Review #426: 'Jack the Giant Killer' (1962)

No doubt inspired by the success of 1958's fantasy adventures of the Arabian mythological figure Sinbad (The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad), this tale of a farmer boy, Jack (Kerwin Mathews), who unwittingly saves the life of the Princess of Cornwall (Judi Meredith), from the clutches of a giant, plays in similar fashion to the aforementioned adventurer. After being knighted for his courageous actions, Jack is sent on a voyage to hide the princess, but is thwarted by the evil magician, Pendragon (Torin Thatcher), who takes her as a prisoner in his castle hideaway.

Whilst the film looks very similar to the majority of fantasy adventure films of the time, with its beautiful use of vibrant colour, the histrionic acting (there are no complaints about this from me, as this over-exuberance is fitting to the genre), and the fantasy monsters, it is in its presentation of these that brings the bare bones of the narrative to life. In a scene early on, the films horrific intentions are displayed, as a gaggle of witches fly down upon Jack's ship, with some very dated, but incredibly effective special effects. The witches are illuminated, giving them a haunting and quite scary appearance (they reminded me of the Ring Wraiths as presented in Ralph Bakshi's animated version of The Lord of the Rings (1978)).

However, the stop-motion animation of the various monsters, is completely let down by the absence of the master, Ray Harryhausen. It's when you see the results in this film that we realise just how skilled he was. In Jack... the models are shoddy, and do not engender the soul and character of a Harryhausen creation. Aside from this technical shortcoming, the film is like an afternoon treat. And beyond this, I look forward to Bryan Singer's remake, which is due for release in 2013.


Directed by: Nathan Juran
Starring: Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Marc Ivamy