This is a familiar story—a medieval fairy tale involving a brave hero, an attractive princess, a malevolent wizard, and some unsettling creatures. A young man from a farm who becomes a knight in medieval England (Kerwin Mathews) finds himself tasked with protecting a princess (Judi Meredith) from the plans of a sinister sorcerer (Torin Thatcher). “Jack the Giant Killer” (1962) shares similarities with “The Magic Sword,” which came out just a few months prior. Some viewers draw comparisons to “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) because both the hero and villain appeared in that earlier film, and both movies utilize stop-motion animation. However, Jim Danforth’s work here doesn't quite measure up to Ray Harryhausen’s, though it is acceptable. Kerwin portrays a commendable central character, while Judi is charming as the princess and striking when transformed by magic. Thatcher certainly embodies wickedness. One of the most noteworthy “effects” are the wizard’s group of witch-ghouls; they're quite well executed and effectively frightening in an animated style. I would have loved this as a child. Nevertheless, there's enough here for adults to appreciate too (or for the inner child within adults). If you find yourself enjoying this film and are interested in seeing a more grounded, mature take on similar fairy tale events, “First Knight” (1995) is worth checking out; I’ve written a review about it that goes into further detail. The movie has a running time of 1 hour, 34 minutes and was filmed at Santa Catalina Island, California, as well as Samuel Goldwyn Studios in West Hollywood. While these locations are suitable for the film's needs, they don’t resemble Britain, although they could be mistaken for somewhere in the Mediterranean. GRADE: A-

Source on TMDB