"Giant Slayer" doesn't exactly slay Bob Richards
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When you make big-budget films based on children's fairy tales, sometimes you're just opening a can of beanstalks. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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For the sixth weekend in a row, ticket sales were down. Jack the Giant Slayer cost 200 million dollars to make, but could manage just 28 million in its opening weekend. That was good enough for first place, but below expectations. Identity Thief became the first film of 2013 to cross the 100 million dollar mark, and took in 9.7 million for second place. 21 & Over was third with 9 million, The Last Exorcism, part 2 was fourth with 8 million, and the week's other new wide release, Phantom didn't make the top ten, as it didn't make even a half million dollars and scored one of the worst debuts ever for a film opening in more than 1000 theaters.
1. "Jack the Giant Slayer," $28 million
2. "Identity Thief," $9.7 million
3. "21 & Over," $9 million
4. "The Last Exorcism Part II," $8 million
5. "Snitch," $7.7 million
6. "Escape From Planet Earth," $6.7 million
7. "Safe Haven," $6.3 million
8. "Silver Linings Playbook," $5.9 million
9. "A Good Day to Die Hard," $4.5 million
10. "Dark Skies," $3.6 million
Jack the Giant Slayer - New Line - Rated PG-13
For the giant 200 million dollar budget, Jack the Giant Slayer is just a mediocre kid's movie. Now, I will admit it looks impressive, but I was never able to lose myself in this film - it always looked like computer generated animation to me. Instead of simply believing what I was seeing, my reaction was, "oh, that's impressive." This had a lot of potential, but seems watered down. It's just a kid's story with little edge. Edge for this film is a giant eating his own booger. It's just snot my cup of tea. 3 Stars Out of 5
21 & Over - Relativity Media - Rated R
Despite a decent cast who gamely offer occasional laughs and glances at their junk, 21 & Over is a movie that has been done 21 and over times. How often do we need to see an inebriated young person projectile vomiting? When we're all drunk, it's pretty funny to draw phallic symbols on the passed out guy's face, but then he has to go to work at Burger King and gets fired because of it. How about we end this once and for all, and call it OVER. Let there not be 22. 2 1/2 Stars Out of 5
The Last Exorcism Part II - CBS Films - Rated PG-13
Ashley Bell is a very good actress, and she is the one that keeps our interest in The Last Exorcism Part II. I am excited to see what she does in the future. Hopefully she makes better choices in movies than this. Now I realize she probably had a contractual obligation to make this sequel, if you can call it that. It abandons all of the things that made the first film interesting. It also never explains that doozy of an ending in the first film. No, this just lamely ambles along, scarcely a goosebump to be found. Along the way, we find out that a demon has a crush on Ms. Bell. Well, he has good taste. But we have to labor though his courtship. 2 Stars Out of 5
Phantom - RCR Distribution - Rated R
Despite its stellar cast, including the great Ed Harris, Phantom is a terrible, boring film that managed to get me lost over and over. Harris does his best to try and turn this excrement into something more than diaper filler, but terrible direction, editing, dialogue and the unfortunate ending that seems to be cobbled together from the leftovers of an episode of "Supernatural" simply relegate this back to the dung heap. This movie seems to be named after that phenomenon where you feel it coming out, but then look into the toilet, and there's nothing there…1 1/2 Stars Out of 5
For Bob's past reviews and more visit bobrichardsmoviereviews.com.
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