Jack the Giant SlayerMovie Reviews

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So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 51 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 11+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

75

Boston Globe | Tom Russo
A giant chef character is an icky bit of inspiration (complete with booger humor to soothe any shell-shocked young’uns in the audience), and the monsters are key to an epic-scale third act. If you thought the tale ended when Jack clambered back down from the skies, then you haven’t given it as much thought as Singer. Read full review
70

The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy
There's little facetious comedy a la the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. It's all traditional stuff, done well but without an original spark. Read full review
63

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
Peter Jackson devotees may not like to hear this, but Jack the Giant Slayer is far more accomplished, visually speaking, than The Hobbit: An Unexpected Snooze, I mean, Journey. Read full review
63

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Vivid visuals are the key to this handsome and moderately entertaining adventure. And the tone is more fairy-tale appropriate than video-game friendly, though the effects-laden swashbuckling sometimes obscures efforts at light whimsy. Read full review
60

NPR | Ian Buckwalter
The film's main problem — apart from its predictability and the sometimes unconvincing and cartoonish CGI for the army of giants — is that it never entirely commits to what kind of fantasy movie it wants to be. Read full review
58

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
This is how a fairy-tale movie gives us our money's worth today. Even if once upon a time, it was called overkill. Read full review
50

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
Jack's problem is that he's a commoner, but the movie's problem is that its script is commoner still, an enchantment-free pretext for animated action, straight-ahead storytelling and ersatz romance. Read full review
50

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
It's a bloodless, gutless piece of PG-13 fodder, geared to go down easy. That it does. It practically evaporates while you're watching it, lulling when you most want it to levitate. Read full review
40

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
A director as talented as Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” “X-Men”) should be working to raise popcorn movies to a higher level. Instead, this uninspired effort feels like a colossal letdown. Read full review
25

San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub
By the end, I was adding my own internal "Deadwood"-style profanities to McShane's clean dialogue. "For the sake of the (God-@#$%) kingdom, cut it (the @#$%) down!" Movies about mile-high beanstalks shouldn't require additional audience imagination. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Jack the Giant Slayer on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 11+ Fantasy violence eased by humor in tween-friendly adventure.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Jack and the Giant Slayer is a big-budget adaptation of the classic English fairy tale. It's full of swashbuckling action, computer-generated fantasy violence, and considerable collateral damage. The violence is the result of the vengeful giants holding an (understandable) grudge against the humans. People die from being eaten (the giants tear people apart to eat them) or burned, plunging to their deaths, getting crushed, and other catastrophes. There are also sword fights, and a well-liked character meets a particularly gruesome end. There's mild romance between Jack and Princess Isabelle (they flirt and share a couple of sweet, chaste kisses) and a little bit of language ("hell," "bastared," etc.). In classic fairy tale tradition, the hero is brave and selfless, and the heroine -- while definitely up for adventure -- finds herself in need of saving on more than one occasion.

Families can talk about how Jack the Giant Slayer compares to other versions of the tale. Were you surprised at how it compares to the Jack and the Beanstalk tale you remember?
There's a lot of fantasy violence in the movie. Do you think the movie would have been more appropriate for younger kids if fewer people had been shown dead/dying/killed? What purpose, if any, does the violence serve?
Why is the idea of a peasant falling in love with a royal so compelling? Was the romance in this story believable? What did Jack and Isabelle have in common, despite the difference in their status?

The good stuff

Positive messages: As is generally the case in fantasy adventures, selflessness is rewarded, and a couple is allowed to marry for love instead of status. The dangers of power in the hands of the corrupt is made clear.
Positive role models: Jack is heroic, smart, and sensitive. He's willing to risk his life to save Princess Isabelle -- and all of Albion -- not for glory but because it's the right thing to do. The king is able to make a selfless decision to save his people, even if it comes at a devastating personal cost. Isabelle is independent and speaks her mind, but she really does need to be saved on more than one occasion. Elmont is willing to face down Roderick and the giants even though he could have escaped.

What to watch for

Violence: There's a significant body count and plenty of fantasy violence. People die plunging to their deaths, being eaten/trampled/burned alive by the giants, or squashed when the enormous beanstalk falls back on the kingdom. The king's guardians (and Jack) kill giants as well, usually with a knife or sword, but also with flaming arrows. One well-liked character is killed in a gruesome way. The giants tear the humans apart to eat them.
Sexy stuff: Lingering looks lead to hand holding, embraces, and two kisses.
Language: Very infrequent use of "hell" and "piss off," plus some mild insults like "stupid" and "idiot" and one interrupted "F--" exclamation. Also some scatological humor (the giants burp, fart, and pick/eat their boogers).
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.