Honestly, there's not much to say about Jack the Giant Slayer. It's your basic fairytale/adventure family movie. There's a princess who wants to have more freedom and thinks she can take care of herself. (spoiler alert: she can't.) There's a young, humble farmboy who dreams of a more exciting life. And there are big, ugly giants who want to eat them. It's a fairly entertaining film, mostly because the cast really goes above and beyond with mediocre material. Nicholas Hoult is charming and unassuming as Jack and Ian McShane has a great deal of fun as the well-meaning King Brahmwell, but the real star of this movie, in my opinion, is the perfectly coiffed Ewan McGregor as Elmont, the leader of the king's guard. How the princess could resist falling for him is beyond me (and several Tumblr users I've discovered).
On the other hand, Oz the Great and Powerful is highly entertaining and perfect for almost the entire family (the flying monkeys have definitely gotten scarier, so kids under 7 should probably stay home). Predictable? Of course, it's a prequel, but still amusing and sweet. There are a lot of people out there who dislike James Franco, for whatever reason, but I quite enjoyed his scampish Oz, especially when teamed with his sidekick(s) Frank/Finley, masterfully played by the adorable and hilarious Zach Braff, who had me laughing out loud in almost every scene. Sam Raimi and his screenwriters, Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, stay faithful to the spirit of the 1939 film throughout, which makes it all the more enjoyable for those of us who've seen that movie over and over again. The costume design is magnificent and the art direction, especially when we first enter the land of Oz, is utterly magical. I thought the film was heartfelt, without taking itself too seriously, and I recommend it for a fun night at the cinema.
