I Kill Giants

Director: Anders Walter
Year Released: 2017
Rating: 0.5

Middle school outcast (by her own design) Barbara (Madison Wolfe) conjures up this magical world of fighting monsters to protect her town, but when 'new friend' Sophia (Sydney Wade) and school psychologist Mrs. Mollé (Zoe Saldana) try to get involved in her life, she pushes them away (or rather slaps ... and punches them). You can safely hurl this into the growing pile of Psychologically Unhealthy movies (that have no grounding in reality) - there is no way on Planet Earth Barb, who is an unpleasant and repulsive brat, would not have been expelled or committed to an institution (and heavily medicated ... Seroquel, maybe?) for her warped behavior, but by the Power of Movies all it takes is a fake battle with a Titan (while using a magical hammer ... yay, fantasy time) on a beach and a hug from dying mom and all is remedied (psssst ... the "Giants" represent death). Adapting a movie from a graphic novel - in this case, it's by Joe Kelly and J.M. Kim Niimura - is generally tricky, and it's clear that the source's "deeper message" about acceptance of the inevitable doesn't translate with poignancy (not even Jennifer Ehle can save it). But let me get this straight: shrink Mrs. Mollé voluntarily left work at a hedge fund to deal with ... teenagers? Maybe she needs some counseling of her own....