Movie of the Week: Jack the Giant Killer (1962)

 

This G-rated fantasy romp deserves a better reputation. After Ray Harryhausen's signature film, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) was a big hit, its producer hired the same director (Nathan Juran) and two principle actors (Sinbad and Sokurah the Magician) for this followup. Harryhausen isn't involved, so the stop-motion animation isn't up to his level of artistry. But there's lots of it, along with a truckload of other special effects like in-camera mattes, hand-drawn animation and optical printing. You will definitely not be bored, and it's fun for all ages. Sorry about the commercials, but if you subscribe to Hulu Plus you can watch it uninterrupted.