Fantasy by Superheroes Pack

If I get to pack and sell DVDs, I'd have a Fantasy by Superheroes Pack. Why and what the heck is "fantasy by superheroes"? Early March 2013 saw Bryan Singer and Sam Raimi tackled fantasy stories with versions of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Wizard of Oz, respectively. Both directors are known for their superhero films, X-Men and the massively masterful and original Spider-Man trilogy, again, respectively. Bryan Singer gave an update to the fairy tale and titled it Jack The Giant Slayer and Sam Raimi made a prequel to the 75-year-old film and titled it Oz The Great & Powerful. By the time I wrote this, Jack's trajectory is worst than John Carter but Oz is looking to the 4th best March opening. But let me tell you, both films although both fairy tales, are so much fun in their own way. Apparently I'm an enormous sucker for fantasy films.

Jack the Giant Slayer
The story is your usual bedtime story Jack and the Beanstalk but with a kingdom and more giants. Nicholas Hoult stars as the title role and newcomer Eleanor Tomlinson as Princess Isabelle, the damsel in distress to be saved. The rest of the cast is quite stellar, that includes Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane and the instantly recognizable voice of Bill Nighy. Jack accidentally grew the magic beanstalk and with it lifting his house and the adventurous souled Princess to the skies, to Gantua-the giant's land. Apparently, Gantuans and men have a complicated legend that could ignite war at any time. And this beanstalk is that path to war.

Jack the Giant Slayer is a fun yet serious epic of a fairy tale. It actually could be really violent with all the gruesome death that mostly appear off-screen, then it's only a PG-13 movie. The casting is spot-on. Nicholas Hoult fits the part, Stanley Tucci is amazing as always, it's nice to see Ewan McGregor back in action, Bill Nighy is perfect as the giant's voice, and Eleanor Tomlinson is sweet (and so cool in that gold armor) and it's frustrating she isn't getting much films in the near future. The story could be more epic though. I kinda loathe a bit of the battle scene with that drawbridge (you got to see for yourself and wonder: it's men vs giants). The designs were great but the Bill Nighy voiced, two-headed giant was not the best. The animated prologue may be like a cheaply-made animation but the rest of the CGI (the giants and the beanstalk) was smooth. Stay tuned for the cool ending (although it may nuked the fridge a bit). It is actually quite a normal film when you think of it but it's definitely a fun one. Nicholas Hoult is definitely not this year's Taylor Kitsch (I loved Warm Bodies too) and we need Eleanor Tomlinson in more movies! Jack the Giant Slayer: rated 3/4.


Oz The Great and Powerful
For this film, I got press screening tickets! So I watched it for free and in 3D. I have never watched The Wizard of Oz (cue the surprise sfx). The story is about Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a circus magician who's transported magically into the land of Oz where he met witches, flying monkey and a china girl (not Chinese girl). He arrived there and the citizens of Oz thought that he's the one that would save Oz from the reign of the evil witch. Oscar was doubting but then he saw the treasure of Oz and decided to be that saviour. In his quest he also questions himself whether to be just an ordinary man or a great one.

Oz the Great and Powerful is a super fun, fairy tale adventure with crazy imagination and great CGI. In a few times, the tone of the film shifts jarringly but most of the time it can keep up with the rest of the film. The climax of the film is the best. Sam Raimi definitely nailed it. The cast's best performances goes to Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff. For the exception of Zach Braff, his early scenes is a stealer and his Finley the flying monkey is one of the best bits of the whole film. James Franco and Mila Kunis' performance is sometimes uncertain. Mila Kunis isn't like herself in this film. She isn't like the girl we saw in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Black Swan or even Date Night. You may argue that this is a different role but maybe it's the role that constrain her to rise to her full potential. As I have said before, Finley the flying monkey is one of the best things. Add the China girl to the list because they made a great team with Oscar. There's many laughs to be found here with its funny dialogues. There's also a fun Bruce Campbell cameo but I missed the Oldsmobile Delta cameo. One other thing that bothered me was that due to the heavy CGI, some parts didn't look smooth. Albeit its little drawbacks, I enjoyed this film thoroughly. When you compare this to Jack The Giant Slayer, this film is much more superior. Oz The Great and Powerful: rated 3/4.