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JACK THE GIANT SLAYERMovie Reviews
Adventure fantasy about a young man's battle against a fearsome race of giants he unwittingly releases when he opens a gate between their world and ours. Cast:Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Warwick Davis, Ian McShane, Eleanor Tomlinson, Raine McCormack, Ben Daniels, Ewen Bremner, Eddie Marsan, Lee Boardman, Daniel Lapaine, John Kassir, Ralph BrownDirector:Bryan SingerRelease Date:March 1, 2013DVD Release:June 18, 2013From:Warner Bros.Rating:PG-13Length:1 hr 55 minIn 3D
Jack the Giant Slayer opened to mixed reviews. • Linda Barnard wrote in the Toronto Star, "...smartly written and packs plenty of fun.... No computer trickery required." • And Steve Persall wrote in the Tampa Bay Times, "...there is no joy whatsoever... This movie is merely cable TV fodder..." More Reviews Below...
Jack the Giant Slayer Positive Reviews (49 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE(cg) "...this Jack is such a dull boy.... It's frustrating because Ewan McGregor and Nicholas Hoult are so naturally amusing.... it's a grim fairy tale, indeed."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 243 words, 02/28/13
Mary Pols, Time: FAIR "...feels so much like a video game that your fingers instinctively itch to do something, though a 'Jack' video game isn't one we'd really want to play."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 03/01/13
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...smart, thrilling and a whole lot of fun.... there remains a sense of both briskness and substance.... cheeky without being too obnoxiously cutesy."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 02/28/13
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...loud and rote.... With its long-winded, joyless narrative ('He spilled the beans!' = sole joke), the flick is too frightening for kids and too plodding for adults."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 02/28/13
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The giants are a kick to watch, but when they talk, they might as well be soccer hooligans at a pub. Any feeling of horrific wonder fades fast."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 03/01/13
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: MODERATE(cg) "...a bloodless, gutless piece of PG-13 fodder, geared to go down easy. That it does. It practically evaporates while you're watching it, lulling when you most want it to levitate."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 03/01/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Vivid visuals are the key to this handsome and moderately entertaining adventure.... the tone is more fairy-tale appropriate than video-game friendly..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 03/01/13
Kate Erbland, MSN Movies: MODERATE(cg) "...an impressive cast and action-packed second half recommend the film... it struggles to find proper pacing and tone for its first half..."(See all of Kate Erbland's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 02/27/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an enjoyable fantasy/adventure whose magic is partially undermined by marginal 3-D.... dim and fuzzy images, lackluster colors, and poor definition."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 716 words, 02/28/13
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The CGI eye candy will keep tweens and teens entertained, but in the end, for a movie about giants, there's not much weight to this spectacle.... Age 11."(See all of Sandie Angulo Chen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 485 words, 02/28/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "For its first 90 minutes, the movie is painlessly diverting.... [but] this finally is just a digitally souped-up, one-dimensional take on 'Jack and the Beanstalk'..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 03/01/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...there may never have been a Jack tale that delivered so little pleasure for so many dollars as what we have here.... simply isn't any fun."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 03/01/13
Kyle Smith, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...reasonably engaging... the action rumbles along without too much egregious stupidity, except when the dialogue tries to be clever..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 03/01/13
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...fun and fast-moving, family-friendly but never pandering, funny but never jokey. It's the rare kids' movie that adults will be glad they chaperoned."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 03/01/13
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...amiable... it's fast, rousing, and blessedly brief.... There's a touch of camp in the manly camaraderie but a lot of serious killing to balance it out."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 02/25/13
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...rousing, original and thoroughly entertaining... a great-looking thrill ride in which we actually care about a number of characters."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 817 words, 03/01/13
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...not flush with surprises.... But there is something to be said for the simple satisfactions of a familiar tale well told... a refreshingly modest endeavor..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 881 words, 02/27/13
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...while well-crafted, the film feels entirely generic.... the love story between the pleasant and bland Jack and Isabelle leaves no impression..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 03/01/13
Josep Parera, La Opinion: VERY GOOD(cg) "Un entretenimiento asegurado para toda la familia que se ve perjudicado por un excesivo empleo de los efectos visuales generados por computadora."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 405 words, 03/01/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's not great art, but it moves fleetly and everyone seems to be having a good time. Pretty decent for a fairy tale movie, really."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 02/28/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...visually accomplished... Nicholas Hoult is suitably stalwart as Jack... Eleanor Tomlinson's Isabelle isn't quite the helpless damsel in distress..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 03/01/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...a tale full of sound and fury (and flying bodies) signifying nothing.... Continuity and plot plausibility become increasingly irrelevant as the battle spreads."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 03/01/13
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...feels like a classic fairy tale.... awe-inspiring, blending action, humor, spectacle and family-friendly scares to near-perfection."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 03/01/13
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the heroes' entry into the giants' realm is fairly stunning stuff, a collection of eerie scenes that brazenly cast King Kong's Skull Island into the Middle Ages."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 656 words, 03/01/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "McGregor has always had both youthful good looks and a light touch, and both serve him well in a part that could too easily slip into camp."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 03/01/13
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "There's no filmmaking spark in this mashup of the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Jack the Giant Killer' fables.... at nearly two hours, flaws are exposed."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 03/01/13
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the talented cast keeps things watchable, as do just enough randomly goofy moments... the movie eventually emerges as a just-good-enough diversion."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 03/01/13
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...applies a tired postmodern recipe to a public-domain story, tosses in a smidgen of wit and some uneven digital handiwork, and cooks up an overlong, mediocre fantasy..."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 03/01/13
Roger Moore, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a genial, watchable and somewhat violent version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' that lacks much in the way of magic, romance or wit."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 03/01/13
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: POOR(cg) "...there is no joy whatsoever in Singer's fantasy.... This movie is merely cable TV fodder waiting to happen and not worth a hill of beans, magic or otherwise."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 02/28/13
Tom Long, Detroit News: FAIR(cg) "Singer and his squadron of writers have come up with some interesting spins on what was a fairly bare-bones yarn but they fail completely in making you care..."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 03/01/13
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...a competent but utterly unnecessary retelling of the story about a young man from a rustic hamlet who trades for some magic beans..."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 475 words, 03/01/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...not flush with surprises.... But there is something to be said for the simple satisfactions of a familiar tale well told... a refreshingly modest endeavor..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 881 words, 02/27/13
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Though the film works with some excellent moments of tension, it's not nearly the high wire expertise Bryan Singer has shown in the past..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 641 words, 02/28/13
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "Stop me if you've heard this one before: a farm boy dreams of adventure, finds it, and falls in love with a princess along the way.... a colossal stumble."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 170 words, 03/07/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: WEAK(cg) "The contrast in scale -- and also in behavior -- ensures that the giants are utterly bad and so deserving of vanquishment... good and bad are easy to see..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 999 words, 03/01/13
R. Kurt Osenlund, Slant: POOR(cg) "...a derivative bore... a shameless mélange of unmentionable triteness, packed full of reverberating one-liners and drained dry of emotional investment."(See all of R. Kurt Osenlund's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 629 words, 02/27/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's not great art, but it moves fleetly and everyone seems to be having a good time. Pretty decent for a fairy tale movie, really."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 216 words, 02/28/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...an enchantment-free pretext for animated action, straight-ahead storytelling and ersatz romance.... the script is steadfastly insufficient."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 03/01/13
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "For its first 90 minutes, the movie is painlessly diverting.... [but] this finally is just a digitally souped-up, one-dimensional take on 'Jack and the Beanstalk'..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 03/01/13
David Denby, New Yorker: GOOD "...surprisingly sturdy... combines digital fantasia with something like the Hollywood medievalism of 'Ivanhoe'... has staunch heroes and a sniffy blackguard..."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 345 words, 03/11/13
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...an entertaining diversion.... Hoult and Tomlinson are perfectly serviceable in the storybook romance... at its heart, the film is just a simple fairy tale..."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 703 words, 02/28/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...there may never have been a Jack tale that delivered so little pleasure for so many dollars as what we have here.... simply isn't any fun."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 03/01/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Variety: POOR "Fee-fi-fo-fum, this fairy-tale retread is pretty dumb... a disappointment... the overall effect is about as enchanting as a golf-cart tour of a Renaissance Faire..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 02/26/13
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...well made... has some lively as well as ghoulish moments.... [but] it's the same old recipe, nicely prepared under Bryan Singer's direction, but awfully familiar."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 890 words, 02/26/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: POOR "...there may never have been a Jack tale that delivered so little pleasure for so many dollars as what we have here.... simply isn't any fun."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 03/01/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Sharply uneven... simplistic to a fault, relying on big and noisy set-pieces, with only half of which delivering the expected goods."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 02/27/13
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: FAIR "For its first 90 minutes, the movie is painlessly diverting.... [but] this finally is just a digitally souped-up, one-dimensional take on 'Jack and the Beanstalk'..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 03/01/13
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "...an enchantment-free pretext for animated action, straight-ahead storytelling and ersatz romance.... the script is steadfastly insufficient."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 03/01/13
19.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Jack the Giant Slayer's reviews are separated by an average 19.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Jack the Giant Slayer (49 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Jack the Giant Slayer's reviews cover 95.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 27,653 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 564 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Jack the Giant Slayer Coverage, Volume & Length (49 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 2.3 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Jack the Giant Slayer's reviews on average broke 2.3 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Jack the Giant Slayer's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Jack the Giant Slayer (49 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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