A daydreamer, Jack (Nicholas Hoult) is a farm boy living with his strict uncle (Christopher Fairbank). Charged with selling their horse and cart, Jack’s uncle is livid when his nephew returns with just a handful of beans and a promise of gold. Later that night, Jack is visited by a princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), who’s run away from home, seeking to escape her upcoming marriage to a man she doesn’t love. They are both stunned when one of Jack’s beans sprouts into a huge beanstalk and carries Isabelle away.
The beanstalk takes Isabelle up to the land of the giants, which is hovering in the sky between earth and heaven. It’s up to Jack, Elmont (Ewan McGregor), the king’s most trusted knight, and Roderick (Stanley Tucci), the older man to whom Isabelle is betrothed, to rescue her. A twisting mass of huge vines, the beanstalk is one of the film’s most visually stunning features. You get a real sense of its massive length and heft.
Soon enough, Jack and crew find themselves in the land of the giants; an unruly bunch of nose picking thugs with bad skin, and rotten teeth who have sworn revenge on the king who banished them. They are led by a two-headed general named Fallon (Bill Nighy), though they will follow anyone who wears a special crown, which just happens to fall into the hands of the scheming Roderick.
All of this leads to the giants climbing down the beanstalk and attempting to reclaim their home on earth. Singer is able to generate some genuine excitement during this battle, with the giants hurling windmill blades and other heavy objects. There’s also some gross humor that’s undoubtedly the reason for the PG-13 rating. At one point, a giant literally prepares pigs-in-a-blanket by literally rolling and then skewering pigs in a blanket of dough.
Nicholas Hoult and Eleanor Tomlinson work well as the leads, but the script doesn’t give them much to do. The CGI is the real star here; Hoult and Tomlinson are called upon to do little more than look good and occasionally express angst. Somehow, despite a weak script, Stanley Tucci manages to steal every scene he’s in. If you love CGI, Jack the Giant Slayer is well worth a look. If not, you might want to pass on this one.
Framed at 240:1, Warner’s 1080p transfer is sharp as a tack. The colors are as vivid as can be, bringing a sense of realism to the giant’s world. There are more brights than darks on display, and the solid visuals are a standout in the film and for the transfer. Good stuff all around.
The film’s DTS-High Definition Master Audio English 5.1 soundtrack is wonderful. Loud and full, each individual sound is discernible. It’s difficult to find a flaw here, as every aspect of the track is truly dynamic.
Also offered are Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1s, with English, Spanish and French subtitles provided.
The following special features are available:
- Become a Giant Slayer (HD, 25:29) Hosted by Nicholas Hoult, this interactive “map” allows you to access six featurettes. Across these featurettes we get comments from director Bryan Singer, digital effects supervisor Eric Adrian Fernandes, visual effects supervisor Stephen L. Rosenbaum, producer Patrick McCormick, costume designer Joanna Johnston, animation supervisor Jan Philip Cramer, set decorator Richard Roberts, special effects supervisor Dominic Tuohy, and actors Hoult, Bill Nighy, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, and Eddie Marsan. Various topics such as the cast and their selection, giant design, the visual effects and more are covered.
- Deleted Scenes (HD, 8:27) Five deleted/alternate scenes, none of which feature final visual effects.
- Gag Reel (HD, 2:56) The typical stuff.
- DVD Copy of the film.
- UV Digital Copy of the film
