The latest in Hollywood's trend of "re-vamping" classic fairy tales, Jack the Giant Slayer was probably the most ambiguous in terms of both reception and plot line. According to IMDB, the 200 million dollar film made just in the vicinity of 30 million dollars in its opening weekend, a low gross by any standard. From my perspective, the storyline also fell somewhat flat. The typical fairy tale ingredients were all there: the reluctant hero, the captured princess, the scheming adviser, all that good stuff, but they weren't always utilized very effectively. Overall, I'd say about about 40-50% of the movie followed the typical fairy tale (for lack of a better term) cliche.
On the other hand, there were several elements of the film that were not only original (as far as they have never been used in any version of the story I know of), but they added a degree of sophistication and subtlety to the plot line that was completely unexpected. During the introductory portion of the film, for example, the legend of the giants and their conflict with the human realm was recounted (simultaneously via alternating shots and dialogue) to farm boy Jack and Princess Isabelle in remarkably poetic verse. Accompanied by 3-D graphics and a well-crafted back story, this eloquent prose gave the opening sequence a degree of class and intrigue not usually seen in fairy-tale stories, especially ones intended for younger audiences.
Moving onto the beanstalk itself (in some ways the real star of the show), the initial climb by Jack and the King's men to rescue the princess, and the travails they encountered while doing so, could easily be compared to climbing Mt. Everest: the physical exhaustion, violent weather and constant danger of falling to your death (the last of which happened to several unfortunates) were all laid out with a gritty realism that made the journey seem all the more epic.
With regard to the human characters, both Jack and Princess Isabelle displayed some unique traits. Aside from both of them being very clever and resourceful (sometimes in completely unexpected and bizarre ways), Jack was portrayed more realistically than I had ever seen before. Although enthralled with fantasy and adventure stories, he was certainly not ignorant of the world around him. For example, when Princess Isabelle ran away from home and happened to show up on Jack's doorstep on a stormy night, he was in no way fooled by her disguise and had a bit of fun at her expense before revealing that fact. Princess Isabelle, as well, displayed traits atypical of the usual fairy-tale princess. Aside from an independent and "call-no-man-master" personality (not exactly new in this day and age but still refreshing to see, nonetheless), she was no pushover when it came to combat, either. Although not directly involved in the melee, she donned armor, was entrusted with a critical task at the height of the battle and, with Jack's help, managed to take down a giant without even drawing a weapon.
All of this aside, the most intriguing aspect of the film for me was something I could never have imagined. One of the centerpieces of the film was an ancient crown that could give whoever wore it complete control over the giants. After Jack used it to defeat them in battle (and eventually became king himself), the crown was altered over successive generations. There was a whole sequence towards the end of the film where the crown was shown being polished, re-sized and expanded upon with jewels, fine cloth, precious metals and other additions over a period of hundreds of years, eventually becoming the centerpiece if the modern British Crown Jewels (fitting, since this story originated in the British Isles). This was accompanied by a multitude of voices, each one reciting a different segment of the "Jack and the Beanstalk/Jack the Giant Killer" story, some of which would be immediately recognizable to any child today. This sequence reminded me of an important fact about myths and folk-tales. Historically speaking, most prominent and enduring stories (including Greek myths, tales of King Arthur and even Robin Hood) rarely spring from a single source. Regardless their origins, they tend grow and evolve over hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, acquiring new characters and plot lines depending on the time and place in which they are told, as well as who is telling the story. The sequence with the crown at the end of Jack the Giant Slayer was an absolutely perfect metaphor to demonstrate this concept; I doubt even Joseph Campbell could have done it better.
Although several elements of this film did adhere (sometimes irritatingly so) to the typical cliches of fairy-tale stories, the multiple attempts to bring in fresh takes and understandings to a beloved story definitely paid off in the end, and made desirous to the see the film again (unfortunately, that never happened, so I wait with patience for the DVD- available two days after my birthday!)
