The Princess Bride succeeded, to a great degree, because it was so old-fashioned.  The special effects eschewed contemporary approaches and recalled fifty-year-old classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland (Rodents of Unusual Size, anyone?), and the storyline was an amalgam of classic fairytale motifs that were instantly recognizable.  This is the legacy of which the new version of Jack and the Beanstalk—a follow-up of sorts to director Gary J. Tunnicliffe’s own straight-to-DVD Hansel and Gretel (2002)—longs to be a part, the first in a proposed series of such titles from Avalon Family Entertainment.

To a certain measure, the family film succeeds.  It even features Wallace Shawn, who played archvillain Vizzini in The Princess Pride.  Littered with clever references to dozens of fairy-tale-ish films (including, in a bit of stretch, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back to the Future), the script puts an interesting spin on the tale of Jack’s quest for the Harp of Destiny.  Thrown in for not-so-good measure are a couple of new characters: Jack’s magically anthropomorphed goose, played by Gilbert Gottfried (Hansel and Gretel featured Bobcat Goldthwaite—is this now officially a trend for Tunnicliffe?), and Jillian, another of the giant’s captives.

For the most part, the script makes all the right moves, and the direction strikes the proper tone in emulation of The Princess Bride.  The visuals, managed by director Tunnicliffe, who has extensive experience in special effects and makeup, are also appealing, as are his genuinely welcome tactics for handling fight sequences.

But The Princess Bride also succeeded because it was refreshingly original—and because it was directed by Rob Reiner.  Instead, clever as it is, Jack and Beanstalk often feels like a retread.  Ten minutes in, I was thinking Jack might be turn out to be a minor low-budget classic—and my wife and I enjoyed it well enough.  But the film doesn’t sustain that level of ingenuity, with “homages” to classic Monty Python routines that feel out of place and almost plagiarized.  Even stuntcasting cameos for Katey Segal as Jack’s mom and Chevy Chase as a contrarian sentry ((certainly in the spirit of Alice) aren’t enough to save the day, though the film doesn’t wear out its welcome, either.  Tunnicliffe’s tastes just don’t rise to the level of Reiner’s.

As Jack and Jillian, however, Colin Ford and Chloe Moretz turn in very solid performances.  (The latter will soon be a household name, I expect.)  In the overall scheme of things here, they anchor what is a decent enough and certainly inoffensive family entertainment.  You could do much worse on a Thursday night or Saturday morning… but you could also do a bit better.

Jack and the Beanstalk is rated G.  Yes indeed.  Kudos on that score… especially considering Gilbert Gottfried!

Courtesy of the film’s producers, Greg screened a promotional DVD of Jack and the Beanstalk.