Jack the Giant Killer (1962)

60% of users liked it
(1,676 ratings)

Nathan Juran, director of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, tries to make the magic happen again on a much more attenuated budget in Jack the Giant Killer. Torin Thatcher, another Sinbad alumnus, plays a wicked wizard who kidnaps toothsome-princess Judi Meredith. Kerwin Mathews, still another veteran of… More Nathan Juran, director of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, tries to make the magic happen again on a much more attenuated budget in Jack the Giant Killer. Torin Thatcher, another Sinbad alumnus, plays a wicked wizard who kidnaps toothsome-princess Judi Meredith. Kerwin Mathews, still another veteran of Sinbad, plays Jack, who rescues Meredith and promises to escort her to safety. Stop-motion animator Jim Danforth creates several fire-breathing perils along the same lines as Ray Harryhausen's special effects in Sinbad; happily, Danforth emulates the Harryhausen style without stooping to imitation. Prominent among the supporting actors is Don Beddoe as an impish genie. In the recently reissued prints of Jack the Giant Killer, most of the original voices have been dubbed over, and incongruous musical numbers added. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Nathan Juran
Genres: Kids & Family, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jun 13, 1962 Wide
On DVD: Sep 4, 2001
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
In spite of its obvious flaws (inferior animations), Jack the Giant Killer is movie magic that's rife with rich fantasy and winsome playfulness.

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

xGary X

One of my favourites as a nipper, an enjoyable old school fantasy full of inventive visual effects and costumes. Torin Thatcher makes a wonderfully malevolent evil wizard.
The S

For a childrens' film in the style of a fairytale, this is one SCARY picture - some of the stop-motion violence is quite harsh and the witches !.. Well, the witches are seriously macabre and the weird, cheap looking effects that surround them make them more so. I'm not sure… More
For a childrens' film in the style of a fairytale, this is one SCARY picture - some of the stop-motion violence is quite harsh and the witches !.. Well, the witches are seriously macabre and the weird, cheap looking effects that surround them make them more so. I'm not sure who the director was aiming for with this but it came as quite a shock to me when I was a kid and still prompts an involuntary shiver in places.
Anthony V

The musical numbers aren't that great, but the Harryhausen special effects make it worth your while.