Review: 'Jack the Giant Slayer' neither has VFX brilliance nor old school fairy tale charm

Film: Jack the Giant Slayer
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Ian McShane, Eddie Marsan and Ewen Bremner
Director: Bryan Singer
Rating: **

You have to give it to Peter Jackson for not just introducing ground breaking CGI technology in the Lord of the Rings series and the recent Hobbit, but also paving way for other filmmakers to use the expertise to their advantage. 

Fairy tales have become the new fodder for writers to chew on, with TV shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time being lapped up by viewers, it wasn’t too long before someone tried his take on the legendary Jack and the Beanstalk story.

We have all read the story of the magical beans that sprout into the sky. However, this time around it is a rescue mission for Jack (Nicholas Hoult) as he joined by the King’s men to travel up the beanstalk and rescue Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) who is trapped in Gantua a magical land ruled by giants.

There is plenty of action, some of it is too violent for chidren while the rest won’t really catch the appeal of the adults. Even though the premise and the story is quite simple, it is the special effects and the larger than life canvass that makes Jack’s adventures a visual treat.

On the upside there is plenty of fuel in terms of the special effects to dazzle you, but story and content wise there are huge potholes. None of the characters are interesting enough to keep your attention. The second half drags and predictability of the end slays any possibility of this turning into a full fledged fantasy action adventure.

Stanley Tucci and Ian McShane are aptly cast in their roles as Isabelle’s fiancé and her father. The lead cast of Hoult and Tomlinson look good together, but are never able to rise above the mediocre script.

In an age where substance rules over style, Jack the Giant Slayer neither has the brilliance in terms of VFX nor the old school charm of the fairy tale.