JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (2013)

Before I analyse this film, I have a small confession to make. I'm slightly taken by Nicholas Hoult; this is a fact that you may have gathered by my earlier review of Warm Bodies. There is even a picture of him up in my locker at work... Despite being enamored by him for a lot of the film, I managed to salvage some other thoughts about Bryan Singer's latest action flick.

When I say action flick, I use the expression ironically. The film built towards a battle in the third act which never really occurred. There was a struggle but no actual warfare took place. I partially attribute this to the film's lack of a distinct demographic. It was a fairy tale which was initially intended for children that has instead been adapted into an adult tale. The problem partially lies in the film's 12A rating which limited the potential to truly explore an adult interpretation of the story. Instead, there was childish humour and scarcely menacing CGI villains.

It's disappointing that with such a credible director at the helm and a host of actors renowned for their abilities, the end product was so mundane. Even the romance felt as though it was being jeopardised in order to advance the story. There were in fact few scenes where the protagonists actually demonstrated much of an interest in one another beyond fleeting glances.

Singer can be forgiven this time as it may be assumed that his task to produce X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) was so daunting that Jack the Giant Slayer just sort of naturally lost it's way. The film could possibly be used as a cautionary tale for future directors of beloved fairy tales. In 2014, Guillermo Del Toro is producing an interpretation of Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson. I can only pray that the director does not make the same mistakes as Singer as we all know that the House of Mouse is much more of an unforgiving company. Plus, fans of the original would be a lot more openly venomous. My thoughts are with you, Del Toro!