Review: Jack The Giant Slayer, starring Beverley's Eleanor Tomlinson

The English folk tale of Jack And The Beanstalk is given a smart CGI heavy makeover in Bryan Singer's fast-paced fantasy.

Based on a script co-written by Usual Suspects scribe Christopher McQuarrie, Jack The Giant Slayer takes the familiar story of magic beans and a bloodthirsty behemoth as the foundations for a delightfully old-fashioned tale of derring-do replete with a boo- hiss villain and swooning damsel in distress.

A storybook opening sequence recounts the legend of King Erik, who defeated the giants and banished them to their kingdom in the clouds with the help of his magical crown.

Many centuries later, farm boy Jack (Nicholas Hoult) heads into town to sell his horse and cart.

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He encounters a monk bearing a pouch of stolen beans.

That night, a sudden deluge of rain causes one of the seeds to take root and a beanstalk rises terrifyingly into the sky, taking with it Jack's home and Princess Isabelle (Beverley's own Eleanor Tomlinson), who happened to be passing in the downpour.

When King Brahmwell (Ian McShane) learns of his daughter's fate, he organises a search party including valiant knight Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and Isabelle's conniving fiancé Roderick.

Atop the beanstalk, they discover an army of gargantuan warriors led by two- headed General Fallon and his lieutenants, Fee, Fye, Foe and Fumm.

Jack The Giant Slayer establishes a cracking pace and there are few pauses between the breathlessly orchestrated set-pieces, including a first encounter with the giants viewed through Jack's eyes.

Digital effects meld smoothly with live action, including a protracted sequence of the giants storming King Brahmwell's castle.

Hoult is an endearing hero, plagued by a fear of heights, and Tomlinson a feisty heroine.

Their romance is sweet, tempered by Tucci's delightful scenery-chewing as the traitor in the royal court.

Parents may want to view the film before unleashing young children into this fairy- tale realm because the violence is quite strong for a 12A certificate, including at least one member of supporting cast losing his head between a giant's festering teeth.

A fun, all-action, fairytale.