Jack the Giant Slayer

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.

On the land of the Giants, there are sheep, bees, and presumably many other animals, all the same size as they'd be back on Earth, yet the two headed Giant has an enormous Goat Skull as decorative shoulder armor.

Okay, let me just be clear about something first This is in NO means a masterpiece. You can actually already tell it by the title of the movie.

As Hollywood's got very busy turning fairy tales into blockbuster flicks, it's not a surprise that 'Jack and the Beanstalk' should have its turn. Of course, 'artistic' liberties have been taken to make the film more appealing to teens and thus the story has been changed and lots of money have been spent to give it that epic blockbuster look.

Years ago I saw "Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story" on TV, the one directed by Brian Henson from 2001. I thought I wouldn't even get through the first of its three-hour running time as it was supposed to be targeted towards a children's audience.

"Jack the Giant Slayer" is an entertaining update of the classic fairy tale in which a Medieval lad by the name of Jack (Nicholas Hoult) acquires a handful of magic beans that sprout into massive stalks, leading him to a race of giants that live in the clouds.Directed by Bryan Singer, the movie boasts a likable cast (Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane), spectacular production design and special effects, and an action-packed screenplay that doesn't forget to take time out for a little humor and romance along the way.

I've watched this on DVD, and believe the film's promoters should have presented it differently. Artistically, the film is something I've not seen before, therefore taking both risk and excitement - a very grown up interpretation of the childhood fairy tale.

Taking classic fairy tale stories and adding an action plot line to it has become a recent trend now with Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters recently out. Though these adaptations are laughable, Jack the Giant Slayer is an excellent display of special effects and nonstop fun adventure.

Jack (Nicholas Hoult) is an 18 year old farm boy in the kingdom of Cloister. Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) is Princess of the same kingdom.

This was a fun movie to watch. It may be a bit intense for a younger audience though.

Bryan Singer's reimagining of the story about the farmboy Jack who fought savage giants mixes the cheerful British fairy tale Jack and the Bean Stalk with the darker and more violent related tale of Jack the Giant Killer, resulting in a hybrid which incorporates the key narrative elements of both for its own plot purposes. The result is an entertaining adventure flick which sadly looses some of its pleasuring punch by trusting in overly trite but true fairy tale signifiers too much.