Jack and the Giants

Ein fantastisches Märchen – fantastisch ist das Genre sowie die Ausführung. Bryan Singer hat sich mit der Darstellung der Riesen viel Mühe gegeben. Er hat sie so aufgenommen, damit es für den jüngeren Teil des Publikums spannend und für die älteren Zuschauer*innen unterhaltsam ist. Beides ist ihm dank der sympathischen Schauspieler (Stanley Tucci ist herrlich heimtückisch, Nicholas Hoult kann man auch verkraften), eines ausgewogenen Drehbuchs (welches zum Glück weiß, was Abstand bedeutet, und nicht so verbissen düster wie z. B. bei Snow White and the Huntsman ist), einer vernünftigen Länge und dank toller Tricks gelungen. Der Epilog muss jeden davon überzeugen, dass Jack And The Giants vor allem deshalb entstanden ist, weil es den Autoren Spaß gemacht hat und weil es auch dem Publikum Spaß machen soll. (25.08.2014)

Wannabe Stardust. A wacky fantasy fairytale with no lightness or humor, not to speak of the chemistry between the central duo. And although it’s pretty hard for the above reasons, in the end it’s more or less watchable. The crowning stupidity of this is, however, that although the movie ends after running for an hour and a half, instead of the final credits a forcibly grafted on half-hour of fight mayhem takes off and it’s... massively unbearable (and I found Jack similarly unbearable too). (11.06.2013)

The reason for the high rating is really simple: I got about ten times more fun than I had dared to expect. Singer is a director with capital D, and this easygoing fantasy adventure flourishes under his hands as admirably as his comic book flicks (X-Men) or dark crime flicks (The Usual Suspects), and I had as much fun watching it as I've had with Hollywood fantasy in a long time. A very, very good and imaginative script, a straightforward narrative, an enchanting, almost fairy-tale atmosphere and a generally likeable cast (perhaps only Hoult is a bit too "plankish"), all in perfect balance and of course complemented by great visual effects, which are the main thing here:-) A perfect diversion for adults and (except for a few moments) for their older kids. 85% (26.06.2013)

Sure, modern technology can work wonders, and thanks to it, film special effects have reached an incredibly high level. This fairy tale has a solid budget and therefore is capable of offering a spectacular spectacle. Moreover - and I find this appealing - it is not affected by that overly sweet Disney style. It can be dark and at times it even crosses the line into the horror genre. On the other hand, if you compare Jack the Giant Slayer to the successful film Stardust, you quickly notice Jack's weaknesses. It lacks lightness, functional humor, and the charisma of the characters. What troubles Jack the most is the lack of chemistry between the main protagonists and, above all, the painful casting mistake in the role of Jack. Overall impression: 55%. (30.09.2015)

It’s not good when in the afternoon you go to the cinema for a similar digital fairytale Maleficent and in the evening, you watch a year older but digitally not any worse movie Jack the Giant Slayer. However, it is apparent that Jack is a little sloppy. Not digitally, it probably isn’t even possible, but rather in the story itself. The most distinct one is Ewan McGregor, who is a supporting character and that is suspicious. While the two hours watching it were nicely spent, unlike Maleficent, I probably won’t watch this fairytale again. (10.06.2014)