There are several movies that are most certainly better, but, in my opinion, one of the most fun movies of all time is Jason and the Argonauts. It’s a large-scale fantasy adventure, with a lot of monsters and special effects, really overall enjoyable tone. It’s a great movie, one that ranks in my top 50 for sure.

However, not many movies are able to capture that same sense of childlike wonderment; that Disney-esque feeling that, indeed, anything is possible.

So, credit where credit is due to Jack the Giant Slayer, released March 1, for crafting an innocent, wholesome, and fun adventure movie from the children’s tale that we all know by heart.

The film opens exactly as the story does, with Jack (Nicholas Hoult), a country boy, going to the market to sell a farm animal, in this version of the story, a horse. Instead of selling the horse for money, he sells the horse for magic beans.

However, from that point, the film differs. Instead of the bean growing outside of Jack’s house, it grows under his house, and instead of going up the stalk to steal stuff from a poor giant, he goes up there to save the Princess (Eleanor Tomlinson), who was in Jack’s house when the beanstalk grew underneath and is now trapped in a big magical land in the clouds where GIANTS LIVE!

Jack is not alone in his adventure, he is joined by the Princess’ guardians, led by Ewan McGreggor and her conniving fiance Roderick (Stanley Tucci), who you just know is totally going to go full on evil at some point.

Now, while this set up sounds very bland, it actually makes for a fun little fantasy movie. Now, it’s not an incredibly deep and complex movie, but it makes for a fun ride that is, despite the PG-13 rating, a good family movie.

Now the script, written primarily by Christopher McQuarrie is clever, funny and full of witty dialogue. I particularly enjoyed the script’s light, airy tone. This is not a self-serious movie, and I appreciate that the film acknowledges that this is, fundamentally, a really stupid premise.

The real stars of the show are the giants. Big, hulking, disgusting looking beasts that look great close up. The film has a sense of adventure and wonder that can not be overlooked.

The acting in the film should not be undersold though, as I feel that the actors did a great job at portraying their characters. They’re goofy, but never so ridiculous that it takes you out of the movie.

All in all, this is a great movie for the inner child in us all.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @slithersloth. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more reviews, read the March 7 article, History Channel showcases ‘The Bible’ television series, Ep. 1 (VIDEO).