A delightful kiddie fantasy in the mould of the SINBAD films - and just as good as, if not better than, any of them! This production has a quaint feel to it of a make-believe world which never existed, a world full of weird monsters and heroic peasants. Non-stop action and plot twists help to keep things running along smoothly, but the icing on the cake is the sheer quantity of weird and wonderful creatures appearing at every opportunity! The evil villain of the piece, Torin Thatcher (complete with moustache, beard and high collar) has himself surrounded by all manner of zombies, witches and demons. The makeup used is effective-looking and quite possibly scary for younger viewers. Animation is used to make the witches glow and shoot various flames and rays at people, delightful in a tacky sense. The real fun comes from the stop motion effects, which are spectacular. Although lacking the finesse of Ray Harryhausen's creations (probably due to lack of time and money), these are still something to behold and quite passable for a children's film. We get giant horned monsters, a funny-looking serpent, and even a flying demon for the finale.Kerwin Matthews stars as the heroic lead and even has a glint of charisma about his wooden persona. But it's Judi Meredith who dominates things as the squeaky clean princess who eventually gets transformed into a witch herself - in a novel twist, a mirror reveals her secret, true self - that of a pale woman in a red dress, with yellow serpent eyes! There is something about Meredith's appearance as a witch which makes her strangely beautiful - compare her to Barbara Steele in CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR and Amanda Donohoe in LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM and you'll see what I mean, these serpent-like ladies are irresistible! Support comes from a Viking (!) and a young orphan boy, who are turned into a dog and a chimpanzee respectively! You'll never see anything quite like this. Also lurking about is an annoying leprechaun (aren't they always...) offering advice while being trapped in a bottle.It's the visual, fantastic images which remain in the memory after watching. Highlights such as a corridor full of sword-wielding arms and a helpful skeleton pointing the way are truly excellent, a shame there aren't more films around like this. Who can forget the scene where Jack whips an army of armoured knights with a skeleton's arm, turning them into clouds of smoke? JACK THE GIANT KILLER is a superb children's film, one of the best I've ever seen, and eminently rewatchable. It's even on par with JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, which is saying something! For kids of all ages, see and enjoy.

I first saw Jack the Giant Killer at a movie theater in '67 and have loved it ever since. The magic which Nathan Juran ( screenplay & direction ) and Ray Harryhausen ( special effects creator) captured are a sword & sorcery lover's delight. Starring Kerwin Mathews as Jack, Judi Meredith as the princess Elaine, and Torin Thatcher as the evil wizard Pendragon, the movie is chock full of stop-motion animation delight. The miniature jester in the music box, the ghostly witches attacking Jack's ship,the dragon guarding Pendragon's lair, the valley of the Cyclops,all this and more provide a Panavision vista of the wonderful special effects which Ray Harryhausen summoned from his creative talents in this movie, and numerous others such as Jason and the Argonauts, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans,to name a few.The chemistry between Kerwin Mathews and Judi Meredith is alive, and Torin Thatcher is delightful in his supporting role as the evil wizard Pendragon,who stops at nothing to kidnap the princess and hold her as ransom to force her father the King to give Pendragon the land and riches he so desperately craves. A wonderful story, music score, the direction of Nathan Juran and the creative stop-motion effects artistry of Ray Harryhausen make this movie a fantasy feast for the senses.

When I saw this movie as a kid in 1972? I enjoyed it.I am no longer a kid, and its no longer 1972. It was released in 1962 and it shows. Special effects have improved, and so have many aspects of movie making. Today the monsters may be scary for a 5 year old, but are laughable for a 10 year old. The only audience that may still enjoy this movie are the 6-10 year old audience. Maybe.I found the Leprachaun to be the best part of the movie, and he had very limited appearances.For its time, maybe it was worth a 6, but for todays audiences I'd avoid it. I give it a 5, but its probably worth a 4. Its watchable in a way because its so bad.

I work for Panavision in Hollywood & we recently got an e-mail from our London Office asking for gear for..."Jack the Giant Killer" & I was like...REALLY?!! They're re-making this? cuz A) I usually do not like re-makes cuz they never compare (I have never seen & may never see the re-make of "Sabrina" even though I love Harrison Ford...but the original was...PERFECT...so why? & same for the re-make of "Journey to the Centre of the Earth". As much as I love Brendon Frazier I could see this film had NOthing to do with the James Mason / Pat Boone film, which was also...PERFECT...so why?) & B) I remember this film as being one The BEST films of this 60s stop action Fantasy genre & I am interested in seeing how, with the modern tools, handle it. As long as they do not get carried away with CG & stuff or ruin the Story. BUT after reading these reviews I am A) Even MORE excited at re-WATCHING this great Classic Fantasy Film (going to try to find it on Netflix. *fingers crossed*) B) Glad to hear I do remember it correctly as such a FAV & remembering the Witches & The Evil Princess...so cool...& scary...& sexy! & C) actually kind of excited at a possible re-making of this one! I will keep my eyes on it's release! Thanks ALL for confirming my Love of this Classic!