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Everyone knows the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Poor farmboy trades in his last valuable possession (a cow, in most retellings) for a handful of magic beans. He is chastised by his family for the stupidity of his trade until he plants the beans, a magic beanstalk grows into the sky, and there he meets a vicious giant who smells his blood and wants to eat him. You know the ending.
The story has been reimagined with mainstream Hollywood gusto as Jack and the Giant Slayer, featuring Nicholas Hoult as the eponymous hero (Hoult seems to be everywhere these days). Since it is a Hollywood action fantasy, it is heavy on the spectacle and a little light on story, which means that it seems to want to be like Snow White and the Huntsman or the recent godawful reimagining of Hansel and Gretel.
Still, it’s pretty darn fun once you forgive all the escapism, which may be easier to do if you’re a fan of fantasy and action hybrids (which I admittedly am). The story tells of Jack the poor farmhand who accidentally stumbles into an alternate world where giants have been at war for ages and the presence of a human reignites their ferocious bloodlust. The supporting players (Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Eleanor Tomlinson) all play together well enough opposite Hoult as their standard issue royal parts, but it is Ewan McGregor as the King’s loyal knight who steals the show with a wistful and courageous performance. One of the better popcorn flicks of late, to be sure.
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Alright Abba, count me in.