haxson
When I saw "Jim Henson" on the cover I thought of Yoda and Kermit and expected a puppet movie, entertaining but a bit cheesy and very artificial. Well, being a fantasy fan I couldn't resist buying the DVD. Boy, was I wrong about the film... Jack and The Beanstalk is a great fantasy movie. It starts out as an ordinary movie. Then you are told the well known fairy tale. Then you are told the tale from *their* point of view, and the movie just takes off from there. It's a lovely mix of modern life and the classical fantasy world.No movie is perfect, and of course this one does have it's flaws, but they aren't big and as a family movie it is a great weekend treat. Beware of the length though, nearly three hours.
lkemilai
OMG did I wait for the movie to end. The tempo of the movie is very slow and events unroll boringly. This may very well have been a magical TV movie but for a movie to watch in one sitting there is no action or drama to keep you awake. You just sit there hoping that there was a climax on the way and it never comes.Of course this was a family movie, too, so I know I shouldn't have expected black humor or scary thrills.In many places the script isn't transparent... you kind of start to think of the writers' motives on including a twist in the plot which isn't good. It just wipes away the movie magic.The actors could've tried harder as well. I know they were making a movie about a fairy tale but this was supposed to be the "real story" so a bit less overacting would've been good. Many of the characters seemed unnecessary, like the pantheon in the trial.I liked the cheating and conniving ancestor, though. He was a nice touch, worth 1 point, 1 point comes for a good idea and 1 for the investment in fantasy.
lbleach2-2
I loved this movie....a must for young and old alike. Kind of restores your faith in everything good. This movie is like verification for the fairy tale. Purchase this movie and it will be loved and handed down for generations to come. It made me believe. Glued to my seat for the entire two night event. Glad it's on DVD so I can see it with my Grands. This is a great movie for family night in. A classic "Yes" ending. If you didn't see the two night event, you missed a once in a lifetime cliffhanger for night two. It made you record it if you were going to miss the second night. I can't imagine not seeing this movie and experiencing the remarkable way the story came together. It explains the gaps in the fairy tale. A must see and buy.
LeMarchand
Corporate head Jack Robinson is about to discover that fairytales are very real in this revisionist take on `Jack and the Beanstalk'.The film starts off well, with Jack (Matthew Modine) discovering that life isn't as straightforward as he thought. A nice atmosphere is created as a mysterious woman, Ondine (Mia Sara looking very cute), appears dropping dire hints as to his family's secret. Eventually Jack discovers the truth behind his wealth, and finds out that it is up to him to put things right.The `real world' segments of this movie tend to work best, as Jack struggles to come to terms with his discovery that fairy tales are true, with the `fantasy land' segments - mainly due to some variable effects - actually detracting from the sense of wonder. While most of the performances are fine (though Modine occasionally seems to be playing Scott Bakula), the guy playing the original Jack is fairly dire.What really makes the story work is the idea that fairy tales are history dressed up to be palatable to us (and of course not necessarily reliably related history), and the way that we might exploit magic if it were available to us.Well worth a watch for fantasy/fairy tale fans, or if you liked the superior `The 10th Kingdom'.
