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Based on the classic fairy tale of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, usually reserved for the panto season, this retelling featuring a now grown up Nicholas Hoult (who you’ll remember from ‘About A Boy’) and a less Jedi Ewan McGregor follows the same basic premise. Tricked into selling his last horse for some “magic” beans, Jack is ridiculed at home until the bean sprouts a giant stalk into the sky and the kingdom of Giants.

In this version we open with a very poorly animated retelling of when King Eric first encountered the Giant’s kingdom and how the monks created a magic crown out of a Giant heart which had the power to control the beasts. Banished to their home above the clouds, they have been lying in wait to exact their revenge.

This comes when the Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) decides to create her own adventure by going horse riding during a thunderstorm and takes shelter in Jack’s cabin. The rain mixes with the magic bean and sends the house up to the top of the beanstalk. Cue rescue mission led by Jack and Elmont (McGregor), accompanied by Isabelle’s intended Roderick (Stanley Tucci) who has a far more evil ulterior motive.

Despite the awful opening which sets the story up for us by way of computer animation which looked just like the graphics had only been pre-rendered, the use of CGI in this film is rather good. The Giants are gruesome and the beanstalk detailed, but that is where the pro’s end. The story is generic and the opening inter-spliced cuts between the young Jack and Isabelle showing they’re not all that different really, gets tedious quickly.

Whilst in the Giant’s kingdom the film seems to lack something, the scenes on Earth create a greater sense of urgency and are more interesting. The final act pulls some fun back into the film with the Giants leading an assault on the castle, being pelted with an automatic bow and arrow even if they can’t win a tug-of-war against some measly humans.

Despite the caption “Fantastic Family Fun” emblazoned on the cover and the poster for the movie, it can be rather intense for those younger kids and contains a number of obscenities that were rather out of context. We see Giants devour pigs, sheep and even men and whilst they are generally cartoon like, it could still be a little too intense for the younger family members.

There is one thing I noticed in this movie that bothered me more than anything else, that was the fact there was only one woman in the entire thing! Princess Isabelle appears to be the only female in the land. Sure there was her mother too, but once the introductions have been made, it’s down to Isabelle to lead this film alone for the female species. Isabelle does her best to fly the flag for the ladies but her role is far too stereotypical and protected, having to be rescued Mario Brothers style.

In general ‘Jack The Giant Slayer’ isn’t a total write off, the final act and two brief shots of a ginger tom cat really do their best to salvage the rest of the film. Perhaps it’s just because we’ve heard this story a million times before why it doesn’t feel overly gripping or exciting, but sadly it stands in the shadows of Giants and doesn’t slay its way to the top.