"Jack and the beanstalk" meets "Lord of the Rings." In this rather typical medieval little guys vs. big guys tale, the princess in distress must be saved by Jack the peasant. Yes, beans get planted and stalks grow, but beyond that, the story's pretty much the usual formula. Still, many great films sport derivative plot lines, so no need to fault Jack for that. And to its credit, Jack offers some sparkling scenes of swashbuckling adventure, a few of which may even be a bit too grizzly for young children. I have to confess, I found the sprouting of the first beanstalk so dramatically filmed as to be somewhat frightening. Little ones might be terrified.
At the end of the day, though, these are supposed to be magic beans. But aside from the stalk sprouting scenes, I didn't feel much magic. That's probably because the characters weren't written richly and don't grow. That said, the actors (and animators) did a commendable job of giving them at least some personality.
Never boring, quite watchable, but Jack the Giant Slayer ends small and unmemorable.
(Good to see Nicholas Hoult acting in film as an adult. His About a boy is one of my all time favorites.)
-- Click here to see Books by Ross Anthony, Author --
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