifted up along with his house as Jack falls back to the ground. The following morning, King Brahmwell Ian McShane and his men discover Jack unconscious by the beanstalk, and form a rescue crew consisting of Roderick, his sniveling servant Wicke Ewen Bremner, fearless soldier Crawe Eddie Marsan, and Elmont Ewan McGregor, the leader of the king's guard. Ascending into the clouds, the group find their efforts to save Princess Isabelle thwarted when Roderick uses a crown forged from the hearts of giants to become their unchallenged ruler. Now, as Roderick prepares to lead the towering titans back down to earth, where they will first destroy the kingdom before claiming the entire world, it's up to Jack to save Princess Isabelle and prevent the greatest disaster ever to befall mankind. Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer is the kind of escapist adventure that exists in that treacherous cinematic no-man's-land between child-friendly fantasy and gruesome adult spectacle. Although the efficient script by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, and Dan Studney moves at a satisfying pace while sticking closely to the original tale, it's difficult to discern whether we're supposed to fear the grotesque giants or laugh at them as they gobble humans up whole one moment and eat their own boogers the next. Meanwhile, the frequent attempts to display some storytelling serendipity quickly grow tiresome, and despite Singer's best efforts to dazzle with freewheeling camera work and spectacular special effects, the end product ends up looking surprisingly cheap. The talented cast are certainly game: Hoult makes a passable hero, McShane strikes a noble posture as the king, McGregor is obviously having a blast, and his old Trainspotting co-star Bremner pulls faces that even a Disney animator would be hard-pressed to top. It's also fun to watch Tucci embrace his diabolical side, though he's eventually overshadowed by the very giants he seeks to control. By the time the giants descend and all hell breaks loose, Singer and company have actually managed to hit a satisfying stride with the story, and the final showdown between man and monster serves up some genuine thrills. In the end, however, Jack the Giant Slayer feels too compromised to be truly memorable -- like a film created by a conservative committee rather than a director with real vision. By the time Jack and Princess Isabelle are tucking their children into bed and passing their story on to the next generation, it's hard not to wonder how far back Singer is willing to go in order to avoid telling a new story. Perhaps the Epic of Gilgamesh would pose a suitable challenge for him, if Peter Jackson doesn't get to it first.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 6/18/2013
  • UPC: 794043157714
  • Original Release: 2013

    • Rating:

  • Source: New Line Home Video
  • Language: English
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 212

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Nicholas Hoult Jack
Eleanor Tomlinson , Isabelle
Ewan McGregor Elmont
Stanley Tucci Roderick
Eddie Marsan Crawe
Bill Nighy Fallon, General Fallon
Ewen Bremner Wicke
John Kassir Fallon, General Fallon's Small HEad
Ian McShane King Brahmwell
Christopher Fairbank Uncle
Simon Lowe Monk
Mingus Johnston Bald
Ralph Brown General Entin
Joy McBrinn Old Maid
Chris Brailsford Blacksmith
Warwick Davis Old Hamm
Craig Salisbury Panto Erik the Great
Peter Bonner Panto Monk
Lee Boardman Badger
Lee Whitlock Small Drunk
Jody Halse Fat Drunk
Richard Dixon King's Artiste
Christopher Drake Young Guardian
Cornell John Fee
Andrew Brooke Fye
Angus Barnett Foe
Ben Daniels Fumm
Philip Philmar Cook Giant
Peter Elliott Sentry, Bugler Giant
Don McCorkindale Tongue Giant
Tayler Marshall 1st Child
Amber Vertannes 2nd Child
Alex MacQueen Tour Guide
Joseph Salazar Roddy
Hattie Gotobed Little Girl
Steve Williams Master of Secrets
John LeBar Panto Giant 1
Phill Martin Panto Giant 2
Steve Haze Panto Musician
Michael Self Young Jack
Tim Foley Jack's Father
Sydney Rawson Young Isabelle
Tandi Wright Queen
Byron Coll Soldier
Aaron Jackson Soldier
Technical Credits
Bryan Singer Director, Producer
Gavin Bocquet Production Designer
Richard Brener Executive Producer
Jamie Christopher Asst. Director
Michael Disco Executive Producer
David Dobkin Original Story, Producer
Bob Ducsay Editor
Toby Emmerich Executive Producer
Alex Garcia Executive Producer
Nina Gold Casting
Mark Harris Art Director
Phil Harvey Art Director
Sophie Hervieu Art Director
Sue Ignatius Makeup
Jon Jashni Executive Producer
Joanna Johnston Costumes/Costume Designer
Darren Lemke Original Story, Screenwriter
Mark Mangini Sound/Sound Designer
Ori Marmur Executive Producer
Patrick McCormick Producer
Rod McLean Art Director
Christopher McQuarrie Screenwriter
Kirsty McQueen Makeup
Neal H. Moritz Producer
Roger Mussenden Casting
John Ottman Score Composer, Associate Producer, Editor
Peter James Art Director
Lisa Pickering Makeup
Jeremy Rich Casting
John Rickard Co-producer, Executive Producer
Newton Thomas Sigel Cinematographer
Jonathan "Earl" Stein Associate Producer
Dan Studney Screenwriter
Jason Taylor Co-producer
Gary Tomkins Art Director
Thomas Tull Executive Producer
Dominic Tuohy Special Effects Supervisor
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