TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Leofwine_draca JACK AND THE BEANSTALK is an all-colour, vibrant, cheap and cheerful version of the fairy tale, and also a vehicle for comic duo Abbott & Costello and their usual brand of dim-witted, slapstick humour. This one's dominated by Costello who takes on the role of Jack himself while Abbott only plays in support. It's a dated production for sure, lacking the finesse of an earlier production such as Laurel & Hardy's BABES IN TOYLAND, although there are a few choice moments. The song and dance numbers are quite difficult to sit through, but a lot of the entertainment value arises from Buddy Baer's turn as the Giant, portrayed as an unstoppable, TERMINATOR-style villain.

johcafra C'mon, lighten up. This was for the kids in the matinée.Even when he acts in character Bud is the consummate straight man.Lou looks like he enjoys himself. He sings quite well. He and Buddy Baer (not quite a giant but close enough to count) do their own stunts.The musical score is excellent, with lyrics at times both thoughtful and hilarious.Mel Blanc and Arthur Shields lend their voices. Dorothy Ford lends her unique perspective.Of course it looks like a cartoon. It was supposed to.You can't get the genius of "Who's On First?" in every clip of a very long-running vaudeville act.For the very young at heart.

Dave from Ottawa Bud Abbott has only a smallish role in this mostly-for-kids musical comedy which stars Lou Costello as the dim-witted Jack who is swindled into buying 'magic beans'. The classic bedtime story is given a somewhat soundstage-bound treatment but still has a nice fantasy look and good production values with the Giant's castle being a particular treat, especially when viewed from the perspective of Lou's frequent fright-takes. Fans of the comedy team should beware that, without his partner Abbott setting him up for much of the picture, Lou sometimes strains overmuch to get laughs and his performance is a bit uneven in a title role that vacillates uneasily between child- like disingenuousness and farce.

Kenneth Eagle Spirit Abbott and Costello's talents shine in the happily childish version of "Jack and the Beanstalk". The use of sepia tone and colour, the music and choreography, song and dance, the crossing over of players from one role to another, plus various other aspects of this very fine movie make it obvious that techniques and styles used for "The Wizard of Oz" are being toyed with here. And that works right well for our intrepid duo. There are certain other things involved that make this movie a treat for me ... Buddy Baer's, Max Baer Jr. of "The Beverly Hillbillies" uncle, appearance as the cop and the giant. Pat Costello, Lou's brother, having been involved in the writing of the script. These things help make this film fun. It does, however, have it's down side. I do think that the choreography is poorly done. But the cute tunes and accompanying vocals help detract from the rather sloppy dance numbers. Some of the players, the couple in love ( prince and princess ) to be precise, aren't very good at their trade. But these things are a small price to pay for an otherwise throughly enjoyable walk down the yellow brick ... er, I mean ... climb up the beanstalk.