Jack the Giant Slayer

We start in familiar territory, with a teenage Jack accidentally letting some magical beans loose into the soil, causing an enormous beanstalk to explode toward the sky. It connects to a dangerous land between Heaven and Earth, where angry giants dream of making human bones into afternoon snacks. The beanstalk has also carried Princess Isabelle into the giants’ world and, damsel in distress that she is, she needs saving! (For all its updating, the storyline doesn’t do much for feminism.) There are some fun moments from a strong ensemble of actors, and the fantasy land of the giants’ world looks pretty cool. All the basic fairytale themes are recycled here: saving the kingdom, true love overcoming class differences, and so on. It’s fun, but, just as the giants might, we see it all coming from a mile away. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13.