Review for Jack the Beanstalk Slayer (Or Jack the Giant Killer)

Albert Einstein once said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales. “~ Albert Einstein

Needless to say that I have been a fan of fairytales since I was very, very small.  So, seeing a movie about that is essentially am electrified, revamped version of a fairytale makes me happy because it reminds me of the childhood mental adventures I would take- via fairytales. I have to admit that the tv show entitled, “Once Upon a Time..,” Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Mirror Mirror,” “The Great and Powerful Oz” and even “Tangled” makes me think that fairytales are cool again in society. But besides fairytales what is even more fashionable is the revamping of fairytales which leads them to the fantasy genre. As someone who is once in a while, a playful cultural critic, I would say that I cannot help but wonder what this means as a society that we are experimenting with the fairytale genre. Are we interested in their timelessness? Or are we interested in the world they transport us too? The happy endings? Or the beautiful worlds they take us to? I also find it interesting that 3-4 years ago, vampires were all the rage. But now, perhaps we are moving onto fairytales? One last important question might be-is cultural fodder for the books, film, television.. a bit like clothing style is in the fashion industry? In other words, is what is old, new again? From such contextual clues, I would guess so.

Now, I guess I will go on to the actual movie. I will say that unlike other film reviews I have given.. this will be more of a What I liked and didn’t like. I feel more comfortable describing the film in that dimension.

I felt a bit mixed about the story at times. In some ways, the trailer made the movie seem a lot better. So I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t as epic as the trailer described it too be. I thought that it was going to be this massive life or death battle between the giant and Jack. That is the other thing- I was shocked that there were so many giants. In the original story there was only one. But I still liked some aspects of the movie because it had a story about a kingdom which was set to medieval times, which is usually a favorite setting for me in stories.

It also had the story of two children- from different social structures- who suffered through the same issues so it helped connect the story better. The romance of the two main characters is obvious from the minute they showcase the children- it is a bit archetypal.

But I guess my favorite part was actually seeing the beanstalk grow and seeing the world of the giants. I was surprised at the story of King Eric and what his crown was made from as well as how the giants worshipped it. This piece of the story was the great fairytale or legend piece.. and it was a bit enchanting listening to it. At the same point, I thought that it was a bit weird that a crown was made from the heart of the giants. I am rather grossed out by blood and especially guts so the idea of crown made by hearts seems icky. But I am grateful no blood was shown.

I liked the adventure aspect of the film. It seemed very daring and definitely made the story more interesting. At the same point there was so much of it, that I got just in the details

The acting is also a bit mixed. The main two characters, Jack and Isabelle, are a bit weak. As I wrote earlier, you can kind of tell that they will get together but nothing too much is said about their interests, or them as people. I was also annoyed that for some significant parts of the movie, it seemed like Jack saved the day and Isabelle was once again the female in distress who needed to be saved. Yes, I understand that this is a fairytale but if it is being vamped up in the trailer as an epic fantasy, then it also needs to revamp its portrayal of gender roles.

I of course of didn’t like the character of Roderick but I thought Stanley Stucci played this creepy character well. I also thought that it was weird how they implied that the Crown of Eric was actually contained in the Crown Jewels in West Minister Abbey in London. I can see some thinking that was cool.. that the Crown of Eric still somehow exist. But I also thought that it was weird how, this evil crown ( and weird for being made from hearts) exist in a modern crown now. I know it’s fantasy.. but it just felt funny.

In sum, I give this movie about 2.5 stars. It can be an interesting distraction from doing homework, but it won’t be a great escape as fairytales usually are to many people.