Jack the Giant Slayer

Name: Jack the Giant Slayer
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Released: March 1, 2013
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 51
Cast: Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci

2013

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Critics

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 217 Ratings

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 217 Ratings

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JACK THE GIANT SLAYER

Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: March 1, 2013

Starring: Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci

Summary: A modern day fairy tale in which the long-standing peace between men and giants is threatened, as a young farmer leads an expedition into the giants' kingdom in hopes of rescuing a kidnapped princess.

Director: Bryan Singer

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 114 min

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Awards & Rankings

82	#82 Most Discussed Movie of 2013

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper

Feb 27, 2013

A rousing, original and thoroughly entertaining adventure. Read full review

Tom Russo

Feb 28, 2013

A giant chef character is an icky bit of inspiration (complete with booger humor to soothe any shell-shocked young’uns in the audience), and the monsters are key to an epic-scale third act. If you thought the tale ended when Jack clambered back down from the skies, then you haven’t given it as much thought as Singer. Read full review

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Feb 28, 2013

Peter Jackson devotees may not like to hear this, but Jack the Giant Slayer is far more accomplished, visually speaking, than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Snooze, I mean, Journey. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Feb 28, 2013

This is how a fairy-tale movie gives us our money's worth today. Even if once upon a time, it was called overkill. Read full review

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Feb 28, 2013

Jack's problem is that he's a commoner, but the movie's problem is that its script is commoner still, an enchantment-free pretext for animated action, straight-ahead storytelling and ersatz romance. Read full review

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Feb 28, 2013

It's a bloodless, gutless piece of PG-13 fodder, geared to go down easy. That it does. It practically evaporates while you're watching it, lulling when you most want it to levitate. Read full review

Slant Magazine R. Kurt Osenlund

Feb 27, 2013

This epic waste of $190 million plunders the grab bag of overused plotlines, failing to put its own stamp on much of anything. Read full review

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User Reviews

docfeelgood

Mar 1, 2013

Just came from seeing this with my kids. Was not too violent. Kids had a total blast and so did I. Total fun! An Oscar winner for best picture? Never, but who cares! This was totally enjoyable.

7 of 9 users found this helpful72

lucifersdiadem

Mar 2, 2013

I have to say that this movie was not what I expected it to be. It was neither childish, nor what I would consider adult, but a mix between the two. One thing I will say right away is if you are expected jaw-dropping 3D, skip this movie. It has a few wow moments, but on the whole I wouldI have to say that this movie was not what I expected it to be. It was neither childish, nor what I would consider adult, but a mix between the two. One thing I will say right away is if you are expected jaw-dropping 3D, skip this movie. It has a few wow moments, but on the whole I would recommend saving a few bucks and seeing the 2D version instead.
I did like the movie, and I feel the story is solid. I left the theatre feeling good about spending the money to see it, and because of that I give it an 8. If the 3D had been better, it would have scored higher.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

quincytheodore

Mar 5, 2013

Here's a storybook retelling by Hollywood that isn't completely rubbish. Jack the Giant Slayer stands proudly on the verge of decency, but doesn't really achieve greatness either. It is a stylized version of Jack and the Beanstalk that caters to more contemporary viewers. With the help ofHere's a storybook retelling by Hollywood that isn't completely rubbish. Jack the Giant Slayer stands proudly on the verge of decency, but doesn't really achieve greatness either. It is a stylized version of Jack and the Beanstalk that caters to more contemporary viewers. With the help of its stars, it provides a more palatable reinterpretation of fairy tale, although the script doesn't really shine. Effects are good throughout, gigantic creatures may have been digitally constructed before and while the giants here don't rewrite how they should be portrayed, they do have more humane motions in an attempt to include them more as characters and not mere monsters.

Nicholas Hoult as Jack is an appropriate pick. He doesn't stand out as the heroic type, leaning more towards an urchin type of protagonist. His love interest Isabelle, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, is a princess who longs for an adventure. If I didn't know better, I'd say the first few scenes are from old RPG game, and truthfully. It starts slow and predictable, almost overly cliché. This is a movie that has slow beginning but eventually builds up to more interesting sequences.

Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor and Ian McShane are no strangers to fantasy movie, these veterans are charming and act their parts ardently. They give more color to the otherwise wanting movie, I personally like Ewan McGregor as he steals the scenes even only as supporting role. Writing is somewhat inconsistent, some dialogues are corny and seem forced, and for those who aren't, they are decent at best. The pace is brilliantly tight however, the scenes are set in hasty fashion, not prolonged mundanely, and they are chained together fluidly.

Action is integrated well, the ones towards the end are pretty amazing. It has compact and comprehensible battles, things happen quickly in sorted recognizable order, it's a good trait to have, considering the numbers of people involved are plenty at times. The use of 3D is serviceable, camera placement for the action are tailored for it, although not in invasive way as most 3D movies do. The switch to first person view briefly at some events is a nice touch.

Wardrobe for the cast deserves credit, outfits are medieval yet seemingly have modern ambiance to them. Armor designs fit the theme, the characters look fine as each respective garment insinuate their personality more. Jack the Giant Slayer is a movie which isn't overly epic, it does have some issues and doesn't really make for a grand journey. However, the solid acting and good pace will likely amuse audience.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Thegodfatherson

Apr 4, 2013

Jack the Giant Slayer isn't a step up movie for director Bryan Singer who has brought us the almost marvellous Superman Returns which crashed in cinema but adored by critics. This is a whole new idea, Orcs, Knights, Warriors- not Singer's type but still it was entertaining. The movie cutsJack the Giant Slayer isn't a step up movie for director Bryan Singer who has brought us the almost marvellous Superman Returns which crashed in cinema but adored by critics. This is a whole new idea, Orcs, Knights, Warriors- not Singer's type but still it was entertaining. The movie cuts through minutes of opening with slashes and killings. The story is a mixup of Jack and the Beanstalk and Lord of the Rings that meets with Beastly's romantic touch. I'd say its pretty neat VFX type. This film's story is nothing special, just an adaption- even Walter Hill or James Cameron can do a book movie. It's good when you see it's speciality in action and special effects and coolness but nothing special.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PandoraDD

Mar 27, 2013

I kinda like the way they protraite those little details. I still feel that this is not a family movie, all of the killing, squashing... is so terrifing.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

drakenseng

Jun 9, 2013

This movie, even though its rated PG was still decent. The main characters ans even side characters were pretty good. But the story was just too all over the place. It begins with a dad and son reading about giants and then a movie about a princess trying to save the kingdom. Jack himself,This movie, even though its rated PG was still decent. The main characters ans even side characters were pretty good. But the story was just too all over the place. It begins with a dad and son reading about giants and then a movie about a princess trying to save the kingdom. Jack himself, didn't really do a lot of fighting in the movie. I though he was going to turn into some great giant slayer or something as the title suggests? But he spends most of his time fighting against himself, being a farm boy and falling in love with a princess. This movie would be a great 3d animation for PG. But the title is very misleading and not many 'slaying' in the movie. The movie is a good family movie but its centered around one or two characters and its about saving a kingdom. There is pg love, there is pg fights, there is pg dialogue. So no blood and guts here...just family fun.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Nazgulero

Aug 12, 2013

Awful, just awful. The acting is atrocious, the main male character too ugly to convince that he could charm a princess, the CGI is simply poor. The story is boring and incoherent. Why are these movies made They will never make the studio money...

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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