Dollar Tree Cinema: I Kill Giants

“I Kill Giants” (2017)
Starring Madison Wolfe, Zoe Saldana, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade
Directed by Anders Walter
Written by Joe Kelly, based on the Man of Action graphic novel by Kelly and JM Ken Nimura
Not rated, but contains some language, mild violence and intense subject matter

When shopping for movies at Dollar Tree, you'll find blockbusters for a great deal, random horror movies starring folks you've never heard of, the occasional DC animated film and odd direct-to-video-or-streaming entries trying to capitalize on the popularity of some property or another, even if only via font.

And sometimes you happen upon the film adaptation of an excellent comic by a writer whose work you enjoy and which you've recently been invited to discuss on a podcast.

I'm not sure whether the podcast invite from Mark Radulich came before or after I spotted “I Kill Giants” for $1.25, but either way, I was glad to get it. I'd read the collected seven-issue comic series a few years earlier based on good word of mouth and the fact that it was written by Joe Kelly, who teamed with Steve Seagle on Marvel's flagship X-Men books in my latter high school/early college years. He also helped turn Deadpool into the semi-heroic crossover sensation he is today, in comics that were very much PG-13, not the hard-R violence and filth the movies delivered.

I met Kelly at the 1998 Chicago Comic Con where I didn't meet Stan Lee and got a couple comics signed by him. He was friendly and an interesting panelist, which, coupled with his work I enjoyed on the page, made him a writer I liked to follow.

I checked “I Kill Giants” out from a library a few years ago and found it lived up to the hype. It tells the story of Barbara Thorson, a pre-teen who can't be bothered with the petty and mundane things on which her peers focus because she's got to protect everybody from giants. With art by JM Ken Nimura that strikes the perfect tonal balance, we see Barbara navigate magical creatures hiding in the real world as her family faces some sort of struggle, the nature of which is intentionally obscured for much of the series. As in many stories in which a seemingly normal person faces a mysterious threat, those around Barbara, including new friend Sophia and school psychologist Mrs. Molle, question the reality of which she is convinced.

Kelly wrote the screenplay for the movie as well, which accounts for how faithful it is in dialogue, action and overall tone. I did appreciate a change in dialogue from a vulgar outburst Barbara made at one of her teachers, although the toned down version doesn't seem to merit the reaction of the one in the comic. But it does make the movie a tad more appropriate for younger viewers who will likely be interested (I'd guess maybe 10 and up).

Wolfe plays Barbara and comes across as a little older than the character in the comic, but delivers a strong performance. Saldana provides the star power as Mrs. Molle, and Poots is excellent as Barbara's weary older sister Karen, doing her best to hold the family together in the apparent absence of any parents.

I give the edge to the comic, but the movie is definitely worth watching.

And if you don't want any spoilers, now's a good time to click away.

As you know if you've read or seen it, Barbara's giants really are in her imagination, a coping mechanism to deal with the fact that her mother is dying. The fantasy world is something Barbara can understand, control and ultimately triumph over. Real life and its inevitable end are not.

Maybe it's just because I knew the answer, but I don't think the movie kept the mystery up as well as the comic. The effects are well done, though I could have used a few more scenes with giants, who often skulk mysteriously in the background, to build that world up more. The movie does not use the pixies and sprites that pop up throughout the comic, though whether that was a storytelling decision or budget issue I don't know.

The emotional core of the story translates terrifically. Regardless of my opinions and musings on the way the fantasy elements are presented, the humanity at the heart of “I Kill Giants” is authentic and apparent in both versions.

You can check out the Comic Stripped podcast where Mark and I discuss the comic and movie here. As usual, Mark's thoughtful analysis carries a language warning.