I Kill Giants | Film Review

I Kill Giants revolves around Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe), who happens to be a giant killer, or she’s trying to escape reality by slipping into a world of magic and monsters. It’s possible she’s a giant killer AND she lives in a world of magic and monsters while the rest of us carry on without a clue, but honestly, the fact that it could go either way makes this story so much fun. We follow Barbara around as she sets her traps, wards her school, and she makes her first real friend in Sophia (Sydney Wade). Mrs. Mollé (Zoe Saldana) is the school psychologist whose one interest is reaching Barbara and helping her reconnect with the rest of the world. 

Despite everyone’s best efforts, Barbara is determined to protect her town from the threat of giants with her magic Warhammer, Kovalevsky.  The story is fun and whimsical and really makes the audience question the reality they are watching. It twists and turns and then punches us in the gut at the end. Joe Kelly adapted the screenplay for I Kill Giants, and what is special about this is he is half of the writing team for the limited run graphic novel of the same name (the other being Ken Niimura).

Madison Wolfe’s Barbara will make you feel protected, she’s determined and doesn’t have time for any of your nonsense. She will pull on your heartstrings and leave you in awe of the emotional roller coaster she takes us on.  As a reviewer, I am almost at a loss for words when it comes to the rest of the cast. We have the likes of Zoe Saldana, and Imogen Poots’ Karen, both accomplished and seasoned actresses who wonderfully react to whatever Madison is giving us. Its Madison’s movie and she carries it very well, so much so that the rest of the cast merely needs to show up and react to what she is laying down, and everyone does their part to let this young actor soar.

Barbara’s costume is a wonderful mishmash of found clothing repurposed into a uniform for battle. It tells a story all on its own. Much of the production is like that; every blip and bobble is some found piece repurposed into a magical item, spell component, monster trap, or its just trash laying around. The creatures have a range of effectiveness to them.  Some of the creatures we see don’t blend in as well with the environment, stand out from it, and feel fake. Then we have creatures that look amazing and scary, tangible, part of the world. Maybe it’s how they are “showing” part of the story in lieu of telling you, though it doesn’t take away from the story or the viewing experience.

While watching something that comes from a graphic novel, or a comic book, it’s often easy to forget that in a lot of cases the photography was planned in great detail long ago. Someone with skill talent and an artistic eye created the road map. That route is clear and easy to see when watching I Kill Giants. Joe Kelly created something wonderful in sequential storytelling when he was given the opportunity to tell he and Niimura’s story in movie form. It’s not an opportunity that many in the indie comic world get, and fortunately, it doesn’t feel squandered here.

Director Anders Walter’s I Kill Giants is a wonderfully crafted movie that jumps off the pages of comics and becomes something real and heartfelt. The pacing wobbles slightly in the beginning, but evens out and ultimately takes us on a journey of wonder and pain. The ending blindsides and crushes, yet becomes uplifting and hopeful.

In the end, I couldn’t help seeing myself in this story. It became my story, and that is the true magic behind this wonderful little movie.