Madison WolfeBarbara Thorson
Zoe SaldañaMrs. Mollé
Imogen PootsKaren Thorson
Sydney WadeSophia
Rory JacksonTaylor
Art ParkinsonDave
I Kill Giants is a 2017 fantasy drama film directed by Anders Walter with a screenplay by Joe Kelly, based on Kelly and Ken Niimura’s graphic novel of the same name. The film stars Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade, Rory Jackson and Zoe Saldana.
source: wiki
In the graphic novel adaptation I Kill Giants, director Anders Walter crafts a profound portrait of escapism. The film utilizes the fantasy genre not as an end in itself, but as a metaphor for grappling with the unspeakable.
Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe) is an eccentric outsider who spends her free time constructing elaborate traps and preparing ancient runes. She is firmly convinced that her coastal town is under threat from colossal giants intent on total destruction. While her school counselor, Mrs. Mollé (Zoe Saldana), and a new friend, Sophia, try to peer behind Barbara’s prickly exterior, the girl retreats deeper into her mission. The audience is left to wonder: are the monsters real, or do they exist solely in Barbara’s mind to mask a far more realistic, painful threat?
The film is an honest exploration of childhood grief and the paralyzing fear of loss. It examines how we create narratives to endure a world that feels beyond our control. Here, the giants represent the inevitability of death. It is a story about the painful lesson that some battles are won not through physical strength, but through the acceptance of one’s own vulnerability.
Madison Wolfe is the emotional epicenter of this narrative. Her portrayal of Barbara is impressively intense—she is simultaneously aggressive, dismissive, and deeply fragile. Without her grounded performance, the film’s emotional foundation would falter.
Zoe Saldana provides a necessary empathetic counterpoint as the concerned counselor. She plays her role with a restrained warmth that makes Barbara’s isolation feel even more palpable.
Anders Walter demonstrates a keen sense of balance between coming-of-age drama and visual spectacle. He takes the time to establish the characters before allowing the fantastical elements to take center stage.
The cinematography utilizes the rugged, overcast coastal landscape to create a melancholy, almost Nordic atmosphere. The special effects for the giants are deliberately dark and shadowy. They appear more like figments of a nightmare than classic action monsters. This aesthetic heightens the sense of dread without letting the film devolve into a mere CGI spectacle.
This work leaves you with a lump in your throat. What resonated most was the depiction of loneliness. You feel for Barbara as she pits herself against a world that views her as troubled, while she is actually just trying to protect her heart. The movie serves as a reminder that courage isn’t always about wielding a sword; sometimes it is simply about facing the truth.
I Kill Giants is a touching drama that blends visual power with emotional depth. It is a quieter sibling to A Monster Calls and deserves just as much recognition.
Who should watch: Fans of sophisticated fantasy dramas that prioritize character growth, and viewers who appreciate films about the complexities of the human psyche.
Final thought: A hauntingly beautiful look at how we survive the unimaginable.
