Film Review: Jack The Giant Slayer

Author: Ljubisav Panić

Translator: Olja Knežević

Director: Bryan Singer
Writers:

Darren Lemke (screenplay), Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay)
Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci
Genre: Fantasy
Duration: 114 min
Language: English

You could blame Tim Bourton, he is responsible for it all. He has directed the film Alice in Wonderland, which has earned more than million dollars around the world, and instantly fairy tales have become a kind of a new Hollywood obsession. Soon there will be Pinocchio, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to be filmed, and on the big screen there are enraged giants, led by the director Bryan Singer (X-men), which are already trying to submit the people and allegedly cinema cash desks.

This is all concerning the film Jack the Giant Slayer, where, Jack (Nicholas Hoult) a poor, good hearted character, exchanges his horse for several magic beans. Legume, during the stormy night, will germinate up to the giant kingdom in the sky, only so as the main hero, several knights and Roderick (Stanley Tucci)- the villain, armed with the magic crown, could start the quest for the princess in trouble (Eleanor Tomlinson).

Medieval touch in the story and a gigantic budget of two hundred million dollars left Singer enough space to showoff with his talent, what he actually did after the unexpectedly kitsch and cheap prologue. On the other hand, screenwriters Darren Lemkea, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney have made a wrong decision to make all the other characters more accessible to the people of all age. Due to the outgoing premises , princess Isabel, for example, is not more than a person searching for an adventure, while you would not be able to say such a thing for knight Elmont if Ean Mc Gregor did not make him alive. The bad guy Roderick, his helpers and some giants are also theatrical.

Since this is a fairy tale, bad characterization of the characters is able to be excused. The tale has always had only two rules: the message before the hero, magic before reality. While Jack is making clear that one should never give up no matter how small you are in a big and dangerous world, CGI magic has only reached today’s average “post-hobbit” standards. Luckily, Singer has done his best to score in other fields.

With smart disposal of the most irritating characters in the first half of the film, the second one has shone with the dramatic and action leavenings of people and giant cannibals. With every minute, the director had built the tension all up to the ending, where it is already known that the screenwriters have forgotten about the characters in order to create a good plot. The final result of their efforts is a fairy tale which can be served with popcorns and a remark that it is just the way it should be- luxurious, exciting and a bit naive.

Režija: Bryan Singer
Scenario: Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, Dan Studney
Uloge: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy
Žanr: Avantura, fantastika
Trajanje: 114 min
Jezik: Engleski

Krivite Tima Burtona, on je sve zakuvao. Režirao je film Alisa u Zemlji čuda, koji je zaradio preko milijardu dolara u svetu, i gotovo preko noći bajke su postale nova holivudska opsesija. Uskoro će se u filmskom ruhu ponovo naći Pinokio, Pepeljuga i Uspavana lepotica, a na velikom platnu razjareni divovi, vođeni rediteljskom palicom Bryana Singera (X-Men), već pokušavaju da pokore ljude i, naravno, bioskopske blagajne.

Reč je o filmu Džek ubica divova, u kom Jack (Nicholas Hoult), siromašak dobrog srca, trampi konja za nekoliko zrna čarobnog pasulja. Mahunarka će u toku olujne noći isklijati do kraljevstva divova skrivenog u oblacima, samo da bi naslovni junak, nekolicina vitezova i Roderick (Stanley Tucci) – zlikovac naoružan magičnom krunom, pošli u potragu za princezom u nevolji (Eleanor Tomlinson).

Srednjevekovni šmek priče i gigantski budžet od dve stotine miliona dolara ostavili su Singeru dovoljno prostora da se razmaše talentom, što je i učinio posle iznenađujuće kičastog i jeftinog prologa. S druge strane, scenariste Darrena Lemkea, Christophera McQuairreja i Dana Studneya skupo je koštalo što su glavnog junaka i ostale aktere učinili pristupačnim svim uzrastima. Zahvaljujući izlizanim premisama, princeza Isabell, na primer, nije više od osobe u potrazi za avanturom, dok se za viteza Elmonta ne bi moglo reći ni toliko da ga vrcavom glumom nije oživeo Ewan McGregor. Negativac Roderick, njegovi pomoćnici i pojedini divovi takođe su teatralni.

Kako je reč o bajci, loša karakterizacija likova lako se prašta. Bajka je, naime, uvek imala samo dva pravila: poruka pre junaka, magija pre realnosti. Ali, dok nam Jack stavlja do znanja da ne treba da odustajemo koliko god mali bili u velikom i opasnom svetu, CGI magija je za današnje, „post-hobit“ standarde dobacila tek do proseka. Srećom, Singer je dao sve od sebe da poentira na drugim poljima.

Uz pametno odstranjivanje najiritantnijih likova u prvoj polovini filma, druga polovina je zablistala dramskim i akcionim previranjima ljudi i divova kanibala. Sa svakim minutom, reditelj je marljivo gradio napetost sve do završnice, do koje je već uveliko jasno da su scenaristi zanemarili likove samo da bi se posvetili kreiranju dobrog zapleta. Krajnji rezultat njihovih napora je bajka koja se servira uz kokice i opasku da je baš kakva treba da bude – raskošna, uzbudljiva i tek pomalo naivna.