Despite Bryan Singer being at the helm and a huge budget, this film was released with very little fan fare. The release date was changed so that is sometimes a bad sign. But I must say that I enjoyed the film a lot more than I thought I would. I found it to be lots of fun and it had some excellent action scenes. Being in 3D also helped make the action more thrilling. There was, however, a problem with the films tone. It does not know whether it wants to be a serious action film or a lighthearted pantomime like film. The general story is very seriously oriented however some of the characters, especially the character of Roderick played by Stanley Tucci. He has a very flamboyant nature and comedy teeth which seemed to undermine the serious nature of his intentions. Don't get me started on Elmont's (Ewan McGregor) hair. When they were climbing the beanstalk I thought he had his own hair stylist as part of the group. I also think they should have toned done some of the violence to make it more accessible to a younger audience.
Nicholas Hoult certainly makes a great action hero. He is not only very good looking but has a great deal of charm and can act too. Eleanor Tomlinson is excellent as his partner and damsel in distress. As mentioned above Stanley Tucci's character seems a bit out of place in this film. He does do a very good job of playing the evil cad. Ewan McGregor is nicely subdued as the king's loyal guardsman. Ian McShane seems to be playing a much nicer version of Lord Farquaad from 'Shrek'. Especially in the costume department.
A decent but not terribly special fairytale action film. Definitely not as bad as you may expect and much better than many of the similar types of films out there at the moment.
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