A Brilliant Conflict

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

A farmer called Jack kills a giant and rescues a princess Elaine for which he is rewarded. Later the princess is kidnapped again and Jack goes in pursuit and along the way encounters witches, mutineers, a cabin boy, a Viking and a leprechaun who speaks in rhyming couplets before getting to grips with the main villain Pendragon in his remote sea bound castle. Not as good as a Ray Harryhausen movie (which it is obviously aping) but not bad. The special effects are variable but the costumes and settings are attractively colourful and the musical score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter adds to the adventurous atmosphere.Kerwin Mathews as Jack is typically Kerwin Mathews and Judi Meredith as Elaine fares better in her hypnotised evil role than as the bland princess. Fortunately Torin Thatcher plays Pendragon and is most enjoyable as the magician coveting the kingdom. Surrounded by strange looking witches, wearing an odd hat and mouthing silly dialogue he is still commands the screen when he is on. He's one of British acting's unsung heroes. Anna Lee has a small part as Lady Constance and is regally beautiful as always.It's entertaining enough but could have done with a little touch of Harryhausen.

Fantasy and film noir sometimes mix successfully, although Jack, the Giant Killer (1962) is not the most entertaining of the genre despite the presence of lovely, talented Judi Meredith (who, alas, made only nine or ten movies, spending 80% of her career in TV episodes). Children will enjoy this movie much more than adults! For grown-ups, the chief drawback presented by "Jack, the Giant Killer" lies in the obvious limits of the Fantascope clay figures, somewhat clumsily animated here by outdated stop-motion effects. Fortunately, Don Beddoe (with an Irish accent yet!) makes an effective imp. Walter Burke is also most welcome as the wizard's henchman.

Jack the Giant Killer is an adventure fantasy that I feel stands the test of time better than a lot of animation monster movies out there. The assortment of witches, giants and magical beings is a great mix that had terrific special effects for the early 60's. The music assigned to the witches is enchanting as well as creepy. The main characters of Jack and Elissa are a good duo but the cheesy love lines shows its date. The supporting characters are exceptional and it hooks the viewer from the start. Most of the junk on TV is not worth anyone's time, so check out Jack the Giant Killer! It can be watched with the entire family!

When I saw this movie as a kid in 1972? I enjoyed it.I am no longer a kid, and its no longer 1972. It was released in 1962 and it shows. Special effects have improved, and so have many aspects of movie making. Today the monsters may be scary for a 5 year old, but are laughable for a 10 year old. The only audience that may still enjoy this movie are the 6-10 year old audience. Maybe.I found the Leprachaun to be the best part of the movie, and he had very limited appearances.For its time, maybe it was worth a 6, but for todays audiences I'd avoid it. I give it a 5, but its probably worth a 4. Its watchable in a way because its so bad.