Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writers:

Darren Lemke (screenplay), Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay),

Stars:

Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicholas Hoult	...	Jack
Eleanor Tomlinson	...	Isabelle
Ewan McGregor	...	Elmont
Stanley Tucci	...	Roderick
Eddie Marsan	...	Crawe
Ewen Bremner	...	Wicke
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

Storyline

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 her from ruffians. He returns home only with a handful of beads given to him by a monk who claimed they were sacred but that does little to impress his uncle who tosses them away. In the night the Princess arrives having run off to keep from marrying Roderick who is clearly only interested in becoming king. Soon the beans take root with a giant stalk carrying away the princess and Jack's house. He soon sets off on an adventure with the king's guards to rescue the princess only to find that a mythical land filled with giants really exists.

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Plot Keywords:

princess | giant | king | horse | monk | 

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Taglines:

Prepare for a giant adventure

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense scenes of fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jack the Giant Killer

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$195,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$27,202,226 (USA) (1 March 2013)

Gross:

$64,482,913 (USA) (10 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Legendary Pictures, Original Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ewan McGregor's character states that he "has a bad feeling about this." This phrase is a staple of the Star Wars films, which McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, has said twice. Cast members Warwick Davis and Ralph Brown also appeared with him in the first film.

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Goofs

During the fight with Roderick, Elmont drops Jack's dagger three times, yet only seems to pick it up once. The first time is when he falls into the giant statue (he does not pick it up), the second when the blade is knocked from his hands (which he later picks up with his mouth), and the third is when the blade is stabbed into Roderick. Somehow, between the first and second instances, the dagger ended up in Elmont's hands.

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Quotes

Jack: There's an army behind me, isn't there?

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Crazy Credits

The silhouetted men in the Bad Hat Harry logo are replaced by giants.

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Connections

Version of Jack and the Beanstalk (1970)

User Reviews

Fine retelling of the familiar story

In this retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, the title character and a runaway princess are thrust into the sky when vines sprouting from the magic beans vault Jack's cabin into the sky. A race of giants exiled there by the power of a magic crown plots to return below and recapture the human kingdom. The King sends a rescue party of his knights and the princess's evil fiancé to rescue the princess, and the evil prince uses the magical crown in an attempt to seize the power of the giants to take over the kingdom.

It was refreshing to find a non ironic, non meta straightforward telling of this story, with some elements of charm and humor. The 3D is fairly unspectacular, although there are great sequences, such as the collapse of the vine which causes catastrophic damage below. The body count, for a family film, is quite high, surpassing some of the later Harry Potter movies. It is also notable that there are virtually no females in either the giants' or human's realm. The cast is fine, and Nicholas Hoult makes a fine Jack, and brings more life and personality to the role than he did earlier this year with "Warm Bodies."

Most elements of the film work quite well and it has the potential to work alongside dark family fare like "The Never Ending Story" or "The Dark Crystal."