Film Name: 猪猪侠之勇闯巨人岛 / GG Bond: The Giant Island Adventure
Even if the director of this film isn’t a fan of the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk,” he must be a fan of the Japanese anime “Gintama.” Otherwise, how could the iconic element of the “Everything Shop” appear? Of course, once again, we’ve only learned the surface of Japanese animation without grasping its essence.
The core of the “Everything Shop” is a store that helps solve any problem. Precisely because it deals with all manner of matters, it encounters many people and makes many friends. “Gintama” uses the protagonist’s work at the Everything Shop to facilitate his interactions (especially heart-to-heart connections) with people from all walks of life. Those he helps become individuals infected by the protagonists’ positive, optimistic, and helpful spirit. It can be said that the “Everything Shop” concept is inherently tailored for a serialized series. Yet GG Bond’s feature film abruptly borrows this concept, while its actual content fails to embody the comprehensive embrace of life’s myriad facets that “Everything” should represent.
What we witness is a “Piggy Hero” with almost no heroic skills, embroiled in constant infighting with a character who bears an uncanny resemblance to “Banana Man.” Truthfully, if Piggy Hero hadn’t bravely leaped alone onto the golden-egg-laying goose at the final moment to battle the unmasked Jack, we’d be hard-pressed to discern his significance as the protagonist. Yet if mere courage alone qualifies one as a “hero,” then perhaps the bar for heroism is set a tad too low. In terms of skills, Piggy Hero falls short of Princess Feifei’s explosive abilities. He’s even less reliable than Little Dumb’s snot, which is constantly relied upon at critical moments.
It must be said that the opening flashback sequence is quite ingeniously crafted. But was it truly necessary to include those mature, sensual women performing kick-dance routines during Jack’s musical debut? And did the chase scene where Jack pursues the magic bean really need to be depicted through such perilous stunts as leaping off rooftops and dashing across busy streets? The film prioritized spectacle over safety in its gimmickry.
The most imaginative moment in “Jack and the Beanstalk” is when the magic bean grows into a ladder to the sky. It is precisely this moment that bridges reality and fantasy. The film successfully captures this pivotal moment of the bean’s ascent. Yet upon reaching the clouds, after a fleeting sense of wonder, it devotes excessive screen time to depicting the protagonist’s struggle with a flying insect. This confrontation is entirely unnecessary—a simple resolution where Piggy Man tames the insect with a lollipop would suffice. Conversely, the journey to the Giant’s Castle should have featured more interactions with novel elements, each contributing to the climactic battle. This would have enriched the narrative.
The sequence where the group persistently attempts to open doors within the Giant’s Castle is vividly portrayed. Yet once the Giant awakens, this imaginative energy dissipates into mere chase scenes and slapstick. Jack is the sole adult among them, yet also the most greedy. Though his greed ultimately leads to his demise, it still leaves us with a sense of contrast and metaphor between adults and children. If all adults are like this, one might wish to remain forever in Piggy Hero’s childlike world. Though the giant possesses an adult’s body, his heart remains that of a child—pure and simple. Only at this point does the film begin to hint at a thematic core.
Overall, GG Bond: The Giant Island Adventure delivers a competent, if unremarkable, story. It avoids disappointment but offers no surprises either. Beyond a faint, almost intangible contrast between adults and children—criticizing the former while praising the latter—it struggles to leave any lasting emotional resonance beyond the laughter.
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