VFX artists are impressed by the visual effects in Star Wars' Ewan McGregor proved to be a box office bomb, only grossing $197 million after being made on a nearly $200 million budget. In a twist on the classic "Jack and the Beanstalk" fairy tale, the film revolves around Jack (Hoult) facing an army of terrifying giants after unintentionally opening a portal to their realm. He must work with allies to protect his kingdom from this threat.

In a video breaking down the visual effects in scenes featuring the formidable giants, Corridor Crew praised the authentic-looking speed and detail in Jack the Giant Slayer.

They noted that many onscreen monsters are often depicted in a slow-moving fashion, such as The Walking Dead's zombies, but that the giants' speed in this film makes them refreshingly terrifying and entertaining to watch. Beyond the fear and entertainment value, they also highlighted the realism that this brings in imbuing the towering creatures with such speed. Check out their comments below:

It's an example of how fast someone of that scale can be. The fidelity of the texture work on the hands and the knees, it's like when it gets close, that detail is extreme, and that looks really, really good.

When they move quick, it's just way better. It's the same with zombies. When they stop being slow, they get way scarier. 65 giants, oh my God! That's so sick! Conceptually, these fast-moving giants are something I would like to see more of.

Why Jack The Giant Slayer Didn't Do Well Despite Its VFX

It Was Not Well-Received By Critics Or General Audiences

While Corridor Crew was impressed with Jack the Giant Slayer, the film struggled not only at the box office, but with critics and general audiences as well. It received a 52% critical score and a 55% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics actually took issue with the overemphasis on digital effects and that they failed to make up for a lackluster and forgettable story that could not be saved despite endearing performances from Hoult and the rest of the cast.

In addition to Nicholas Hoult and Ewan McGregor, the cast also included Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, and Eleanor Tomlinson.

General audience reviews were only slightly more generous and featured more praise regarding the giants, the sense of adventure, and the darker spin on the familiar "Jack and the Beanstalk" fairy tale. Significant issues were still taken with the film's script, though, with the dialogue and plot unable to hold up against the fantasy film's visual spectacle. Jack the Giant Slayer proved that even with a star-studded cast, a big-budget, live-action new take on a classic fairy tale was not guaranteed to work well.

This was a disappointing result as only a few years earlier, in 2010, the live-action remake of Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Jack the Giant Slayer did not follow in these footsteps given its negative reception and woeful box office numbers. Nevertheless, some of the VFX still holds up a decade later, demonstrating that regardless of reception and box office results, Jack the Giant Slayer still has its own niche legacy.

The Careers Of Jack The Giant Slayer's Cast Weren't Hurt By The Film's Disappointing Performance

They Starred In Many Well-Received Projects After Jack The Giant Slayer

Between its dismal box office performance and failing to resonate with critics and general audiences, Jack the Giant Slayer could have proven to be detrimental to the careers of its cast. This did not prove to be the case, though, as the cast went on to star in many notable projects. Hoult reprised his role as a young Hank McCoy/Beast from X-Men: First Class for three more X-Men films. He also starred in and produced the Hulu series The Great, had memorable roles in Mad Max: Fury Road and The Menu, and is now helping to launch the DCU.

Along with the VFX, Jack the Giant Slayer's cast was part of its primary appeal, making their many successes after the film satisfying to see.

For the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series, McGregor returned to play the titular character. Seeing McGregor as the legendary Jedi Knight again was one of the main appeals of the series, and his emotional performance proved to be a highlight of the show. McGregor also went on to have prominent roles in a wide range of projects, including the heartfelt Christopher Robin, portraying an older Danny Torrance in The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep, and bringing the villainous Roman Sionis/Black Mask to life in DC's Birds of Prey.

Ian McShane found much of his post-Jack the Giant Slayer success playing Winston Scott in all four film installments of the John Wick franchise, along with playing Mr. Wednesday in Starz' adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods. As for Bill Nighy, his work in the 2022 film Living was recognized with an Academy Award nomination. Along with the VFX, Jack the Giant Slayer's cast was part of its primary appeal, making their many successes after the film satisfying to see.

Source: Corridor Crew

Key Background

• Julie Andrews recorded "The Giants Fable" for the film's opening, but it was cut from the theatrical release and is available in the Blu-ray deleted scenes.
• Ewan McGregor's character says, "I have a bad feeling about this," a classic Star Wars line that McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, says twice in the films.
• Julie Andrews recorded "The Giants Fable" for the film's opening, but it was cut from the theatrical release and is available in the Blu-ray deleted scenes.