Đánh giá phim i kill giants năm 2024
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I felt the need to write a review as the ones I have seen are incredibly harsh. This movie is a beautiful parable of a young girls struggle in dealing with the realities of her life told through her avoidance and diving into her vivid imagination and courage of spirit. While I havent seen the trailer all I can say is if you are looking for a Pacific Rim poorly scripted CGI sensory onslaught keep looking, but if you are open to a beautiful heart warming story of fantasy and adventure more akin to The Enchanted Story then this movie is bound to put a smile on your face and will become a staple for kids dealing with sickness and loss. Wonderful to see and deserving of much higher ratings if expectations arent in the action adventure arena. 207 out of 242 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 TACKLING GIANTS Warning: Spoilers One of the great joys of watching movies is to find a movie that you're not quite sure what to expect from and discover it to be a gem. It doesn't happen often. You either read something about it, a friend tells you about it, you just come across it or maybe you see an interesting trailer. It is coming into a film with no expectations and discovering it that makes it amazing. Such was the case for me with I KILL GIANTS. Barbara (Madison Wolfe) is a young teenage girl with a number of quirks. She makes traps in the woods, creates her own special mixture for bait and walks around with fake rabbit ears on her head. To say she is quirky is an understatement. But there is a method to her madness. As she explains via narration, her goal is to protect the town she lives in and the people she loves from giants. She lives with her brother and her sister Karen (Imogen Poots) in a beach front home in Long Island. She shows an interest in games like Dungeons and Dragons but has no one to play with. With plenty of wooded areas to roam in and lay her traps she spends most of her days alone. Then one day on the beach she meets Sophia (Sydney Wade). Just moved here from England Sydney has no friends and Barbara takes her into her confidence telling her what she does. She also shares the secret of her handbag tagged Coveleski, her secret weapon. At school Barbara is socially awkward, as we would expect, and the target of the school girl bully Taylor (Rory Jackson). One run in results in Barbara being sent to the new school counselor Mrs. Molle (Zoe Saldana). We get the impression through the actions of both that something is going on we're not privy to. The end result is Barbara being more confrontational rather than helpful, feeling her time is being wasted with Mrs. Molle. Taylor tells Sophia that she will let her in on a secret of Barbara's if she will tell her what she knows about her. The end result is Taylor and her friends dismantling the traps Barbara has set up on the beach and then beating her. Sophia takes Barbara home where she wakes frightened in her bed, fearful of something upstairs. Sophia discovers Barbara's secret and runs from the house. The friends come face to face again after Barbara faces off against one of the attacking giants in an abandoned railway yard. Their friendship hasn't quite gone back to what it once was yet. As a storm approaches Barbara prepares to do battle on the beach where Taylor destroyed her traps. In the meantime Karen and Mrs. Molle search for Barbara, fearful of what may have happened. Here is the thing about this movie, starting with the trailer. It's based on a graphic novel of the same name which I'd never read. The trailer was filled with special effects moments of Barbara doing battle with actual giant creatures. But as the story unfolds on film you notice two things. The first is that no one else is ever around when Barbara is confronted by the giants or the warning specters she calls harbingers. The second is that you begin to wonder if there are really giants or is there something going on with Barbara we're not aware of just yet. Both are possibilities and the answer isn't revealed until her final battle. The movie works on so many levels. There is plenty of humor involved her in the form of Barbara and her quirks on display. There is drama in the characters of Karen who's trying to keep her family together and care for them as well as in Mrs. Molle who wants to help Barbara. There is the comradery of the two girls who become friends in the unlikeliest of possibilities. There is action in the form of battles with bad guys both gigantic and personal. And most importantly there is the subject of trying to understand what is behind it all, a mystery of sorts that some will figure out before it is explained but that provides a journey into imagination that makes this story so wonderful. As I said I went in expecting one thing and came out the other side having watched something that was completely different from those expectations. And it just made the experience that much better. I was enchanted by this film and loved every minute of it. Even knowing the ending I could easily watch it again and gain new items from the film I would have missed the first time around. After having sat through so many movies that have been praised by critics and hailed with awards I'm always stunned when films like this go unnoticed. Don't let that happen. Find this film and watch it. Be transported to a place where quite possibly giants are there to do battle with. By then end my guess is you'll recognize you may have some giants of your own that need conquering. 81 out of 103 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 A great movie but with a wrong marketing campaign It is not the special effects, although interesting and visually not exceptional but discrete, it is not the extremely suggestive and curated cinematography, as well as original and effective, it is not the directing, intelligent and well studied; in short, it is not the technical sector, however remarkable, that makes this "I Kill Giants" a great movie, but it is something more, something that is more in depth, are the true and sincere feelings that are perceived for a good part of the movie and that make it special despite being almost a genre movie. A movie that proves itself surprisingly mature, even if its appearance says the opposite, and aware of the path and the goals it wants to achieve; this is felt in different scenes that, for this, effect and in different dialogues taken from a screenplay that is not original but that can raise many questions to the viewer during the film, doing so, even if they do not always receive a gratifying answer, this last will be completely immersed in the atmosphere and spirit of the story and can only be involved in it. Also you can very easily get in tune with the protagonist, a young girl who stands out from the many who have already seen in many other films similar to this, thanks to its unique character that makes the character curious and bizarre and, important and rare thing, never predictable, this means that the viewer never loses interest in it. For the rest what to say, there is Zoe Saldana, good as usual, and a really good Imogen Poots, thanks to a role in which she identified herself perfectly. Unfortunately, the film was, nonetheless, anticipated by a marketing campaign that between trailer and poster deceives the public, presenting it as a film that is not, for this reason will be many who, waiting for a pure fantasy, will remain a bit 'disappointed. 96 out of 141 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 A misunderstood film only because the writers failed to fill in the holes properly I can understand why there are so many bad reviews for this film. For starters, the screenplay was flawed from the comic book adaptation for leaving too many holes that were needed to help the viewer surmise the premise. Whether those details were edited out to maintain the films length (a huge mistake - the extra information was needed) or the screenplay was actually flawed, those are the major contributors for holding back this film in being great. Having a background in psychology, I understood what was happening, but I know it wouldn't have been clear enough for the average person. What this film really needed is a little more back story throughout the film as well as some pertinent details that were missed. Some scenes were overly dramatic and could have been toned down and explained better. Somewhere towards the middle of the film, it should have been made clear that this was an example of typical child like Barbara's psychological response to use their imaginations to deal with stress in lieu of logic and experience they find in adulthood. For many young people, getting caught up in a fantasy is the only way they can cope, and eventually confront, a troubling reality - a reality that should also have been made a little clearer in advance, not at the very end. This would have made the film more audience-friendly, instead of leaving them scrambling to their own conclusions of what the premise of this film is. The only other way to have clarity for this film is to have known that the comic books were written for children to help them cope with their mother's dealing and suffering with breast cancer and their eventual loss. Aside from that, director Anders Walter did an outstanding job in his first full length feature film directorial debut. The cinematography was on point, the VFX outstanding, the score appropriate and the acting was perfect by all cast members. It's too bad the writing was not tighter and more audience friendly, as then this would have been a great film. Nevertheless, a well deserving 8/10 from me. 103 out of 165 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Well I liked it !! I watched the movie cold with no idea what it was about. I thought the story was great and the acting and production was very good. OK the CGI was a bit low budget but I don't think that's what the film was about. When I put two and two together and realized what was really going on the light bulb shone. The young actors should be commended for their performances. For me it was a very satisfying movie and an interesting way of telling a story. Then again I'm just simple folk. Well done to all involved 126 out of 153 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink I Kill Giants I read several reviews before I started watching the movie and all those reviews totally slammed the movie. Don't listen to those reviews. This movie is every bit as good as A Monster Calls and Phoebe In Wonderland. In each movie the child is faced with life and death struggles, fear and denial. Watch this movie and keep at least one kleenex in your pocket. My family is dealing with the same thing. And none of us is handling it well. 79 out of 100 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 6/10 A Warning for Discerning Viewers This review is only for the most discerning of viewers and the reason is simple; this is a very well-intentioned film, competently made with some extremely fine performances, and if that's enough to please a person they will likely enjoy this sincere little effort. But it also aspires to deal with deep issues in an inventive fashion and while I'd not say a discerning viewer should NOT see the film, I am saying a little forewarning might help temper your disappointment. It's the kind of film which, after you settle into it (and if you've conscientiously watched a lot of other movies) you realize it holds no surprises. You can predict the moment a character is introduced (the "bully" or the "new friend" etc) exactly how that's going to play out, almost beat-to-beat. You know the ending before you're anywhere close. There were absolutely no surprises in this film for me because it's very earnestness tipped its hand that it also wasn't going to risk telling me anything surprising or unpleasant. This is a movie that introduces anger into its characters but doesn't really want to deal with pain. That treats a damaged psyche and serious mental illness like something that can be "fixed" with a little sleep and a change of wardrobe. Oh, and hearing the right bit of wisdom at the right time. This is a sweet little film that doesn't want to face reality or consequences even though that's often where the real depth and truths lie. That doesn't make it a bad film - it is not - it just prevents it from being a great one. 20 out of 27 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Fantasy & Real World Combine People fear what they do not understand. For Barbara, a teenage misfit who believes in giants, this causes a great deal of concern. From her point of view, if others do not understand and cower in fear from giants, then these creatures can cause all sorts of unchecked mayhem. However, the knife of understanding cuts both ways. People do not understand Barbara and fear for her well-being if she persists in what they see as deviant and anti-social behavior. As Barbara goes around town setting giant traps, ignoring her school and housework and isolating herself from others, the line between fantasy and the real world begins to blur. This has momentous impacts on those who love Barbara as well as Barbara herself. This charming, quirky, funny and powerful film stirs up a lot of emotions. It involves intriguing and poignant themes about bullying, loneliness, confidence, friendship and more. The dialogue between characters is rich and deep, as is the imagery of the giants. Wonderful acting and organization of the scenes, which flow well from one to the other. The story is based on a graphic novel. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival. 84 out of 148 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Fantastic Based on a great graphic novel, I Kill Giants is the poignant story of a girl who is desperately trying to protect her whole town from giants. Yep, if you have never read a real book in your life or seen a great film that actually deals with issues beyond the surface, then that's what it's about, and expecting that, you might find the film not-so-action-packed. However, if you know anything about real books and real films, then it will be obvious to you from the get go that there is something else going on. It's not difficult to imagine what that something else might be, or at least to have a vague idea, and then see how it all unravels. (I am only saying this because I see a lot of reviews from people who seem to be rather ignorant about how to actually approach a good story. Perhaps these were people who thought this would be a film like Pacific Rim (horrible bore with no real story; and I like action films, even ones with superficial plots/stories...)) No, this is not one of those giants fight humans or giants destroy villages kind of film. It is a young adult coming-of-age story that has the usual stuff: trouble at home, bully at school, new friendship, weird girl. The acting was superb. The plot had a few holes (wouldn't the neighbors help the family? wouldn't the parents' friends or family help them?) which are not inherent to the film, but carry over form the book. But all in all, a great story with real character growth. 37 out of 59 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 5/10 More disturbing than whimsical Warning: Spoilers If you've watched the trailer then you know that this is a well made movie, it's directed well, got some good acting and the effects are decent, so I'm not going to talk about those things, what I'm going to focus on is the story because that is what let me down with this movie. Spoilers ahead. So the basic story is a young girl, Barbara, is dealing with a crisis at home and her way to deal with it is to retreat into a make believe fantasy world full of monsters, overcoming obstacles in that fantasy world help her deal with things in the real world. As I watched this movie I was reminded of A Beautiful Mind with Russel Crowe because the young girl in this movie can't distinguish between reality and fantasy either. The premise of the movie is nothing new, we've had films like Bridge to Teribitha that were similar, but where the children's actions in that movie felt endearing in this movie Barbara's actions are worrying and disturbing, and this is my biggest gripe with the film, Barbara is a 13 or 14 year old girl who, among other things, scratches rune signs on the walls at school to protect people from monsters and carries a weapon in her bag to fight monsters with, and she's just too old to be behaving that way without raising some red flags, of course it's only the audience who gets to see most of this behavior so no one else in the film really gets to see just how deep she is living inside this fantasy she has created for herself. Once I realized that the monsters weren't real I spent the rest of the movie wondering if Barbara was suffering from a serious mental illness, she wasn't, but her behavior would have made more sense if it turned out that she was. It's a movie that I recommend if your children watch it to sit down with them afterwards and talk about the best way to deal with problems, because the message from this movie, although rather simple, I can see being very confusing for children to understand from the muddled way it is handled and delivered to the audience. 59 out of 99 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 4/10 Didn't I already watch this? Warning: Spoilers I KILL GIANTS is a film that came across to me like a cheap rip-off of the 2014 film A MONSTER CALLS, albeit with a few twists in the premise. It's another young adult movie in which the protagonist (pleasantly sparky) battles the usual school bullies but hides a secret to boot: she's a monster killer whose role is to travel the globe and take down gigantic creatures of legend. There are some fun stabs at folklore here but overall it's a mildly drab affair, perhaps better in premise than it is in execution. Various stars including Zoe Saldana and Jennifer Ehle make little impact, although the kids are good and the CGI is okay. It all becomes quite trite, predictable, and sentimental towards the climax though. 24 out of 45 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 5/10 I Kill Giants: Not the tour-de-force I expected I hadn't planned on watching this anytime soon but pushed it up my watchlist because it was recommended to me. Within the first 10-15 minutes I had that dull aching feeling inside me, it felt like I was watching Bridge to Terabithia (2007) again and that brought two things to mind.
The movie starts strong and our little leading lady does a fantastic job of portraying our smart, forthright and odd protagonist. Trouble is it begins to unknot early and go in directions that I didn't expect and really didn't want it to. The movie has it's Bridge To Terabithia emotional buildup, but when it arrives its underwhelming and very poorly constructed. Though I appreciate the effort that went into the writing I think the movie simply doesn't get it across very well. Perhaps it needed more time to develop or maybe those behind the camera simply weren't skilled enough to handle a story of this magnitude. I'm not saying I Kill Giants is bad, it just should have been a hell of a lot better. The Good: Great lead Nice plot The Bad: Cringe inducing in parts Finale should have been a lot more emotional than it was Whole movie just falls apart and doesn't meet its potential Things I Learnt From This Movie: I can only assume the book is better Are we just supposed to pretend the pyromania thing didn't happen? 19 out of 35 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 nice YA indie fantasy Warning: Spoilers Barbara Thorson is a troubled teen living on the coast of Long Island. Her brother is annoying and her older sister Karen (Imogen Poots) struggles as the new head of the household. She escapes her reality into a fantasy world where she's a giant killer. She's obsessed with an obscure old time baseball player. New girl Sophia from Britain tries to befriend this strange loner. At school, she's bullied by big girl Taylor and school psychiatrist Mrs. Mollé (Zoe Saldana) is concerned. I generally like this character and this overall story. I like the battle with the bully. There are a few drawbacks which keep me from fully embracing it. Nevertheless, this is a good solid indie fantasy and much better YA than many of its bigger brethren. It has nice ambition even if it's not executed perfectly. I would make Sophia a bigger role. She should be the second character. I know Saldana is the big star but Sophia is naturally the bigger role. They should have more time together. Their closer connection would make her betrayal more powerful. As for the giants, they should be represented in the real world somehow. Barbara should be tilting at windmills in actuality and that would be more compelling. Her battle with the giants should have real world consequences. Her victories should mean victories in the physical world. There is a victory of sorts emotionally but that's not enough. It should be connected to her mother's sickness and her victory should stop others from suffering the same fate. This needs to connect so the payoff would multiply exponential. As it stand, it's a nice little movie. 12 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 7/10 Interesting Based on the graphic novel. About a girl living in her own head, thinking that she's playing a game in which she saves her town form a problem it has with Giants. It's a touching story. Almost made me cry...almost. I'll tell you why it did not cry. I did not find the story gripping enough. The connection between a little girl's fantasy world and the real reason why she made it up was drawing at straws. Although that could be the case for all children going through emotional stress, I don't know, but from a cinematic point of view, it was too lose the base on reality. What's important is that the movie lives up to the curiosity of the poster that I saw that made me go see it. It has heart as they say and is filled with delightful characters as every fantasy film should be A solid picture worth seeing. 18 out of 35 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Powerful Powerful film that moves and entertains from start to finish. In general the film is very good and thrills in many points, even if at times it doesn't work too well due to some unhappy choices of interpersonal dynamics between students, but otherwise the film is very good. In conclusion, the film is his moral, everything centers on his moral in a wonderful way and that takes you straight to the heart without sparing anything and that leaves you with a wonderful feeling of melancholy and bitterness. 2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 4/10 If you're looking for a fantasy adventure... keep looking! I've had great expectations for this movie. Based on the trailer I was hoping it will be one of the big fantasy hits this year, coming from the producers of Harry Potter and and starring the little girl version of Thor. In the first 2/3 of the movie it does a great job at keeping you on your toes, it is intense in a way. You're just barely not given and not shown enough to be able to decide how much of what Barbara thinks is real and why is she the way she is. However at a point it starts really going downhill, and everything one would expect based on the trailer is derailed. You soon end up with a mediocre psycho-drama and the taste of disappointment in your mouth. 155 out of 291 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 9/10 Better than expected. Warning: Spoilers This movie reminded me of Terabethia. Magical World from a child. I do not get why people give this bad reviews. Just cause it is from the maker of Harry Potter, does not mean it should be a new revolution that takes everyone in a storm. To me, the acting was spot on. Really captivating. Much better than expected. The story was quite good. Ofc. it is not to be compared to a movie like Harry Potter or anything else, but I think people bash upon it, just cause it was not as big as HP. A shame. Cause if you like the Terabethia movie/the magical world kids can invent cause of irl struggles, this will be right up your alley. It might come predictable, even I can agree to that. But to me, the movie captivated me to keep watching. And those movies , to me, are rare. 16 out of 28 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 1/10 The feels was coming from inside the house! (lolz) Warning: Spoilers Before the movie starts: a girl's mom is sick and is going to die. Girl can't accept her powerlessness to change that, so in her mind she creates a world where a giant is going to destroy her mother, and that a baseball player Kovalinsky who played well against the new york giants is a sacred axe that can defeat giants. Movie starts: There's a new psychologist in her high school, that left a well paying job because she wanted to make a difference (cliché), that wants to get to know her. There's also a new girl in America that is her neighbour that wants to be her friend. The girl who is so imaginative that is on the brink of crazyness initially reject them both, then learns to like them, then starts telling them her fantasy world. When they start telling craycray about reality, she gets agressive, pushes them off, hit them, runs away. Then she fights a giant, and that's a breakthrough in this girl's mind. She is able to go talk to her mother that was lying in bed sick in her home all this time. Cut to a couple of months in the future where she is all magically mentally sane (because she has a normal hair cut now. Another cliché). And even though her friend on the first day of school tells evyone in their class that she fought a giant nobody laughs or makes fun of her (yeah right! isn't the world just magically perfect?). Cut to she burying her mother. The end. 38 out of 84 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 1/10 Piece of crap copy-cat of "A Monster Calls" What a piece of boring crap. I kept on watching the movie hoping it would get better. But it just kept on getting worse. Worse and more boring as the movie goes on. And it started out boring as hell. It's basically a copy-cat of "A Monster Calls", except the protagonist here is a little girl, instead of a little boy. The setting here is in the US, instead of England. Why would they copy a movie and just change the characters around like that? Anyway, do not waste your time with this sorry piece of crap of a copy-cat movie. If you want to see a story about a kid coping with a dying parent, then watch "A Monster Calls", which is so much better. 55 out of 131 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 4/10 Not what's advertised This movie is very falsely advertised and I keep thinking it was on purpose. I went in expecting to see a fantasy film and instead I got a teen drama. You can see any giant there is to see in the trailer. Seriously, EVERY scene with a giant was put in the trailer. Very lame. The acting is decent, the writing is good and it was pretty well shot. If it was advertised as a drama I would think it was really good and creative, but now I feel cheated. 50 out of 91 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 2/10 Decent acting terrible story This movie starts off with an interesting premise but turns into a bunch of nonsense. The whole time you wait and wait for this climax and the storyline refuses to confirm or deny what's actually happening. It's provides very weak explanations throughout while boring you to death with this girls school problems while also barely providing any backstory it's basically nonstop emotions from all characters just bouncing between pissed and sad it's not worth your time 151 out of 311 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 8/10 Exceptional Madison Wolfe, an actor I had never previously heard of, gave an exceptional performance of a young girl (Barbara) who tries to escape reality by creating a fantasy world that she tries to control. She has no friends until another girl (Sophia) played by Sydney Wade moves into the area and inexplicably decides to become her friend. Barbara lashes out at authority figures which includes her teachers and a psychologist at her school. Fellow students don't like her because she is so different which leads to them abusing her (typical bullying behavior by many students in schools). Even her sister (Imogene Poots) gets frustrated with her behavior. This is a disturbing film about a young girl in pain that no one understands, even the school "shrink" (Zoe Saldana) who wants to help but doesn't know how to reach her. Ultimately, only Barbara can help herself. 2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 1/10 Giants are barely killed but your boredom is quite alive Unsurprisily, this movies is not at all like the source material. If the graphic novel is a funny no-sense splatter, the kind that doesn't need an explanation because it doesn't take itself seriously, not even for a moment, this movie try to take a concept not designed to be serious and make it serious. This movie is basically a ripoff of A Monster's Call rather than Pan's Labyrinth. A girl life sucks so she stuck her mind in a fantasy world where she can kill giants with a hammer because her surname happen to be "Thorson" so she believe to be the daughter of Thor. Do not expect anything good from this movie, 99% of it is the girl acting mean to everyone but the strange little girl who decide to befriend her while everyone but the little girl acts mean or pitiful to her. A pointless waste of money, not too much money, however, judging from the awful CGI. 70 out of 158 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote. Permalink 10/10 Another amazing movie ruined by Hollywood marketing This movie is absolutely beautiful. The story is touching, the fantastical aspects are a wonderful allegory for childhood trauma. The acting is brilliant. I'm starting to believe it's not a coincidence that Zoe Saldana is in some of the highest grossing movies of all time. The music choices are well thought out and on point. The only thing that stops this movie from being well-known and loved is the abysmal handling of the trailer and marketing. |
