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Jack the Giant Killer

Jack the Giant Killer

Adventure · Fantasy · Family · 1962

Desiring control of the kingdom, evil wizard Pendragon devises a cunning machination to usurp the throne. By abducting and forcing Princess Elaine to marry him, Pendragon will coerce the king into abdicating his power. When Pendragon sends a giant to kidnap Elaine, a simple farmer named Jack witnesses the abduction, and bravely slays the beast. Undeterred, Pendragon has more power and creatures at his disposal.

Movie details

Jack the Giant Killer

“A pretty princess. An evil sorcerer. A hero for the ages.”

1962 Adventure · Fantasy · Family 1h 34m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Desiring control of the kingdom, evil wizard Pendragon devises a cunning machination to usurp the throne. By abducting and forcing Princess Elaine to marry him, Pendragon will coerce the king into abdicating his power. When Pendragon sends a giant to kidnap Elaine, a simple farmer named Jack witnesses the abduction, and bravely slays the beast. Undeterred, Pendragon has more power and creatures at his disposal.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Jack the Giant Killer?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Nathan Juran

Written by

Nathan Juran · Orville H. Hampton

Kerwin Mathews

Kerwin Mathews

Jack

Judi Meredith

Judi Meredith

Princess Elaine

Torin Thatcher

Torin Thatcher

Pendragon

Walter Burke

Walter Burke

Gama

Don Beddoe

Don Beddoe

Imp

Barry Kelley

Barry Kelley

Sigurd

Dayton Lummis

Dayton Lummis

King Mark

Court is in session

Put Jack the Giant Killer on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.