The tale of Hans and the Beanstalk, known in English as Jack and the Beanstalk, has been around in a wide variety of versions for centuries. Even though the first written down version was not written until 1807, there are motifs of this fairy tale in many different cultures under different names that can be traced back to the 12th century. And to this day, this thrilling fairy tale still enjoys great popularity. Now X-Men director Bryan Singer has also taken up the saga, loosely based on motifs from Hans and the Beanstalk and the older Jack the Giant Killer, and staged his very own version of the adventure story.
In Jack and the Giants, Singer tells of young Jack (Nicholas Hoult), who is supposed to be just selling his uncle's horse and cart, but in the process inadvertently comes into possession of some magic beans. These, when wet, open a gateway between the world of man and the realm of bloodthirsty giants who live above the clouds. When the beautiful and spirited princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlison) seeks shelter in Jack's house in the pouring rain, the unbelievable happens: one of the beans gets wet and in a few seconds a huge beanstalk grows into the sky, taking the house and princess with it. When the desperate King Brahmwell (Ian McShane) sends out a rescue party to save Isabelle, the actually rather timid Jack joins the noble knight Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and his men. Little does he know that the greatest danger comes not from the giants at the end of the beanstalk, but from Isabelle's fiancé, the cunning Roderick (Stanley Tucci). For he has a particularly cunning plan that could cost not only Isabelle, but the lives of every single inhabitant of the kingdom.
Jack and the Giants is an entertaining fantasy adventure that, while clearly aimed at a younger audience, is also relatively dark overall. There are always kid-friendly gags that even drift slightly into the silly at times. On the other hand, the world Singer and his team have created isn't colorful and playful, but rather rough and threatening. As a result, the whole thing just doesn't feel like a pure children's movie, but like a great adventure that even older fairy tale fans can enjoy.
While the film impresses less with its story or polished dialogues, but primarily with its effects. Although the giants in particular cannot deny their computer origins, the world above the clouds and its inhabitants can really be seen. The extremely high budget of the film of allegedly up to 200 million dollars makes itself felt here in a very impressive way. Even if the screenplay can't really do justice to the visual realization, it at least makes up for some of the dramaturgical weaknesses.
The actors act overall as one might expect in a fairy tale like this. While Nicholas Hoult is convincing as the youthful hero against his will, Ewan McGregor successfully plays against the nasty haircut he was given for this role with refreshing ease. Only the villains of the story, Stanley Tucci and Ewen Bremner as his dorky sidekick, play a little too over-the-top. One would have liked a little more menace from Tucci's Roderick in particular, which would certainly have added to the story's inherently decent level of tension.
Bottom line, you're left with the feeling that Jack and the Giants doesn't quite live up to its existing potential. Whether it's the director, cast, or any other creative minds behind the scenes, they all brought obvious talent and plenty of good ideas to this big-budget production. And yet, in the end, the fantastic action feels too arbitrary, too interchangeable to really leave a lasting impression. Surely, the whole thing is just a fairy tale, which accordingly follows strictly given rules and hardly offers any real surprises. As such, the movie works very well. But the big aha-effect just doesn't happen. As a viewer you always wait for something special, something spectacular, which just doesn't come. A few wild giants just aren't enough to really offer more than nice fantasy entertainment. But if you don't expect more than a sometimes exciting, sometimes amusing fairy tale told in an engaging visual style, you can confidently climb up the beanstalk with Jack and will surely have a lot of fun in the realm of the giants. Worth seeing
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