Review of I Kill Giants

By Dave B.

​In I Kill Giants (2018, currently on Hulu), Barbara (Madison Wolfe), an adolescent living in a small seaside town, is preparing for battle. She’s a giant-killer and the town’s self-appointed protector. Barbara is awkward, lonely, and self-admittedly mean to stupid people. This makes her misunderstood and shunned by her peers, while her preparations for giant slaying further isolate her from her family and her only friend. 

​The best thing about I Kill Giants are the performances. All of them are good, but Wolfe is phenomenal. She manages to convey bravery, isolation, rage, and vulnerability with a single look. I haven’t seen a performance this good by a 15-year old in a long time. Further, Barbara is a fascinating character. It isn’t often that a movie gives audiences a young girl whose world revolves around being a warrior in the ancient sense. That combined with the fact that this movie takes place in the present-day explains some of the alienation that Barbara feels and ridicule that she experiences. The movie is decently written and well-directed. My only significant complaint about it is that it feels a bit long for a movie that has about a 100 minute runtime. This has less to do with problems in pacing than it does with the fact that I Kill Giants is more of a psychological study than it is a fantasy or adventure film.

​I Kill Giants is an interesting and compelling look into the mind of a young girl who is struggling with issues that many adults have trouble coping with. If you’re looking for a movie with tons of action and non-stop special effects, this likely isn’t the movie for you. But if the idea of seeing a creative film about a unique character and her attempts to bravely cope with trauma that is nearly beyond her comprehension appeals to you, you should definitely give I Kill Giants a couple hours of your time.

Rating: 6.5/10