I KILL GIANTS (2017)
Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 106 Minutes
Rating: PG
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Surround 5.1 with Optional english Subtitles
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Anders Walter
Cast: Imogen Poots, Madison Wolfe, Noel Clarke, Zoe Saldana
In the dark coming-of-age fantasy I kill Giants (2017), based on Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura's Man of Action/Image Comics graphic novel, we have young troubled-girl Thorson (Madison Wolfe, The Conjuring 2) who believes she's the sworn protector of her small coastal community, protecting everyone from various malevolent giants she believes inhabit the area, and to that end she has devised various serums, traps and warning systems to aid her on her quest to rid the world of giants. She sets up elaborate baited traps in the forest and beaches, and she has created a detailed mythos for the myriad of giants, keeping a journal with her secret recipes and plans inside. She also carves mystic protective runes into the walls and doors at school, and carries with her a pink heart-shaped purse, within which is her sacred weapon, a mythical ax she's named Coveleski, after a famous baseball player nicknamed the "giant killer".
This belief in giants is public knowledge unfortunately, she's not afraid to talk about it to anyone, which at school makes her an easy target, not helping are the bunny ears she wears, it likes an neon-arrow pointing down to the weirdo. School bully Taylor (Rory Jackson) mercilessly targets the young girl both verbally and physically, it seems her mission is to destroy the troubled girl, regardless of her obvious problems. At home things aren't much better, her gamer-teen brother seems like an angry douche, while her older and well-meaning sister Karen (Imogen Poots, Centurion) runs the household, burning the candle at both ends trying to keep her siblings on-track and her little sister out of the asylum. The reason for the lack of parental figure in the family is not readily apparent, but it comes around in a meaningful way later on.
The new girl at school Sophia (Sydney Wade) attempts to befriend the giant-killing strangeling but she doesn't make it easy, though she does eventually let her inside her bubble, inviting her to her secret lair and explaining how it is her duty to protect the world from giants, describing in detail the various kinds of giants, and showing her the elaborate baits and traps she has set up around the community. The friendship is difficult to maintain, and later on when the new girl is tricked into betraying her by the bully she turns on her with a quickness.
Also in the picture is sympathetic school psychologist Mrs. Mollé (Zoe Saldana, Guardians of the Galaxy) who is having a real hard time getting Barbara to face the real-life cause of her delusional fantasies, and when all is revealed it's a heart breaker for sure, I teared up more than one watching this one.
Audio/Video: I Kill Giants (2017) arrives on region-free DVD framed in anamorphic widescreen, the image looks solid with some b=very nice lensing capturing the gorgeous coastal scenery. The English DTS-HD MA surround audio is nicely immersive, and gets some nice booming depth when the giants show-up throughout, no subtitles are provided. This is a bare bones disc with no start-up menu or extras.
I love that we have a kid-friendly fantasy film rooted in the sorrows of reality, a coming of age story for young girls that doesn't talk down, that deals with deep anguish and the hardship of coming of age, and it's painted with a whimsical lensing that is gorgeous, including fantastical images of trolls and fairytale forests, it's a good mix of adolescent trauma and fairytale imagery. If you're looking for some dark fantasy to watch with the kids that falls somewhere in between The Neverending Story and Pan's Labyrinth look no further, I consider this is a new kid classic in my household.
I Kill Giants
