And thankfully, “Jack the Giant Slayer” isn’t nearly as commercial as you would fear-instead, strong performances, a nice sense of fairytale whimsy, and some genuinely impressive CGI round out the whole affair, creating a nicely paced, well-acted adventure. The man who gave us those first two very good “X-Men” movies and that kind-of underrated Tom Cruise Nazi movie, “Valkyrie,” is doing something slightly more traditional with “Jack the Giant Slayer,” but you can’t fault the guy for needing to make a buck after a few years away from the game. He returns home with only a handful of beans given to him by a monk who claimed they were sacred, but that does little to impress his uncle, who tosses them away. There are battle scenes, impressively huge giants, and a fairly straightforward script, but director Bryan Singer put it all together in an invigorating way.īryan Singer! Welcome back to directing, friend. Sent to the market by his uncle to sell their horse and buy thatch for their roof, Jack meets the beautiful Princess Isabelle, whom he rescues from ruffians.
‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ has certainly taken a long time getting to theaters, but it’s a fun, adventurous thing, smartly choosing to stick close to its fairytale roots. Also some kissing, cursing, and booger and bathroom humor.
But because those effects are largely CGI, there’s a level of distance you’ll experience as a viewer, so teenagers should be fine. Otherwise, some battle scenes, some beating and stabbing, and, those monstrous giants, some with extra heads and stuff. It’s mostly bloodless, but there are some random gross things, like a giant’s eye popping out and coming at you in 3-D, and some human heads being bitten off.