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The truth can be a little upsetting at times…
I Kill Giants is a poignant fantasy tale that manages to straddle the line with some very relevant real world issues and it makes for a hell of a watch.
Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe) is a teenage girl who escapes the realities of school and a troubled family life by retreating into her magical world of fighting evil giants. With the help of her new friend Sophia (Sydney Wade) and her school counselor (Zoe Saldana), Barbara learns to face her fears and battle the giants that threaten her world.
With the vibrancy of a graphic novel and the poignancy of a genuine drama, I Kill Giants takes the issues of a broken home, bullying and abuse and wraps them into a fantasy adventure that will not only make you cry but cheer as we see an emotionally broken young woman redeem her life and her own self-worth in the real world.
Director Andres Walter finds the line between childlike and dark with shocking ease as the film has not only a whimsical edge but also a fairly sadistic and dark one at the very same time. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in this fantasy tail, as people get bullied, abused and misunderstood just like they do in real life. Writer Joe Kelly who adapted his own graphic novel for the big screen does a wonderful job in allowing for the literary elements of the story along with the visual elements to truly come out. Much like the recent A Monster Calls, this film isn’t afraid to get a little dark and that makes for such a wonderful element to the young adult audience that this film is aiming towards. Not everything will be perfect but it’s important to fight against the demons in our lives no matter what form they end up coming in. The film blurs the line between the real and the make believe shockingly well because even though we can predict everything that is happening to these characters, we’re still left with a moment or two of genuine disbelief and doubt.
The genuine power in this film comes with young Madison Wolfe as Barbara who provides so much nuance and depth here that it is a little shocking. As a young woman dealing with real world anxieties and issues while lashing at out at a world that seemingly doesn’t understand her, she’s a marvel to watch trying to make the world understand that the ‘Giants’ that she can see are coming to destroy them all. It’s a mental breakdown played out like a role playing game and it works surprising well as everyone is very much in tune with the material at hand. Imogen Poots and Zoe Saldana provide some solid support as Barbara’s long suffering older sister and guidance councillor at school where she acts out against bullies and teachers who aren’t taking the time to truly listen to her.
Picture and sound quality on the Blu-Ray are very solid and the special features include a making of I Kill Giants.
Ultimately, I Kill Giants is one of those movies that fell under the radar and genuinely deserved a theatrical run up here, because it’s real drama with real big visuals that rope us in from minute one. It’s an excellent piece of filmmaking that actually stays with you long after it is done.
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- Release Date: 6/5/2018