Jack The Giant Slayer (Cert 12, 109 mins) ***
Starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Ewan McGregor, Eddie Marsan, Ewen Bremner, Simon Lowe and the voices of Bill Nighy, John Kassir 

Farm boy Jack (Hoult) heads into town to sell his horse and cart and he encounters a monk (Lowe) bearing a pouch of magic beans.

That night, a sudden deluge causes one of the seeds to take root and a beanstalk rises terrifyingly into the sky, taking with it Jack’s home and Princess Isabelle (Tomlinson), who happens to be passing in the downpour.

When King Brahmwell (McShane) learns of his daughter’s fate, he organises a search party including valiant knight Elmont (McGregor), his right-hand man Crawe (Marsan), Isabelle’s conniving fiance Roderick (Tucci), snivelling sidekick Wicke (Bremner) and Jack.

Atop the beanstalk, they discover an army of gargantuan warriors led by two-headed General Fallon (Nighy, Kassir) and his lieutenants, Fee, Fye, Foe and Fumm... Jack The Giant Slayer is a fast-paced fantasy that gives a smart CGI-heavy makeover to Jack And The Beanstalk.

There are few pauses between the breathlessly orchestrated set pieces in Bryan Singer’s film, including a first encounter with the giants viewed through Jack’s eyes as he holds his breath underwater.

Hoult is an endearing hero, plagued by a fear of heights, who comes to the fore in Isabelle’s hour of need. Their romance is sweet, tempered by Tucci’s delightful scenery-chewing as the Machiavellian traitor in the royal court.

Violence is quite strong for a 12 certificate, including at least one member of supporting cast losing his head between a giant’s festering teeth – which can be relished in 3D exclusively on Blu-ray.

G.I. Joe – Retaliation (Cert 12, 110 mins) ***
Starring Dwayne Johnson, DJ Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, Lee Byung-hun, Elodie Yung, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Bruce Willis, Ray Park, Arnold Vosloo, Luke Bracey

Arch-villain Zartan (Vosloo), who is impersonating the President of the United States (Pryce), frames the G.I. Joes as traitors to the American cause in order to clear the way for his Cobra terrorist network.

Roadblock (Johnson), Flint (DJ Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Palicki) survive the bloodbath and quickly realise that the order to terminate the Joes must have come from the White House. They head back to American soil and seek help from legendary retired operative General Joseph Colton (Willis) to bring down Zartan.

Meanwhile, evil agent Firefly (Stevenson) masterminds the escape of Cobra Commander (Bracey) and heroic mute swordsman Snake Eyes (Park) and ninja Jinx (Yung) travel to the Himalayas to capture heinous henchman Storm Shadow (Byung-hun).

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is slicker and more entertaining than its predecessor, although the bar wasn’t set particularly high. Swathes of the cast are killed off in the explosive opening sequence, to put the focus on a handful of undernourished characters.

Director Jon M Chu locks and loads this bigger-budget sequel with eye-popping set pieces and bruising showdowns.