Jack le tueur de géants

The story line is familiar and, yes, it does seem to be a hodge-podge of a variety of legends and myths, but what's to complain about? Many films borrow from a host of differing source material, often with surprisingly good results.

One very important comment about the animation-- If you're the type that poo-poo's anything less than 21st century computer generated effects, then stick to films made after 2000 and stop knocking 40-year old films because their special effects aren't the same as you saw in "Independence Day". That's like knocking a '63 Corvette because it won't take you to the Moon.

Frankly, I thought the fiery and colorful animation sequences were sort of pre-psychedelic-era psychedelia (if I may coin a phrase). I was pleasantly surprised by the almost bizarre look of it all, and felt a keen sense of having 'discovered' a lost treasure. As an avid film buff, with thousands of titles in my film library (both VHS & DVD), I'm quite aware that there are always new (to me) films to be discovered, regardless of how long ago they were made.

And-- yes, after seeing this film on cable a few months ago, I purchased the DVD for my collection. I rated this film 9- almost entirely for it's visual impact.

Highly recommended viewing.

A well made film, that some say copied a lot from 1959's The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Interesting, I think it's better. Kerwin Mathews was great as Jack, the farmboy-turned-giant killer. Judi Meredith was far superior than Kathryn Grant, in terms of acting and beauty. Torin Thatcher was once again evil to the core. The other cast members performed well too as their characters stood out amongst the special effects. Outstanding supporting characters included the servant Garna, played by Walter Burke and the imp in the bottle, played by Don Beddoe.

The budget for 'Jack' wasn't as big as 'Sinbad', it was about 6 to 1 in comparison. There were some impressive effects for the time. Some of them were quite clever such as Pendragon's disappearing trick done with his cape. This effect can be seen recently in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Ray Harryhausen is a tough act to follow, he was indeed the founder and master of stop motion animation. The team for 'Jack' were quite new to the craft but still managed to pull it off.

The film is available on DVD from Goodtimes Home Video and taken from the same film transfer as MGM's laserdisc version. The only difference is that the laserdisc includes the theatrical trailer. The color is awesome (Technicolor) and the sound is crystal clear. The sound effects and music that's well suited and good considering that the film was made in 1962. I have never seen the musical version, if anyone has it, let me know.

This is one of my favourite films and am proud to have my two sons enjoy it too.

Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher virtually repeat their roles in Jack the Giant Killer that they had previously done for Columbia's 7th Voyage of Sinbad four years earlier. It was no wonder that Columbia sued United Artists and producer Edward Small over this.

Even without special effects master Ray Harryhausen, the film is not bad in that department at all. For the juvenile viewers even today, they will have goosebumps over the witches, monsters, and giants that our intrepid hero Jack has to overcome.

I do like the fact that Kerwin Matthews, Torin Thatcher, and the rest of the cast play their roles with absolute sincerity. It would not have been appropriate to do it otherwise in a film meant for kids of all ages.

The plot is simple, evil prince Torin Thatcher has designs on young princess Judi Meredith and tries one scheme with a giant to capture her and spirit her away to his evil enchanted island. He and confederate Walter Burke are foiled by a brave peasant lad named Jack who slays the giant.

King Dayton Lummis makes Kerwin Matthews as Jack his daughter's protector and they have quite a few adventures before the happily ever after ending the fairy tale requires.

It's still a pretty good family film and a nice bit of nostalgia for folks like me who were kids when it did come out.

I always fancied myself a connoisseur of classic sword and sorcery movies, but this gem has some how slipped by me for decades. I was very glad I caught it recently on cable. Keeping in mind its 40 plus year old release, I'd have to say this film was pretty solid. Its antiquated effects only heighten its nostalgic value and fantastic feel, but i caution you to still watch this movie with a bit of mercy and leeway.

Surprisingly, the 'demons' in the castle were rather authentic and creepy in a very contemporary sense (check them out), as well as the marching dragon men guards on the bridge, and the make up of the evil witch alter-ego of the princess (complete with way ahead of their time Micheal Jackson Thriller giant yellow demon contact lenses) all of which came off with an eerie modern vibe.

I absolutely love how there were so many unique creatures always lurking about, like the Star Wars cantina scene or a Power Rangers episode. Kudos to the relentless onslaught of evil magical spells and fantastic beasts that were constantly thrown at the heroes until the end credits rolled. If modern screenplays/films of this genre were made with such attention to monsters and battles and true fantasy action versus all the other crapola thrown in to attract non fantasy fans... we'd be in good shape... and maybe even be privy to a simple great fantasy flick that is packaged in an actual 90 minute movie (remember those?)

A non stop eclectic mixture of characters from every conceivable fantasy realm and fairyland mythos intertwine in this flick for a most interesting watch indeed. Also, plenty of fun over the top dialogue about witches and demons and dragons and little people, plus more cheesy stop animation and I Dream of Jeannie dissapearing acts than you can shake your plastic Viking sword at.

A real treat that had previously escaped me, as well as an obvious pre-cursor to the pinnacle godfather of stop motion sword and sorcery movies... Clash of the Titans... all hail.

As a fun bonus, watch for the strange (real?) almost handicapped limp of the evil wizard Pendragon, as well as what appears to be some flaws in the colorization proccess during the demon vs. ship scene.

Sure you could rip this movie to shreds and pick it a part at will, but why? Its older than your mamma and a lot more fun. So grab a beer, gather the kiddies, and sit back and enjoy... and just keep thinking to yourself how this thing screams modern REMAKE!!!

This is one of the most interesting and entertaining fantasy movies ever made. Unfortunately, it is relatively unknown, (especially in the UK where it cannot be found on DVD or video, and it has never seen a release on either of these formats to my knowledge- it does however, show up every 5 years or so on Channel 4-so look out for it there.) It also seems to be compared unfavourably with "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", which is a shame, as it surpasses this admittedly fine film in many ways. The story is typical fairy tale stuff, a poor farmers' son rescues a princess from the evil clutches of a sorceror, but it somehow transcends this simple tale and becomes something so much darker, and scarier than it's more famous rival. There is a cruel streak running through this film which is totally absent from "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", and which makes this movie more like a horror film than a childrens fantasy.This fact was obviously picked up on by the film censors in the UK who gave it an "A" certificate (children to be accompanied by an adult) way back in 1967 when it hit the cinemas here- it was also cut by around two minutes of the more violent moments. On the down side, the monsters in "Jack" are rubbery and unconvincing- which is unfortunate, and does make some of the scenes look very fake indeed, and in this respect, the film is no match at all for the beautiful models on display in "Voyage"- but the optical colour effects when spells are cast, and especially the nightmarish blue tints during the scary witches' attack on the boat, are breathtaking and look very magical, and there is also a fabulous finale when the evil "Pendragon" turns into a dragon and fights to the death with Jack. Younger children will find this movie too frightening, even now when kids see a lot of things they should'nt. Older kids will probably find it a bit too corny for their tastes. Which only leaves nostalgic adults and the 6-10 age group left to enjoy this movies' many charms- a shame.