Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend— and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
Acclaimed filmmaker Bryan Singer directs the family adventure “Jack the Giant Slayer,” starring Nicholas Hoult as Jack. The film also stars Eleanor Tomlinson as Princess Isabelle; Stanley Tucci as the deceitful Roderick; Ian McShane as Isabelle's father, the besieged King Brahmwell; Bill Nighy as General Fallon, the ferocious two-headed leader of the giant army; and Ewan McGregor as the loyal knight Elmont.
Director Bryan Singer does an admirable job but falls a little short overall. The action set pieces are quite wonderful with strong CG work on the Giants and all the chaos that is happening all around. Ewan McGregor was excellent as Elmont. He brings a graceful pride and joy to the character and always looks like he's having fun. Nicholas Hoult does a fine job as the heroic farm boy Jack. Where the film stumbles though is it doesn't always have the best balance of pacing and tone. Some of the dialogue is a bit cornball at times and then there are moments of great wit. Still this is a fun film that is worth taking the time watch. 7.5/10
Jack the Giant Slayer arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. - A sumptuously warm and rich color palette draws the viewer into the tale. Black levels were deep with no major signs of crushing, which led to good shadow delineation. Fine detail was stunning. Razor sharp with life like dimensionality. It was easy to see all the beautiful detail in the armor and weapons used by the principal cast. I didn't notice any problems in the way of edge enhancement, banding or noise. One of the best video presentations of the year so far. 9/10
Audio is provided by a DTS -HD Master Audio 5.1 track. - Powerful and always engaging the listener, this is a top tier presentation. Dialogue was crisp and always heard even when the action picks up on screen. Surrounds were used perfectly to create a 360 degree soundfield with great clarity and directional effects. Bass was deep and booming throughout. You will know when you are among Giants. Every movement they make is met with a rumble that will shake your floor. Without a doubt there are several moments of demo worthy material to be found with this thunderous mix. 10/10
* Become A Giant Slayer (1080p) - While there is some decent looks at the production and insight from the game cast and crew overall I wish this feature had a "play all" feature. Instead for each segment you have to climb up a virtual beanstalk and select the featurette you want to watch. There are 8 behind-the-scenes featurettes in total and they include:
- Know Your Enemy
- Suiting Up
- Attack Tactics
- The Magic of a Beanstalk
- How to Zip
- Giants' Kitchen
- Saving the Princess
- Defending Your Kingdom
* Deleted Scenes (1080p, 8min) - Here we get five deleted or alternate scenes to watch. Nothing too significant but worth taking a look.
* Gag Reel (1080p, 3min) - A short look at the cast and crew goofing up lines and acting silly but nothing too funny.
