Lots of great movies coming out this month!
We were lucky enough to receive passes to see Jack the Giant Slayer in 3D.
Wow, was this movie surprisingly good!
As adults we found it very appealing and entertaining. Older children and teens will most likely love it as well. It is really way too scary for the under 6 year old crowd. A four year old girl sat next to us and she spent the whole movie with her coat over her head, pleading with her family to leave! Leave your younger kids at home and get out and enjoy this fantasy soon.
Jack and the Giant Slayer is a fun take on the traditional story of Jack
and the Beanstalk. It was beautifully shot and presented on the big
screen. The story itself is very true to the original with some slight
additions to make this a genuine long form movie. The story begins with
the telling of the legend that Jack and all the
children of the kingdom have been told for generations. The story they
are told is about a land of giants in the sky which came down on a giant
beanstalk to conquer the kingdom below and were eventually stopped by a
great king who formed a magic crown which enslaved the Giants. After Jack
grows up he finds himself in possession of the magic beans which he has
been given in exchange for his horse which he was told to sell to buy
thatch to fix their roof. He has been warned not to get them wet, but
through a series of circumstances one of them drops and gets wet. The
incredible beanstalk grows and Jack is off on an adventure to save the Princess and the entire Kingdom.
enjoyed it greatly from beginning to end. This movie reminded me very
much of The Princess Bride in many aspects especially as it relates to
the story and how it is told (thats a VERY good thing, by the way). The
retelling of the original fairy tale is done in a way where they add
elements to the story which extend and expand the legend and the overall
theme without going overboard. It all fits together very nicely. The
acting is very well done and the scenery and filming are exceptional. The Giants were very realistic looking even though
they were completely done with CGI. You never felt like the “people”
were performing in front of a green screen with the giants pasted in
afterwards.
at all, aside from some minor kissing. There is a considerable amount of
violence between the King’s men and the Giants, but there is very
little that is graphic in the violence. You see Giants picking up men
to eat, but you don’t actually see the Giant
eating the person. They do show the Giants being hit with arrows and
falling from the Beanstalk to the ground, but again its not overly
graphic in nature. There are some scenes which would be scary for
younger children (when the Beanstalk first grows, the Giants in general
and some of the scenes with Giants fighting) and if you have a young
child that scares easily you may want to consider that before taking
them. We recommend this movie to any child 6 or over. But remember, you know your child best, and there are many children 6-10 who would be very scared at this movie.