Rating: 
Summary: An animated masterpiece
Review: I really love this movie. The animation is topnotch. I loved the start with the WB shield in the old cartoon cirlces. The story was pleasant and not preachy. I also loved the fact that even though the story was set in Maine there weren't any phony accents. I hope WB is planning more animated movies in this genre.
Rating:
Summary: More like Iron God
Review: This movie is very well done and has a touching story. This movie is one of the best animated ones out there. I recomend for all ages.
Rating: 
Summary: Why the "hell"?
Review: The Iron Giant is a great movie with a great message (you are who you choose to be). I loved the story, but I was disappointed by the use of profanity (two instances of the word "hell")and a couple of crude innuendoes. The writing was expressive enough without the abrasive language. My four year old fell in love with the robot and Hogarth - any child would - but every time one of those words is used, he has to stop and question: "that's a bad word isn't it, mommy?" Parents shouldn't have this kind of worry with movies made for children.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely first rate animated film.
Review: It is a shame that Warner Brothers chose to give an uninspired prerelease publicity campaign to the gentle, joyous and original animated movie, The Iron Giant. Precious few saw it in theaters.
Thank God for film preservation in the form of DVD!Like the book, the picture takes place in 1957, during the height of The Cold War. The Soviet Union's satellite, Sputnik, flies across American skies. Our country is filled with paranoia. What else may they have launched? One stormy night off the coast of Maine, a huge object falls from the sky. A frightened sailor sees it and swears that it is a giant made of metal. The townsfolk chalk the tale off to the sailor's love of drink. A giant made of metal, indeed! A night or so later, young Hogarth Hughes, whose Mom is working overtime at the local diner, gets mad when his TV starts acting up. He goes to the roof to check the antenna and finds it missing. He then notices huge footprints leading away from the house and into the woods. He grabs his deceased Dad's old army rifle and a flashlight and goes off in pursuit. He soon discovers that there is indeed a metal giant. In fact, he saves it when it bumps into some high voltage utility wires. The adventure has begun. Rarely has a movie for children - or adults! - addressed the need to search for a peaceful solution to our problems as gently or as wisely as The Iron Giant. It never preaches and is always accessible. It does not address us from on high. It remains at our level. It also shows how clever we can be at overcoming the most unexpected obstacles. It reminds us that things alien to us are not always hostile to us. In fact, it is we who often initiate the hostilities. Perhaps best of all, The Iron Giant examines these and other issues in the guise of a wonderful story that should hold almost anyone's attention. The animation is first-rate. Most of the voices are good, especially Harry Connick, Jr.'s as Dean Cooper, a hip young artist. As Hogath's voice, Eli Marienthal speaks like a real boy, not a cartoon boy. Speaking for Hogarth's mother, Annie, Jennifer Anniston gives her a loving quality. Vin Diesel does well with the most difficult voice, that of The Iron Giant. Rated PG for a couple of spooky scenes and a few mild profanities. Recommended without reservation for children seven and up.
Rating:
Summary: American Animation That Gets It Right!
Review: *
THIS is the kind of homegrown animated feature film American audiences have been waiting decades for! No nausiating operatic renditions, no insulting goofy sidekicks, no talking anthropomorphized animals, no tapdancing kitchen appliances -- No Dumbing Down! Warner Bros. appears to have grasped something that other U.S. film studios with animation divisions still quite haven't yet: Warner understands that there is a REASON ''Nippon no Anime'' feature films have such a huge worldwide appeal! DreamWorks SKG still seems to want to mimic the Disney model (though taking their themes to a somewhat higher, more mature level) -- which really should come as no surprise, since former Disney icon, Jeffery Katzenburg, is now one of the major driving forces at DreamWorks SKG, and many former Disney animators are also now part of the DreamWorks team, while Disney appears to be ''playing it safe'' by sticking to the old, non-varying ''Disney Standard'' with their own ''in house'' productions and choosing, instead, to merely acquire the American rights to popular established Japanese anime features like ''Mononoke Hime.'' Warner's ''THE IRON GIANT,'' by contrast, breaks with the tired and worn American tradition and presents a very beautiful animated feature with a very beautiful story. The animation for ''THE IRON GIANT'' still reflects a strong American artistic style -- which is not necessarily a bad thing, since it supplies the viewer with a comfortable ''familiarity'' and not a sense ''foreignness'' or slight alienation. But as the story unfolds it immediately begins to sink in that this is NOT some typicical ''kiddie cartoon'' movie; that it is unique as homemade animated features are concerned; that it is a melding of animation and good storytelling that places it light-years ahead of your average run-of-the-mill Disney animated feature. Also, the marriage of traditional ''cel animation'' with ''CGI,'' as used in this film, flows very smoothly and believably -- it is one of those rare films where the two radically different animation ''technologies,'' if you will, compliment one another and work perfectly together, rather than clashing with each other and distracting the viewer. (Rintarou's ''METROPOLIS'' is the ultimate example of a ''cel/CGI'' wedding gone bad!) Playing it straighter than most American animated features geared toward a younger audience, ''THE IRON GIANT's'' real beauty is in its storytelling -- Not only is it a delight to watch for its warm & touching ''lighthearted'' moments, but it is also a very powerful and thought provoking experience, revisiting some of the old morality play standards such as friendship, acceptance, personal responsibility, and the freedom to decide one's own life course. Set in a small New England seaside village in the 1950s-- during an era when ''Red Menace,'' extra-terrestrial and atomic bomb paranoias are the order of the day --''THE IRON GIANT'' follows the adventures of Hogarth Hughes, a young boy who is the only child in a single parent household. One night, when Hogarth's mom is asked to work late, he discovers evidence of what he assumes to be ''invaders from Mars'' -- a belief inspired by the earlier rantings of a supposed ''eyewitness'' who claims to have had an actual physical encounter with one of the ''Martians.'' Armed with his pellet rifle, Hogarth marches off into the woods around his house looking for he-has-no-idea-what and encounters the title character ... a towering robot with a deadly secret. As a result of the unpredictable events which take place during that first encounter, an unusual bond forms between these two unlikely and lonely souls: Hogarth, who has few friends, and the ''metal man,'' who finds itself alone in a foreign place with no memory of who it is, where it's from, or what its ''purpose'' is. But the evidence of the robot's activities do not go unnoticed by the Government, which suspects that Russian activity may be at play in the small town. Kent Mansley, a fiery and relentless ''Commiephobe'' is dispatched by Washington to investigate and eventually comes to suspect-- and later prove --that the metal giant does in fact exist and that Hogarth is somehow connected with it, resulting in our young hero's attempt to stay one step ahead of their pursuer, which includes enlisting the aid of a new friend, Dean, who also happens to have the perfect hideout for a gigantic ''metal-eating'' machine. Despite the fact that a suspension of logic and reason is required in order to get past the ''metal-eating robot that can experience physical hunger'' sub-theme (just go with it), the entire movie plays out very well, right down to its heroic, tear-jerking climax. ''THE IRON GIANT'' would, without question, be one of my first picks for a ''Top Ten'' favorite movies of all time list (...and that's not a statement I make lightly). My only regret is that I never got the chance to see it on the big screen when it played in theatres. Simultaneously humorous and dramic, I strongly recommend ''THE IRON GIANT'' for adults as well as for its younger target demographic. To miss out on this one is to truly miss out on something special. * * *
Rating:
Summary: A great family film
Review: The Iron Giant is about friendship between
a boy and a Iron Giant from outerspace and the result is a funny,
warm hearted family film that grown ups and kids will enjoy. I loved
this movie, it's the best Science Fiction family movie since E.T and
leaves you feeling just as good when it's over.
Rating:
Summary: AN EXCELLENT FAMILY MOVIE
Review: I love this movie!!! I am a huge animated movie buff and this is a definate keeper. I went to see it in the theater with my then 4 year old niece and we loved it. When it came out on video we bought it right away (so I have the little action figure). My niece and I would watch it at least once a week at first, now we have slowed down to about once a month or so, but she still asks for "The Iowan Giant" (cuz he's from Iowa, doncha know) and we all love it. I have recommended this movie to all my adult friends who appreciate good animation and every one of them has thanked me for it. A must see!!! One friend, a big burly macho kinda guy, even admitted to tearing up when the Iron Giant says "Superman". You just gotta see it! Enjoy, I know you will. Happy viewing!
Rating:
Summary: "Iron Giant" is rated PG for a reason!
Review: &%$#@* I would give "The Iron Giant" five stars if it had been made--as it so easily COULD have been--without the use of several unnecessary expletives. My children are young, and I simply insist on shielding them from all swear words whenever possible. I rented the video and have decided not to buy a copy for my children due only to the fact that mild oaths like 'Sweet Mother of God,' 'damn,' and 'what the hell,' etc. are used. Why do filmmakers think that American mothers approve of cursing in movies intended for young audiences? I'd love to see DVD technology developed that would allow a parent to play a "censored" version of any given movie without the cuss-words. My kids don't need to hear them!! I'm sure they'll hear those words soon enough at school--or from their cousins!! Aside from the inappropriate language used in several spots in the film, there is little else to dislike about "The Iron Giant." The characters are likable and believable, the messages of friendship and trust shine through, and the movie doesn't have a soundtrack full of catchy tunes blasted at full volume; in fact, I don't recall hearing music that was intrusive at all. That, in my opinion, is one hallmark of a well-made film. Grown-ups watching "Iron Giant" will catch some of the less-obvious jokes embedded in the film; watch for the air-raid drill film Hogarth and his classmates are shown at school. I enjoyed this movie, but if you buy it, I recommend that parents watch it with their children so that they can answer the questions that will surely follow about the cold war, sophisticated weaponry, etc. "Iron Giant" deserves your consideration; it seems to have been overlooked to some extent when it was originally released.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Miss The Iron Giant!
Review: One of my favorite movies of all time. The animation is breathtaking, the story is wonderful and the characters are alive in this tale set in the 1950s. (Brad Bird, if I could say one thing to you about this movie, it would be "Thank You.") The comic timing is wonderful and, (unlike the recent movie "Final Fantasy-The Spirits Within"), the voices actually MATCH the onscreen characters. These people may be animated, but they ACT. My favorite scene in the movie is the "kitchen" scene. It always makes me laugh. This movie has all the things that makes a movie great; characters you care about, generous doses of awe & wonder, humor and sadness. I gave this movie 5 stars only because I couldn't give it even HIGHER marks. This film didn't get the box office it deserved when it was released. Warner Bros. evidently didn't know what they had. I predict this timeless film will be around a LONG time, touching hearts and bringing smiles to generations to come.
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful
Review: Best animated feature Warner's done in decades. This should have gotten far more attention than it did when it came out. It has easily become one of my favorite movies of the 1990s. Genuinely wonderful family viewing, and it completely avoids almost all the Disney stereotypes for animated features. Genuinely unique. Any child of almost any age should love it.
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