Friday, March 1, 2013

Jack The Giant Slayer - Written Review

FINALLY!!!  I bitch about how much Hollywood screws up movies based on classic stories like Snow White and Hansel & Gretel.  That writers, producers, and directors are WAY too liberal with creative license and they end up making a movie (in most cases, a steaming pile of crap) that has absolutely NOTHING to do with the story it was based on.  They finally did it right!!  Ladies and gentlemen Bryan Singer has done the impossible and didn't f*ck up the story of Jack & the Beanstalk with, Jack The Giant Slayer.

Not to be confused with Jack the Ripper.
I can't get over this.  They did it.  They finally did it!  This is how you make and adaptation, people!  You don't bastardize the story the movie is based on.  You don't reorganize or kill off characters that aren't killed off in the original story - especially if they're killed off for no reason.  You don't drop or rewrite key elements of the story.  You don't rewrite key phrases that that story is known for.  You just DON'T.  Everything else is more or less up for tweaking.  Did this story have a guy named Jack?  Yes.  Did it have a beanstalk?  Yes.  Giants?  Hells yes.  Did Jack end up killing any giants?  Spoiler: (if the title wasn't a give away) Yes!


Yay, for fanservice!
So far I've just been talking about the fact they did a good job with the adaptation.  Onto talking about the movie.  It's not easy turning a kids movie into an action fantasy aimed at adults.  I have to admit that I was a bit on my guard going into this movie because it was pushed back 9 months.  It was originally supposed to be out in theaters last June, but for some reason got pushed back.  Usually being pushed back is a HUGE red flag for a movie.  I can make a long list of movies that got pushed back and ended up sucking hard when they were finally released.  Pathfinder and Season of the Witch come to mind.  So I was really pleasantly surprised when this one was actually really good.  Byran Singer might not have the strongest movies, but he's never made anything that sucked.

Not sure if giant telekinesis or blowing kiss.
In conclusion, Jack the Giant Slayer was a good movie.  Now, good on what grounds?  For an action fantasy film about giants who leave in a land among the clouds who try to take over the world and are stopped by a farm boy, a princess, and a knight it was freakin great!  This is a much more serious and action-filled story then the one you read as a kid.  Was it a good movie?  Yes, yes it was.  Was it a serious movie?  For the most part.  How serious was the movie?  I answer with a question: how serious are you expecting a movie about giants to be?  Is it worth my time?  If you're looking for a feel good movie where the underdog wins and comes out on top in the end, then this is your movie.  This is a fairytale, plain and simple.  It's a well adapted, well written, well acted, well directed movie.

Film Crazy Adam highly recommends and approves this movie.