Jack the Giant Slayer

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% (06/26/2013)

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%. (09/30/2015)

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. (06/10/2014)

For almost 200 million to make a yawn like that is also an art in its own right. It is practically free of Singer’s dominance, because the film is subject to the total dictatorship of the green screen, which makes the whole thing look like The Prince and the Evening Star: Robert Zemeckis Cut. The enormity of the budget makes it clear how the production underestimated the energy drink consumption of the special effects studio staff (16 of them worked on this – effects studios, not staff), whereas the likes of Neill Blomkamp might have been able to take over the galaxy with similar resources. For real. And then the sporadic quality of the special effects was interesting, as I've seen rendered videos for PC games that looked considerably better. Peter Jackson had hundreds of people create masks, animatronic puppets, and location models, which were then post-produced by other people again; Brian Singer stood in front of a hundred and fifty chubby graphic designers, saying "I want those giants to conquer that city and the humans will win in the end. Wake me up when you get it," and went to check his account balance. And that's why this world is so fucked up. (3 stars because the giants conquer the city and the people win in the end) (07/03/2013)

Jack The Giant Slayer is an absolutely (but absolutely) archetypal fantasy film that replicates overseas productions of recent years in almost every way. A cast of mostly well-known and lesser-known actors, a slightly predictable script (although that little trip to the present day made me happy), and a ton of visual effects that, unfortunately for all of us, look really sloppy and totally inauthentic in places, which is quite striking with a budget of just under 200 million dollars. Of the acting ensemble, I was most impressed by Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner. It wasn't that bad a film, except maybe I was expecting something more, something new, but so be it. In short, a film that stands out for how immediately mediocre it is (08/16/2013)