MarkSweepstakes Review of The Giant of Thunder Mountain

The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1990)

Not great, but better than most low budget Christian-themed movies

[6/10 · 15 December 2019]

I just got done reading Richard Kiel's autobiography. In it he talks about how proud he was to have written and produced this movie. In his memoir he went into great detail regarding all the production and financing problems he had making this film, as well as distribution difficulties and finding an audience afterward, so it was obviously a labor of love for him. I'd never heard of the movie and was curious to watch it though it took me a while to finally find it on a streaming site. Low-budget films targeting a Christian audience are usually pretty bad but I was generally pleased with this effort. Kiel is good as the intimidating 'giant' who's really an orphan, an old softy with an artistic heart. The rest of the adult cast is a cornucopia of well known but generally forgotten old stars that I'm sure got hired for peanuts. Because of the casting fortunately the acting was not cringe-worthy, though some of the "kid scenes" were. The characters were generally memorable and the plot not overly simple or too preachy. I'll admit there were times throughout the story's short running time where I was alternately tense, laughing, or teary-eyed, so it's well worth a 6-star rating. Bart the Bear also made a formidable and memorable character! However the story had enough open-ended holes, and things that just made no sense, to make the overall experience of the film somewhat of a let down. SPOILERS: For example, the boys steal some of Eli the Giant's gold nuggets, rationalizing that they're just going to see if it's real and bring it back, but they never do. Later on, the evil carnies steal the reminder of the gold. Where did this all gold come from? Why does Eli have it? It's never brought up and even Eli the Giant never even notices his gold is gone. Also, at the end of the movie the town folk mistakenly burn down the Giant's cabin. Yet the "happy ending" is Eli trudging back up the mountain, waving goodbye, I assume to live as a hermit again. Um, with no home and no money -- literally nothing -- he's going to freeze or starve to death in no-time flat. So those are the two big plot "HUH'S?" but there are many other smaller "huh's" throughout, too, which mar what should have been an enjoyable children's tale.