The Iron Giant

Rating:
Summary: An unlikely hero emerges during the Cold War
Review: Who would've thought a little animated film during the Cuban missle crisis would be so entertaining? Armed with a screenplay based off the Ted Hughes book "The Iron Man", and a great cast, "Iron Giant" was the best film no one really saw in the theaters.

Hogarth Hughes is a little kid who digs bad sci-fi movies (such as would now be played on Mystery Science Theater 3000), and has plenty of opportunity to see them; his single mom Annie (Jennifer Aniston) works late shifts at the diner (his Dad is deceased). One night, Hogarth's T.V. reception goes out, prompting him to venture out into the night and in the process, he discovers a giant metal robot, who is obviously been desgined to destroy. After saving the giant from electrocution, they become fast friends. Hogarth has the huge task of hiding the giant at his house, and finally lands him at scrap-metal artist/beatnik Dean's (Harry Connick, Jr.) house. Unfortunately, since the government has so many potential enemies at this point in history, they, too, are on the hunt for the giant. Kent Mansley (Christopher MacDonald) is the government agent who won't give Hogarth a moments peace, since he suspects Hogarth knows the giants whereabouts. All the while, Hogarth teaches the giant about superheros like Superman, telling him "You can be anything you want- you don't have to be a gun".

With all this heavy background, you'd expect a dry and serious film. Not so. There is so much humor peppered throughout this movie, you'll find plenty of reasons to laugh (at one point, Hogarth is so desperate to lose Mansley that he goes to the diner for ice cream sundaes and sprinkles "Choco-Lax" on Mansley's whipped cream). The only thing I didn't like about this film was the mild profanity used- it was completely unecessary. If our children are going to be watching these movies, why encourage them to curse? Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and highly recommend it. DVD features include cast bios and pictures, a music video, and a fun interactive game that allows you to put the giant back together piece by piece.

Rating:
Summary: An animated fable that does it all perfectly.
Review: The Iron Giant is easily my favorite movie of 1999. Unfortunately lost amid a sea of big budget flash movies, this beautiful film was never destined to be a box office success. Be that as it may, it stands firm as a shining example of the limitless potential of animated storytelling.

Full of nostalgic nuance and attention to detail, The Iron Giant tells the story of a young boy, Hogarth Hughes, and his adventures with a new and unlikely best friend- a giant robot from outer space. As the giant struggles to understand who he is and Hogarth struggles to conceal the giant, both end up learning more than a little bit about true friendship. In short, this is a film that shouldn't be missed, by children, adults, and giant robots alike. When an animated feature packs ten times the emotional punch of its live action contemporaries, you owe it to yourself not to miss out.

If this movie lights a fire under you, try looking into Ted Hughes' original book The Iron Man, a narratively if not allegorically different telling of the tale featured in the film.

Rating:
Summary: One of the GREATEST animated movies ever!
Review: This movie is a beautiful piece of art(something Harry Connick Jr.s character would love to hear). It's very very sad Warner Bros has been beaten by Disney, who are cheap and only do CGI movies now. I prefer to see hand-drawn work! The Iron Giant does have some CGI but you can't barely notice it and that's as far as I'll go with CGI animated movies. And Warner Bros has stuck to the old fashion never lets you down pencil and paper. And for this I love them entirely! This movie didn't make a lot of money or get a lot of hype because Disney and their cheap CGI movie Toy Story 2(which doesn't hold a flame to The Iron Giant). And speaking of Disney overshadowing the GREAT Warner Bros, they also did this when Warner Bros released in theatres "Cats Don't Dance"(Another AWESOME movie!)and Disney released the very stupid and all wrong Hercules!(Did they even read about Hercules!? It looks like they just read about 2 things on him and made up the rest of the story which by the way was really lame!) My whole family LOVES this movie. It does have some adult humor but not a lot nor do they take it too far that is no longer is appropriate for kids or the movie itself. This movie makes you cry(unless you have absolutley no feelings!), laugh, smile, and look in awe. This is a classic and always will be, something Finding Nemo, Bugs Life, and Toy Story will not be! It deserves more than 5 stars, it deserves a million!

Rating:
Summary: Complex, mature masterpiece disguised as kiddie fare
Review: Few movies of any kind, animated or not, manage to blend action, humor, happiness, sadness, nostalgic drama and futuristic sci-fi as masterfully as this one does. And since it did poorly at the box office the way too many genuinely great films do, we all owe it to ourselves and to the art of animated storytelling (almost run into the ground by Pocahontas and all those singing animals) to support this movie in its home video release. I don't care if you haven't even seen this film yet, you still have an obligation to buy The Iron Giant. Trust me, unless you're some kind of monster without the slightest capability of feeling sympathy for a cool little boy and his impossibly awesome, more-emotional-than-most-live-actors robot friend, you'll be holding on to this one for the rest of your life. It's a keeper, even if the DVD extras are a bit sparse...

Rating:
Summary: Deserves All These Good Reviews
Review: This neat little film is a bonafide classic. It had the misfortune to be overshadowed by 'Toy Story 2', which must have hurt it at the box office. But it is NOT suitable for very young children. There is a bit of Spielberg's 'E.T.' in this movie, but that is more a case of traditional story telling principles than any creative similarities. You could also draw comparisons with the relationship between characters John Conner and Schwarzenegger's 'Terminator'. The quality of animation is very high, with nice touches of CGI. The characters are both well-drawn and very well performed by a cast of fine actors. The script is incisive, fast-moving and sprinkled with lots of subtle and occasionally, suprisingly adult humor. And 'The Iron Giant' has a spectacular and dramatically pleasing climax that is neither too bleak nor too sentimental, which is always a delicate balance to reach. I highly recommend this warm and witty film as a treat for all ages. It crosses the barrier of children's films to become a classic for everyone. Who wouldn't want a giant robot for a friend

Rating:
Summary: Buy Iron Giant NOW - RIGHT NOW!
Review: Iron Giant is possibly the single most misunderstood and poorly marketed animated film in HISTORY. People who went to see The Iron Giant (almost totally by accident thanks to Warner Bros. poorly conceived add campaign) were treated to breathtaking animation, a powerful story, and humor that was truly funny. It is a film so expertly crafted that you frequently forgot that it was even animated. Warner Brothers begged us on TV and radio to give up seven dollars at the box office to see some lanky kid and his pal - the 50 metal giant. What they meant to say was come see a timely story about a bright young mind growing up in a world filled with cold war fear and pessimism who learns that hope for peace and the future comes from understanding those around you and making them understand the value of their own lives and that of those close to them as well.

What made The Iron Giant so particularly engrossing was the fact that it merely used animation as a medium to tell a story. It wasn't dependant on an endless string of sight gags and funny characters. Animation here is the context and not the content of our story. In this the Iron Giant was exceedingly successful. It tells a story about a boy who overcomes his fear about life, the world and those around him to befriend a being catastrophically different from himself - a being fifty feet tall and made entirely out of metal. Set in the late 1950's, The Iron Giant opens just as Sputnik takes flight over a frightened United States and Americans begin to look skyward in fear. Just then, a 50-foot visitor from another world drops in uninvited and is discovered by a small boy who saves its life. Soon after, the boy befriends the giant despite its unusual size. This friendship teaches the boy how to understand and live with others equally different - though not in such obvious ways. His adoption of the local beatnik as a surrogate big brother is perhaps the true connection story in this film. Together they must try to convince the government and an increasingly paranoid small town that the 50-foot visitor from another planet isn't the threat that it seems to be. But with America feeling the treat from Russia by way of Sputnik overhead and the new terror of nuclear annihilation from distant ICBM's this will be no easy task.

In the end we see a story that captures what many of us felt growing up in the 70's and what our parents felt through the 50's and 60's. The characters here, as did each of us, must find hope for the future in their own, personal ways. The threat, we find, comes not from forces apart from our nation but from within ourselves in the form of our own fear and paranoia. All this is beautifully realized with animation clear, fluid and dynamic and a script that would have played just as well in live action. The voice talents of Jennifer Anniston and Harry Connick Jr were well chosen and only add to these character's breadth and veracity. And while the film seemed to be frightening to smaller children, I still feel that is an important film for children to see. The final film provides laughs, tears and fears and more than being a film we would all WANT to see I believe that it is a film that we all NEED to see. Far from being just family entertainment, it is a film that completely engrosses the entire family.

Rating:
Summary: Not your kid brother's animated movie...
Review: When most people think of animated movies they usually think one of two things---kiddy fodder or Disney. Rarely does an animated movie appeal to anything but children, and rarely does any other studio besides Disney put out anything worth viewing. Even Disney cannot seem to master their patented, one-dimensional creations any longer, leaving them nearly lifeless at the mercy of Pixar. So, who would have thought that a little movie titled "The Iron Giant" from Warner Bros. could trump them both? Beats the heck outta me...yet, somehow it makes sense.

The age of the old Disney "magic" seems to be almost completely dead---murdered by the increasing number of pop culture references, dirty jokes, and sarcastic comments that are becoming a staple, if not a MUST, for animated features today. And even though Pixar has mastered that aforementioned art so well that adults are often more attracted to their movies than children, there still is something missing. You can add all the humor and CGI effects in the world, but you can't fabricate heart.

"The Iron Giant" isn't what it appears to be. From a distance, it looks like your run-of-the-mill cartoon---boy finds giant, giant turns out to be good, giant is misunderstood by everyone but boy, problem resolved in climatic hero sequence, everyone lives happily ever after---little substance, right? Wrong. It's way more than a cutesy corn-fest; "The Iron Giant" actually delves right into some of the biggest problems of our society.

Set in the 1950's, after WWII, when the air reeked with cold war sentiments, "The Iron Giant" manages to deal with the preposterous goings-on of entire decades worth of history during the 87 minutes of this clever and engaging film. The whole story is centered upon the ignorant "shoot first, ask questions later" belief system that was unbelievably prevalent during the cold war. Not only that, but the movie pinpoints the mentality in which the use of guns is a panacea to "protect" human existence, when in all actuality, they only destroy it before it can even begin.

It is quite possible that kids might not read as much into this movie, though...unless they have an unprecedented knowledge of the time period or society, in general. That's why it is incredible. It satisfies all ages but in an intelligent, classy manner. Kids will view "The Iron Giant" and become completely transfixed by the giant iron dude on the screen, while adults can pick up on subtle humor and meaningful subtext as they too are enamored by the characters. Also, the adult characters act and speak (not limiting themselves to G-rated language) like real people...but don't expect the vulgar innuendos of some other "kid-friendly" blockbusters. The dialogue here is actually appropriate in context, so instead of just throwing in some cursing for "cool factor", this movie's realism is strengthened by it.

I have never seen a better acted (or scripted) animated movie. The boy, Hogarth Hughes, is instantly loveable for his wide-eyed enthusiasm, impish charm, and quick wit. Hogarth's mother (Jennifer Aniston) is an amazing addition to the movie because she offers a dose of reality that stereotypical cartoon moms do not have---a single mom trying to maintain her son and home by working a dead-end job at a diner. Then there's Dean (Harry Connick Jr.), the resident cool, free-thinking hipster, who befriends Hogarth and gives him and the giant a safe haven while becoming more and more of a father figure throughout the movie. And of course there's Giant, who is about as impossible to like as a super-sized puppy...well, except when he snaps...

Even the villain in this movie is likeable (because great villains should be). Kent Mansley (Christopher MacDonald), the intruding government agent, is so hilarious in an understated way in almost every scene; it's hard not to like him a little. Calling Hogarth everything from "Champ" to "Slugger" in attempt to him win over into confessing his knowledge of the giant, Kent Mansley is the epitome of a charming, yet calculating numbskull.

"The Iron Giant" may not side-splitting, it may not be a tried-and-true cartoon love story, and it may not be an extravagant tale of adventure and magic...but jokes grow old, sugar-coated love creates cavities, and long journeys are tiresome. What the "Giant" has is genuine, real, and is worth more than a thousand cookie-cutter laughs.

P.S. The army general, (John Mahoney), is a great supporting character. His interactions with Mansley are not to be overlooked---"Where's the giant, Mansley?!"

Rating:
Summary: Underappreciated Gem!!!
Review: When I saw the trailer for this film I immediately thought "Kid's Movie." While there is plenty here for them, there is also an abundance of witty dialogue and comic situations that adults should love as well. My one and only complaint comes from an early moment in the film when the Iron Giant gets tangled in a mess of electrical wires, the current still surging through them. Hogarth saves the robot, thus making a friend of him, by pulling down on a huge "on/off" switch at the town's power station. I could not imagine how many vandals and delinquents would love to see that kind of switch, with the words "on" and "off" clearly printed in large colored letters, in the middle of a heavily wooded area with maximum concealment. That plot discrepency laid aside, the rest of the film flows without flaw, and it pains me to point out the one and only part which just didn't make any sense. I do realize this is a story about a giant robot from outer space, so I will let it slide (note the 5-star-rating). The mixture of classic-style animation and computer animation melds surprisingly well, and is both inventive and extraordinary. I was reluctant to rent this movie when it hit the video store shelves but now I own it. This film is great for both kids and kids-at-heart. A great story with a marvelous ending.

Rating:
Summary: A Future Classic....Best Animated Film Story I've Ever Seen
Review: Why this movie didn't do better at the box office is beyond me......I guess these days if it doesn't have Disney or Pixar attached to it, (As in Toy Story and Finding Nemo), then I guess people feel it's not worthy of there movie buck. Some of these newer animated movies get so drawn out by fancy computer graphics that most don't have any real substance when it comes to a storyline. You get it all with "The Iron Giant". Great digital animation and even better story. It's about time one of these movie production companies come out with an animated movie with a great message for kids and adults alike. The Iron Giant parallels E.T. The Extra Terrestrial in it's storyline and appeal. Great movie that's only one of a few animated movies worthy of my DVD library.

Rating:
Summary: a little known classic
Review: I finally saw this on the cartoon network's annual Thanksgiving Iron Giant marathon. I'm sooo glad I did. I didn't know an animated movie could be this good and not have Disney written all over it! It was such a departure from the saccharine laden kiddie movies of late. A lonely boy with a working mom takes his camera out to the woods one evening and what does he see? A 60 story iron giant. Later, the two become inseparable. The movie is chock full of sight gags even an adult will find howlingly funny. Not only is the giant a huge swiss army knife, he can repair himself too. Listen for familiar voices. Harry Connick Jr. John Mahoney from Tv's Frasier as a gung ho general Patton wannabe, and Chris Macdonald as the annoying government agent who will stop short at nuclear war just to rid the world of the gentle iron giant. Also, listen for Vin Diesal as the voice of the giant...way before he became famous and too big for nothing but 20 million dollar paychecks! This movie touches on the lessons of friendship, sacrifice, and the unwavering faith of a child. The animation and effects are stunning and it was such a relief not to hear someone break out into song. A definate must have... I'm definately getting this on DVD!!!