Reuniting with X-Men: First Class producer Bryan Singer (who directs here), talented up-and-comer Nicholas Hoult takes a star turn in the titular role of Jack, whose famously poor bartering skills earn him a pocket of magic beans for his horse, which of course go on to sow the greater rewards of adventure, love and a grand coming-of-age.

An adaptation of both “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Jack the Giant Killer”, this tale has young Jack dreaming of becoming a brave knight but who grows up far more unlikely than hero. Adventure arrives on his doorstep in the form of runaway Princess Isabelle and causes Jack to inadvertently drop a bean under his house. The subsequent stalk carries the Princess away and leaves the infatuated Jack with no choice but to test his heroic ambitions by joining the rescue party. At its summit, things become more complicated as Jack discovers the Giants’ plan to descend the stalk and must prevent them from claiming the human world below.

In recent times fairytale reimagining has been all the rage in Hollywood, but where most of those films have adopted try-hard ‘darkness’ or ironic self-indulgence, Jack the Giant Slayer embraces its over-the-top origins and presents a straightforward and whimsical journey through fairytale land. So whilst it doesn’t present a fresh spin on the tale, Jack the Giant Slayer’s prestigious cast is clearly having fun and it is difficult to not get swept away by their delightfully witty performances.