DIRECTOR:
Andes Walter LEAD CAST: Madison Wolfe,
Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade, Rory Jackson & Zoe Saldana SCREENWRITER: Joe Kelly PRODUCER:
Chris Columbus & company
EDITOR:
Lars Wissing MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Laurent Perez Del Mar GENRE: Fantasy/Drama CINEMATOGRAPHER: Rasmus Heise DISTRIBUTOR: RLJE Films LOCATION: Belgium, China, United Kingdom, USA RUNNING TIME: 106 minutes
Technical assessment: 3.5
Moral assessment: 3.5
CINEMA rating: V14
Fifth-grader Barbara (Madison Wolfe), although
intelligent, is unable to face the realities of life, especially the impending
death of her mother from cancer. She isolates herself—to the point of building an
indoor fort in the house the shares with her siblings—making solitary sojourns
into the forest or the beach, living in an imaginary world of dragons and
giants. Believing giants are a threat to
her and the community, Barbara sets traps in the forest to kill them. Due to her eccentric ways, Barbara is often
bullied by classmates who see her as weird, bummed out, and a loser. Then a British girl comes along—Sophia (Sydney
Wade) who befriends her and listens to her with sympathy, just like the school
psychologist, Ms. Molle (Zoe Saldana), who is the soul of patience and compassion
in her efforts to help Barbara.
The affecting performance of the 15-year-old
newcomer Wolfe as the main character is the strongest asset of the movie. Wolfe is able to wed vulnerability and spunk
in her role, allowing the viewer to suspend disbelief and see the world as
Barbara sees it. The costumes and
details in the production set—particularly Barbara’s gadgets and her basement
retreat—contribute much to Barbara’s characterization, while Zaldana’s acting
provides a worthy stimulus to Wolfe’s. Some
scenes drag, though, reducing the impact of the more powerful sequences, like
the final confrontation between Barbara and the giant. A vital disclosure is made in the last
quarter of the movie, making the ending a trifle too abrupt and weakening the denouement.
I
Kill Giants is not about computer generated robotic monsters
and monstrous robots vying for the oohs and aahs of the audience, but is about
how young persons resort to fantasy as an escape mechanism. It shows the value
of dedicated school officials who will go an extra mile to save a hurting soul;
it highlights the beauty of naivete, and the power of trust to inspire trust in
another. What initially appears as a villain (spoiler
coming!) turns out to be the savior, enlightening an angry person and clearing
the path to redemption, and eventually, joy.
