Jack the Giant Killer (1962) User Reviews

It was nothing. I kill a giant every morning before breakfast. Starts my day right.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 13 June 2010]

It's the fairy tale land of Cornwall, England, and the Black Prince Pendragon (Torin Thatcher) plans to abduct Princess Elaine (Judith Meredith) so as to gain control of the land. However, his plans are at first thwarted when farmers boy Jack (Kerwin Matthews) slays the giant sent by Pendragon to claim the Princess. But Pendragon is not to be denied and a battle between good and evil commences.

There's quite a back story to this United Artists feature film. It's loosely based on the traditional tale "Jack the Giant Killer" and features the use of stop motion animation. The mere mention of stop motion automatically brings to mind the great name of Ray Harryhausen. In 1958 director Nathan Juran had helmed The 7th Voyage of Sinbad with both Matthews and Thatcher starring as the good and evil characters respectively. A big success for Columbia, Harryhausen had offered it to UA producer Edward Small who turned it down, much to his regret. So here, four years later, he gathered the same crew for what essentially is a retread of the plot of Sinbad's seventh in the hope of replicating said success. Harryhausen, however, said no, perhaps understandably, so his creatures were created for "Jack" by Project Unlimited under the watchful eye of one time Harryhausen understudy Jim Danforth. While the other effects, filmed in "Fantascope" come courtesy of Howard A. Anderson and Augie Lohman.

Columbia sued Small on the grounds of plot similarity, thus holding up the release of the film in the UK for several years (it wasn't banned as some people seem to think). Once released the film was panned by the critics and many parents were outraged that the film was too violent and scary for youngsters. Small would take this personally and intending to make something of the movie, had it re-dubbed and made into a musical. The result of which is just garbage. Thankfully the film was finally restored to its original glory on DVD and found a whole new generation of fantasy adventure fans with a bent for the lost art of stop motion animation. Kerwin Matthews passed away in 2007, a handsome swashbuckling actor, Jack The Giant Killer was his last foray into the fantasy adventure genre. It's at least comforting to know that he got to see this little treasure of a film finally get accepted by an audience.

The film itself delivers everything one expects of the genre. The creatures are effective, even if the jerkiness shows that it's not Harryhausen at the helm; tho this is off set by a wonderful sequence as electricity cloaked witch demons attack Jack's ship. There's a dashing hero, a pretty princess, a vile and chilling evil doer, hell there's even the little imp of the lamp (Don Beddoe) for some limerick shenanigans. From its delightful story book opening to its final battle between hero and villain, Jack The Giant Killer is a rich and playful fantasy. 7/10

Delightful Matinée

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 1 February 2015]

On the birthday of Princess Elaine (Judi Meredith), the evil warlock Pendragon (Torin Thatcher), who is exiled from the Kingdom of Cornwall, and his minion Garna (Walter Burke) come disguised to the court and he gives a gift to Elaine. During the night, his gift becomes a giant that abducts the princess. However the farmer Jack (Kerwin Mathews) vanquishes the giant and rescues Elaine. Jack becomes a knight and Elaine and he fall in love with each other. King Mark (Dayton Lummis) assigns Jack to protect Elaine and to travel by ship with his daughter posing of peasants to a distant convent where she would be safe. However Pendragon's spy Lady Constance (Anna Lee) warns the sorcerer and he sends witches to bring Elaine to his castle. They kill the captain of the ship and the crew throws Jack overboard that is left behind with the captain's son Peter (Roger Mobley) in the sea. However they are rescued by the Viking Sigurd (Barry Kelley) that shows the Leprechaun Imp (Don Beddoe) to Jack. The Imp grants three wishes to Jack and together with Jack, Peter and Sigurd, they head to the island where the castle of Pendragon is to save the princess. Will they succeed in their mission?

"Jack the Giant Killer" is one of those naive adventures that are delightful matinée. The entertaining story is full of action, magic and evil creatures. Princess Elaine is gorgeous and the hero Jack is a farmer capable of fight like the most skilled swordsman. The special affects are dated in the present days but part this is one important component of these wonderful movies from the 60's. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Jack, O Matador de Gigantes" ("Jack, The Giant Killer")

The Peasant Wins The Princess

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 19 May 2007]

Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher virtually repeat their roles in Jack the Giant Killer that they had previously done for Columbia's 7th Voyage of Sinbad four years earlier. It was no wonder that Columbia sued United Artists and producer Edward Small over this.

Even without special effects master Ray Harryhausen, the film is not bad in that department at all. For the juvenile viewers even today, they will have goosebumps over the witches, monsters, and giants that our intrepid hero Jack has to overcome.

I do like the fact that Kerwin Matthews, Torin Thatcher, and the rest of the cast play their roles with absolute sincerity. It would not have been appropriate to do it otherwise in a film meant for kids of all ages.

The plot is simple, evil prince Torin Thatcher has designs on young princess Judi Meredith and tries one scheme with a giant to capture her and spirit her away to his evil enchanted island. He and confederate Walter Burke are foiled by a brave peasant lad named Jack who slays the giant.

King Dayton Lummis makes Kerwin Matthews as Jack his daughter's protector and they have quite a few adventures before the happily ever after ending the fairy tale requires.

It's still a pretty good family film and a nice bit of nostalgia for folks like me who were kids when it did come out.

Just A Good Old Neat Movie

[surplusboy · 25 October 2003]

When this picture came out in '62 or '63, Mom took us 3 kids to see it at an old-style huge screened theatre. The titles of the movies(Bert I. Gordon's "The Magic Sword" was the other one) suggested to Mom that these were quaint, Disney-like fantasy films, so she figured we were safe from anything hideous. At the bursting from his elf disguise by the first monstrous giant in the movie, Mom realized she had made a boo-boo and suggested that we should seek milder entertainment. Our desperate protests put the wet blanket on poor Mom's wishes, and we sat through 2 film adventures that, to this day, are among our all-time favorites. As I understand it, this picture was produced to cash in on the tremendous success of "7th Voyage Of Sinbad", and the legal troubles that resulted from the vast similarities between the two films were the reason that the owners of the movie's rights were required to downgrade it into a ridiculous musical version. Thankfully, after years of being unavailable, the original untouched "Jack" came out on video, and it was about as much fun seeing it again as an old codger as it was as a 10-year-old.

For us "baby boomers" who started out on black-and-white TV and seeing such films as "King Kong", etc., when we were young, a stop-motion animated monster is just more scary, other-worldly, dangerous...whatever term fits an effective creature feature. Although Kerwin Matthews' many nemeses in "Jack The Giant Killer" don't quite stand alongside Ray Harryhausen's magnificent work, they still make this film well worth seeing for anyone who enjoys a good, old-fashioned mythical adventure.

Incidentally, if you have an idiotic sense of humour, the musical version is a scream to behold- especially the sequence of the evil wizard's servant returning to his master to report a failed kidnapping. :D :D

Everyone certainly has their own taste in motion pictures, but as far as this old monster movie watcher is concerned, "Jack The Giant Killer" is among the upper crust of its genre. Even after 31 years.

I'll say 8.5/10. God bless one and all...

Scariest kids movie ever. Step aside Wonka.

[Zabka · 7/10 · 15 March 2002]

Wow. I just caught this film on AMC. I've never seen it before, and I enjoyed every minute of it. A brave farmer saves a beautiful princess from a cloven hooved giant. As a reward he is tasked with protecting the princess as she travels to a distant convent. She is attempting to hide from the evil wizard Pendragon, but she is soon found and captured. Jack pursues her as he battles an army of the wizards minions. Jim Danforth did the creature effects, and they are well done. The former Harryhausen assistant created some really bizarre and unsettling stop-motion monsters. What is the story on those glowing demon witches? They are truly terrifying. And the freaky little goblin dressed like a rabbit from hell? Whoever decided that small children in 1963 were prepared to witness these horrors on screen were sorely mistaken. Then again, this was a whole generation after the other top freakiest kids flick, The Wizard of Oz. Fly you miserable monkeys, fly.

The 8th Voyage of Sinbad

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 19 January 2015]

"The legend of Jack the Giant Killer was born more than a thousand years ago in Cornwall, England, near Land's End. There was a time when the Kingdom of Cornwall lived in fear and trembling of the Black Prince Pendragon, master of all witches, giants and hobgoblins, who ravished the land. But at long last, Herla the Wizard drove Pendragon and all his witches from the Kingdom and exiled them beyond the reaches of the known world. Here on a misty isle, uncharted and unknown, Pendragon schemed and waited for the day when he would return to power in Cornwall. Then, after many years, the day came…"...

This was a day of rejoicing as beautiful Judi Meredith (as Elaine) is crowned princess. The snarling Torin Thatcher (as Pendragon) arrives. He conjures up a giant to threaten Ms. Meredith. She is saved by handsome farmer Kerwin Mathews (as Jack). He is knighted Sir "Jack the Giant Killer" and becomes Meredith's protector...

Seeing how millions of kids liked to spend Saturday afternoon watching Mr. Mathews battle special effects monsters in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958), producer Edward Small brought Mathews back with director Nathan Juran and villain Torin Thatcher. While less spectacular than the earlier effort, this one is still very good. It makes up for a smaller budget with imagination and excitement. The handsome hero, beautiful princess, snarling villain, cute kid, chimp, and special effects formula carries the story. And, there are memorable supporting roles by Walter Burke, Don Beddoe and Anna Lee.

****** Jack the Giant Killer (5/18/62) Nathan Juran ~ Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher, Walter Burke

Jack the Giant Killer

[styujio · 7/10 · 24 December 2011]

Even though this film's budget is not less than The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, the producers still managed to make an excellent movie. Jack the Giant Killer is just an attempt made to cash-in on the success of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad made 4 years ago, there are two Cyclops in Sinbad and there are two giants in Jack. Both films have an evil magician. In Sinbad, a Cyclops fights a Dragon, in Jack, a Two-Headed Giant battles a Sea Monster. And in the final part, the hero slays a Dragon, a similar theme in both films. Despite the similarities, Jack the Giant Killer is almost as good as Sinbad. The stop-motion animation are not up to Ray Harryhausen standards, but the three animators did their best. The animated creatures include Cormoran, the first giant Jack killed, an unnamed Two-Headed Giant, a Sea Monster with tentacles for limbs and a Dragon which is actually Pendragon that Jacks slays at the climax of the film. The plot is very entertaining, the acting is solid, Kerwin Mathews is perfect for fantasy movies like this and is charming as Jack, Judi Meredith is almost as beautiful as Kathryn Grant and Torin Thatcher is forever terrifying as the evil wizard Pendragon, the evil grin on his face and his Bela Lugosi Dracula stare makes him a perfect villain. Coupled with some dazzling visual effects and wonderful animation of the creatures, this action filled family-fantasy movie is sure to entertain children with its fantasy theme and please adults with the plot and special effects. I highly recommend this film.

Imitation is sometimes not the most sincere form of flattery

[Kingkitsch · 5/10 · 21 September 2014]

Legend has it that the bigwigs at United Artists turned down Ray Harryhausen's pitch for the classic "7th Voyage of Sinbad", forcing him to go back to his home studio, Columbia. "7th Voyage" was a risky proposition at the time, needing a much larger budget than Harryhausen had ever accessed for various reasons including Technicolor (this would be his first color feature). UA and production director Edward Small passed on the film. Columbia finally acceded the necessary budget to Harryhausen and the rest is history. Not surprisingly, "Sinbad" became one of the top ten money-making movies of 1958, leaving the bigwigs at UA grinding their teeth since they threw the opportunity to finance it away. Four years later in 1962, United Artists attempted to make an adventure/fantasy of their own to cash in on the success of "Sinbad". No matter that "Jack" is nearly a carbon copy of "Sinbad" in plot, the studio had the audacity to hire the director, hero, and villain from "Sinbad" to appear in this poor imitation of someone else's success.

Nathan Juran directed, while Kerwin Mathews became Jack, and Torin Thatcher phones in his villain, Pendragon. Unfortunately, the film suffers from the same penny-pinching that saw "Sinbad" thrown away. Not being able to afford the services of Harryhausen, the special effects animators could not effectively pull off the various giants and other creatures effectively. The stop motion animators were the very young Wah Chang, Jim Danforth and David Pal. The derivative designs of the giants are obviously taken from "Voyage's" Cyclops. There are not one, but two reptilian-squid monsters on view, a sea serpent and the Wyvern seen in the film's climax. Naturally, the two-headed faux Cyclops giant has to battle the sea serpent in a very rubbery ode to the Cyclops vs dragon fight in "Voyage". It appears to be played for laughs instead of terror.

"Jack" isn't all bad, there are several interesting things to see here. The attack of the witches on the ship at sea, filmed using a lurid purple overlay. The witches themselves are phosphorescent, done in day-glo hues of green and blue. This same effect was used years before in Disney's "Darby O'Gill" to produce the Banshee. There are economical cartoon animations for flames here and there, and a better princess than "Sinbad" had. Judi Meredith actually outshines Kathryn Grant especially when transformed into an agent of darkness by Pendragon. The Wyvern creature, while as cartoonish as the other monsters is the best realized and supplies a satisfying end to Jack's adventures. On the downside, this flick crams the most annoying leprechaun ever seen on film down your throat. Throw in a lost boy who becomes a chimpanzee, a Viking who becomes a dog, magical coins, a least one demon who looks suspiciously like Satan, and an army of hollow men. Whew. Still, watching that superimposed rhyming leprechaun played by Don Beddoe prance away over a rainbow is a bit much. Where's he going? Oz? "Jack" didn't fare well at the box office since the public realized they'd already seen this before. It was subsequently withdrawn and forgotten, most notably because Columbia sued UA over copyright infringement. However,in a burst of total surrealism United Artists re-issued the film some years later as a musical (!!!) and an obvious ploy to attempt seeking out whatever cash the mangled new version could earn. Unfortunately for the public, this wreck had the most terrible songs sung over the original film. This version was given new titles that looked like a child's drawings and was not widely seen. It did turn up on an Disney cable channel back in the early 80s, which is where I saw/taped it. It's a curio worth seeking out if you can stand listening to it, especially the climactic fight between Jack and the Wyvern which is overlaid with someone squalling "You can do it! lalalalalala You can do it!" which has a number of interpretations. In this case, however, one would guess the crooning is supposed to infer Jack's mental processes as he hacks the wing off the Wyvern.

Not an unpleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon, especially if you've not seen "7th Voyage of Sinbad".

It scared me witless. (30 years ago)

[poofta1970 · 10/10 · 2 October 2004]

As a child there were 4 things guaranteed to scare the pants off me. The theme tune and title sequence of Tom Baker era Doctor Who, The ride in the boat in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; The snake from the Seven Faces of Dr Lao but most of all, the one thing that would make me cry and quake for hours and hours was Jack the Giant Killer. The Giant was bad enough, but then there was the deliriously camp warlock (camp things always worried me as a child Marc Bolan gave me nightmares too); the evil version of the princess with the odd eyes and then worse of all, The witches. Particularly the one with the huge mouth that blew a gushing wind all the time and the one with the three horns. I watched it recently and I can see why it effected me so. Kids today would probably laugh at it. If I had watched Pirates of the Caribbean when I was three or four years old I might have reacted in a similar way to that. I love this film, I loved it when it scared me out of my skin as a child and I still love it now.

Fun fantasy storytelling - avoid musical version!

[jckruize · 7/10 · 19 September 2001]

A poor cousin to Harryhausen's more polished adventures, this film nevertheless boasts a high fun quotient for stop-motion aficionados. Jim Danforth's skillful animation is unfortunately undercut by very poor puppets, which were built outside his supervision and control. The first stop-motion sequence is the best, with the dancing dwarf from the Princess' music box growing into a giant, then absconding with her. I liked the clever way Jack coped with this monster, using his wits and materials at hand: strangling him with a rope bound to the millhouse wheel. Nice touch when the ogre's hand gets crushed by the millstone. Saw it as a kid of 7 or so originally, and it scared me pretty good. Good acting by "7th Voyage of Sinbad" veterans Kerwin Matthews, as the hero Jack, and Torin Thatcher as the evil mage Pendragon.

Pale imitation of Harryhausen's best

[mavmaramis · 3/10 · 21 December 2004]

This is a film that comes from the same stable as 7th Voyage of Sinbad, insofar as Nathan Juran was director and Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher are in it, but alas there the similarities end. Whereas 7th Voyage was a racehorse, this is a mere carthorse. Firstly the good points. The acting was reasonable, Kerwin is "efficient" as the farmer-turned-hero. Torin is passable as a villain but not as evil here as he was as Sokurah in 7th Voyage. Judi Andrews portrayed the good.bad duality very well and the "bad" makeup made her somewhat more appealing than did the ordinary. Now it's onto the bad points - of which there are a number.

Firstly the animation. Unquestionably not up to Harryhausen's standard, even to the extent of being very "rubbery" looking and less than believable. Take Cormoran for example, the giant at the beginning of the film. Clearly a take off of Harryhausen's cyclops from 7th Voyage (complete with cloven hooves, two horns and knobbly back), with a face that looked as if it had been modelled on Torin Thatcher's. Wah Chung, Jim Danforth and David Pal were the animators (tho IMDb only lists Jim Danforth).

The sets were reasonable, Pendragon's castle obviously being the focus of the film. Even the spiral staircase in the middle had carved letters round the inside lip - one clearly read "solaris". The iron knights, were of course, men in suits, and the ruined temple was a location shot with backdrop behind but reasonably well executed. Tho the demise of the castle was poorly done - stone built towers do not explode in the way shown at the end of the movie - and when we see the remains it is a very poorly built model we see.

The "blue screen" effects (back projection) are clearly not as good as those of Harryhausen and are obvious throughout the film.

Well plot. Let me see, farmer rescues girl from cyclops, not realising she's the princess (d'uh? - She's just been crowned as such, you would think there would be posters depicting a likeness of her - as the whole of Cornwall seems to be enjoying some festivities), gets knighted, escorts princess (disguised as peasants) to France, gets captured by witches ("glowing" actors in costumes), gets cast adrift by the ship's crew (along with the dead captain's son), gets rescued by a Viking, goes to Pendragon's island to rescue princess (who has meanwhile been turned into "Voluptua"), gets given genie in bottle & 3 wishes, fights the bad guy, rescues the princess, gets attacked by monsters, kills monsters, thus destroying castle, sails off into distance.

Hmmm...well it's no Lord of the Rings (book, not movie), but it does have an eclectic mix of mythology in there somewhere.

Cormoran, for example, is based on a "real" fable (if it can be called such a thing), tho in this instance Jack did not strangle the giant and slay him with a scythe.

Brewer's "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" says of Cormoran: The Cornish giant who fell into a pit twenty feet deep dug by Jack the Giant Killer, and filled over with grass and gravel. The name means cormorant or great eater. For this doughty achievement Jack received a belt from King Arthur with this inscription - "This is the valiant Cornis man That slew the giant Cormoran" Cormoran is the brother of Blunderbone.

Of Jack the Giant Killer, Brewer says this: owed much of his success to four marvellous possessions - an invisible coat, a cap of wisdom, shoes of swiftness and a resistant-less sword.

Tho there is also this (from a Cornish Legends website): According to Cornish legend, Jack was a farmer's son who lived near Land's End in the days of King Arthur. The folk of the area were being terrorised by Cormoran, the Giant of St. Michael's Mount, who stole cattle and carried them away either on his back or dangling from his belt. A reward was offered to anyone who would slay the fearsome giant, and Jack took up the challenge. He dug a huge pit near Morvah and covered it with sticks and straw. Then he lured the Giant away from the Mount by blowing his horn. The angry Giant rushed down the Mount and fell into the pit. Jack then struck him a mortal blow with his pick-axe and filled the pit with earth. For his brave deed he was given a magnificent sword and belt, embroidered "Who slew the Giant Cormoran".

Famed for his bravery Jack The Giant Killer became something of a super hero, killing wolves and breaking the skulls of pirates in addition to being on hand to deal with other troublesome giants. Later he travelled on to Wales to slay more of them and further embroidered his legend, and, to mark his slaying of Cormoran there stands to this day near Morvah Church a huge stone which is said to mark the Giant's Grave. It is also said that sometimes voices can be heard coming from beneath it! Oendragon, of course being partially based on Arthur's father Uther Pendragon (of Tintagel Castle), the similarities between the castle in the film and St. Michael's Mount cannot be determined, tho it is likely.

If you like fantasy adventures from the 60s in the style of Harryhausen you will like this film, and despite the many flaws, is rather enjoyable.

Charming, underrated film with phenomenal visuals

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 16 November 2009]

If you forgive the fact the film is perhaps too short, this is a very charming, underrated and delightful film. What really made the movie were the visuals. They were absolutely phenomenal, and looked as though the effects co coordinator had gone to extreme lengths to make the whole production presentable. As far as the look of the film goes, it looks amazing, with the lavish costumes, stunning cinematography and colourful sets. True it isn't as high a budget as Sinbad, but it still looked great. I will admit I am still scared of the witches, god they are so freaky. Aside from the visuals, other things made this film a delight to watch. The story is well told and is true in style to the story while putting its own spin on it. The script is nicely constructed too, and the music is also outstanding. The performances were very good indeed. Kerwin Matthews is a very likable lead, and Judi Meredith makes for a stunning Princess Elaine. Pendragon was a great almost scary villain and Torin Thatcher(back with Matthews after the wonderful 7th Voyage of Sinbad) played him marvellously. All in all, a delightful film and worth the look. Shame it is isn't shown on TV much, and I can't find it anywhere. That is a shame really, because it is a good movie. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Not Harryhausen!...What is?...Colorful Sword-Sorcery-Monster-Fantasy...Terrific & Tacky

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 24 February 2023]

This One has a History and Never Stood a Chance to Match the Master Ray Harryhausen's Unmatched Artistry.

There is a Reason Harryhausen and its Imitators were Few and Very Far Between.

Stop-Motion Animation is an Art-Form that Requires Talent, Patience, a Decent Budget, Attention to Detail, and a Craft that No-One Ever Conquered Like Ray.

He Learned from the Innovator, Willis O'Brien, who Worked the Technique with "The Lost World" (1925) and then Mastered it with "King Kong" (1933).

O'Brien Tutored Harryhausen through "Mighty Joe Young" (1949), which took that Year's Oscar for Special Effects.

Ray Harryhausen Never Looked Back. The Films He Worked On for the Next 4 Decades were Simply Known as "Harryhausen Films".

A Few Artists Gave it a Try, with Jim Danforth the Most Notable.

This is His Early Work, and He was Told to Imitate "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958), a Masterpiece by Harryhausen, Perhaps His Best Work.

So Danforth Didn't Stand a Chance of " Copying the Artistry or the Success" of "7th Voyage". 1st of All He Didn't Have Near the Budget, and Things Went Down From There.

To Danforth's Credit, this Movie is a lot of Fun, although the Mirroring of Ray's Designs and Such were Glaring. Still, Fans of the Type Should be Grateful it's as Good as it is. The "Stop-Motion" Genre Surely Lacks Numbers.

"Jack" has a Lot of Monsters and Colorful, Splashing Effects, a Good Pace and Few Other Things that can Grab the Young at Heart.

One Thing that is Sorely Missing is a Score from Bernard Herman.

Judi Meredith, as the Princess is a Looker, and when She is Transformed to an Evil-Witch She is Absolutely Stunning, and Goth Fans, it Doesn't Get Any Better in the Pre-Modern-Era.

Overall, Cut this Some Slack and Avoid the "Musical" Version and Enjoy a Fine Attempt at a Kid-Oriented Movie that is Well Done, Entertaining, and has Enough Edge for Adults.

A Precious Time-Capsule, and Certainly....

Worth a Watch.

Crazy lawsuit

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 3 December 2020]

Nathan Juran made some interesting movies. Everything from being. the art director for Kiss the Blood Off My Hands to writing Doctor Blood's Coffin and directing 20 Million Miles to Earth, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, episodes of Lost In Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Time Tunnel, and finally The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.

Producer Eddie Small wanted another movie just like The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. So he hired the star (Kerwin Mathews), the director (Juran) and the villain (Torin Thatcher), which ended up getting him sued and having to re-edit and re-release the film as a musical. Thirty years later,original non-musical adventure version was finally permitted to be released.

Thatcher plays Pendragon, a wizard ruler of the witches, giants, hobgoblins and monsters of a faraway kingdom. He's defeated by another wizard named Herla, but when the old man dies, there is no defense left when he captures Princess Elaine (Judie Meredith, Queen of Blood) with one of his giants named Cormoran, who is in turn stopped by a farmer named Jack (Matthews).

Pendragon is evil incarnate, turning ladies in waiting (Anna Lee from Picture Mommy Dead) and even Elaine into witches and sending a warlock to wreck the ship Jack is on.

Man, this movie has everything. A viking (that gets turned into a dog). Leprechauns. Two-headed giants battling sea monsters. Pendragon turning himself into a dragon with a wolf's head, a snake's tail and huge wings. And, thanks to the lawsuit, musical numbers in one version of the film.

Fabulous Visuals

[cinema_universe · 27 May 2004]

The story line is familiar and, yes, it does seem to be a hodge-podge of a variety of legends and myths, but what's to complain about? Many films borrow from a host of differing source material, often with surprisingly good results.

One very important comment about the animation-- If you're the type that poo-poo's anything less than 21st century computer generated effects, then stick to films made after 2000 and stop knocking 40-year old films because their special effects aren't the same as you saw in "Independence Day". That's like knocking a '63 Corvette because it won't take you to the Moon.

Frankly, I thought the fiery and colorful animation sequences were sort of pre-psychedelic-era psychedelia (if I may coin a phrase). I was pleasantly surprised by the almost bizarre look of it all, and felt a keen sense of having 'discovered' a lost treasure. As an avid film buff, with thousands of titles in my film library (both VHS & DVD), I'm quite aware that there are always new (to me) films to be discovered, regardless of how long ago they were made.

And-- yes, after seeing this film on cable a few months ago, I purchased the DVD for my collection. I rated this film 9- almost entirely for it's visual impact.

Highly recommended viewing.

If only the director hired Ray Harryhausen...

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 23 August 2022]

I see that this film was made to capitalize on the success of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad which is exactly what I felt this movie played like. The key difference being the fact the special effects just did not fare as well. Well, they got the same director, same hero and villain, but neglected to get the same effects guy. I'm guessing they figured they could do it themselves, how hard can claymation be? Well, Ray's movies look way better than this and it is a shame as for the most part the film is pretty good, but seriously, the last monster looked more cute than terrifying...

The story as a man named Pendragon banished from the kingdom and about to make his return at the princess's birthday celebration. He gives the princess a fine gift of a strange little creature everyone assumes is a puppet; however, it grows and kidnaps the princess! Well, a man named Jack slays the giant and he soon is tasked with escorting the princess into hiding. Unfortunately, Pendragon sends his witches to attack the boat and the sailors are not a brave sort to give chase, but would rather just dump Jack into the sea along with the son of the now deceased captain. Fortune smiles upon Jack though as a viking who has a magic leprechaun plucks Jack and the kid from the sea and soon they storm the castle! Pendragon has a few more tricks up his sleeve thought!

The cast is likable enough and the story is pretty good though it is slow in a couple of places. If they would have just hired Ray, I could have given this thing a seven or eight, but without him the stop motion just is not as good.

So, it was not bad, not as good as other similar outings, but it managed to entertain. I do have to admit, I thought the princess looked better in witch form, but I am into the whole goth chicks thing. You get some fights, you get some stop motion fights and you get chimps and leprechauns saving the day...I guess you could not ask for much more.

The Importance of Models

[Grendel1950 · 7/10 · 12 June 2022]

Everyone who comments on this movie wants to criticize Jim Danforth's animated monsters as jerky and inferior to Harryhausen's. Maybe Raphael wasn't Michelangelo either, but he was pretty good. I see the problem not with the animation, but with the models themselves. Harryhausen was involved in every aspect of their design and construction and had them built to his specifications. Danforth had to rely on Project Unlimited, with at the time was heavily involved in TV production, including many children's shows. As a result, the monsters here all look like Puppettoons or Gumby creations, and no amount of snarling and grimacing can give them any menace. I never got the feeling Cormoran would kill anyone, although Sinbad's Cyclops terrified me. Harryhausen's models are vital to the overall superiority of his animation.

Old-school fantasy fun.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 8 May 2018]

Kerwin Mathews and Nathan Juran, star and director of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), team up once again for more colourful fantasy adventure in Jack the Giant Killer, an engaging and inventive yarn crammed full of monsters and magic.

Mathews plays Jack, a farm worker who is knighted after saving a beautiful princess (Judi Meredith) from the clutches of an ugly giant sent by the evil wizard Pendragon (Torin Thatcher, also from 7th Voyage of Sinbad). When a second attempt to abduct the princess proves more successful, Jack sets off to rescue her, with the help of a viking, Sigurd (Barry Kelley), a young boy (Roger Mobley), and a leprechaun in a bottle (Don Beddoe).

While the stop motion used to bring many of the film's creatures to life isn't quite up to Ray Harryhausen standards, the sheer quantity of special effects scenes make Jack the Giant Killer a whole lot of fun for fans of classic (ie. pre CGI) fantasy. The action starts with a miniature jester in a musical box growing into a towering horned terror, there's a wonderfully creepy assault on a ship by hideous witches (the film's highlight, possibly too scary for the really young ones), Pendragon summons up an army in a scene reminiscent of the skeleton attack in Jason and the Argonauts, a two headed giant battles with a lizardopus (half-lizard, half-octopus), and the evil wizard changes into a dragon to try and put an end to Jack once and for all.

Clearly aimed at kids, the performances are of the pantomime variety, especially Thatcher as wicked Pendragon, who hams it up a treat. Meredith also gets a chance to exercise her villainous side when she is transformed into a witch, complete with green skin and bright yellow eyes. This broad acting style doesn't detract from one's enjoyment, being perfectly suited to the fairytale material.

Witches, warlocks and wizards, oh my!

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 8 September 2007]

A farmer, with gleaming white teeth and a costume resembling Hugh O'Brien's mainstay from TV's "Wyatt Earp", saves a princess from a giant, but can he save her from the Prince of Witches who wants to rule all of Cornwall? Fairy tale farrago that financier United Artists initially threw away, dumping it into second-run theaters (it was later re-released as a musical, failing again). The colorful sets and costumes, interesting make-up designs and props are all first-rate, though the stop-motion animation is a bit klutzy and the special effects themselves are variable. Princess Judi Meredith is much better--and more convincing--playing evil (under a spell) than she is doing the 'good girl' routine; as her hero, Kerwin Mathews lets his Adam's apple do all his emoting, and he looks really silly interacting with the inanimate characters (although he registers the same stupefied look while romancing the woman). Kids movie isn't too scary, although there are some curious details: the fleshy knots on the back of the farmer's mother's neck, villain Torin Thatcher's ghastly lower plate (which gets a close-up, resembling a picket fence), and the death of a child's father, which is just shucked off. Not up to the later "Pufnstuf", but better than "Snow White and the Three Stooges". ** from ****

great stop-motion animation and a fun story makes this movie great

[dsfilm123 · 10/10 · 13 July 2000]

If you like movies like " The 7th Voyage of Sinbad " or any George Pal film this is a must see. Stop-motion animation fans take note, there is a lot of stop-motion in this film. Jack and the princess are likeable characters as well as Peter and Sigard the viking. My favorite scene is when the puppet comes to like and slow dances with the princess. I also love the shot of the animated crow flying toward a beautiful matte painting of a castle. If you love these kinds of movies see it for sure, I bought it and still watch it plentiful to this day. Anyway that is a great flick. 10 out of 10!

Go for the nonmusical version

[fester-5 · 7/10 · 20 December 1998]

The original version of this was terrific fun. The dubbed version that tried to make it into a musical was very distracting. The music that was patched over is ridiculous. Try to see the "real" version.

Ray Harryhausen wasn't available

[JoeB131 · 5/10 · 5 April 2020]

And it shows in the cheap special effects.

The place were I give it props, the "Evil" version of the princess was kind of hot in a 1962 Children's movie kind of way.

Mind you, they'd never make a film like this for kids today. Too much violence. Scary Monsters, etc.

Worth a view? Eh, kind of in a film history kind of way. It's definitely a product of its era.

An exciting, fun fantasy movie for kids and un-jaded adults

[sparrowtrece · 8/10 · 10 December 2008]

Count me in as another who loves this rollicking fantasy extravaganza! My folks took me to the drive-in movies to see it way back when I was a wee shorty, and oh my gosh! was I ever excited and thrilled. I played Jack for months afterward, slashing up all sorts of bushes that stood in for giants and dragons and devils with my lathe-wood sword. The scene with the eerie glowing witches and demons ranks right up there with some of the Wicked Witch's star turns in *The Wizard Of Oz* as one of childhood's most delectably terrifying cinematic moments.

While the SFX are sort of goofy-looking by today's standards, that's not a drawback for kids seeing the movie, and grownups who can get past their expectations of CGI-level realism should be able to appreciate them as well.

I saw it once as an adult and was surprised to realize how many images and moments of dialog had stuck in my mind ever since. I'd love to see it again soon.

An afternoon treat

[tomgillespie2002 · 6/10 · 4 August 2012]

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.

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Not bad if you like similar movies of the era

[rupert-ian · 5/10 · 19 July 2020]

I love all the old Sinbad movies and stuff like Clash of the Titans so I did enjoy this movie. But, you really have to overlook some majorly poor special effects, costumes, some bad acting, and cheap/poor art direction.

It seriously looks like the little boy Peter was also in charge of making all the monsters and costumes. I know they didn't have much of a budget but they could have done more with what they had. There are times when you can see they didn't even bother to paint actors faces black under their masks so their flesh shows through the eye and mouth holes. The giants and other monsters look like a kid made them in art class. One of the witches is in a fuzzy bunny costume. Some of the composite work looks like it was done under a huge rush where things shift in and out of the frame and in their position on the screen.

But, it does have some charm and isn't a bad movie.

I guess you have to have a love for these old movies to be able to overlook quite a bit on this one.

Judi Meredith (RIP) is really beautiful. Thorin Thatcher did a decent job as Pendragon and Kerwin Mathews was basically playing as Sinbad. In fact, this movie could easily be called a rip-off of 7th Voyage of Sinbad. You have a magical person in a bottle saving the day many times, a horned giant, a dragon, a evil wizard, a princess under the spell of the wizard, the same dude playing the hero as a very similar character.

So, if you don't have a deep love for similar movies of the era, you probably won't enjoy this movie. Otherwise, give it a go if you need something to watch.