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Summary: Try to ignore the liberal Hollywood messages
Review: This film is a masterpiece. One of the best films I've seen in the past 5 years. Some on the 3D quality of the animation is lost on a TV screen. I enjoyed the movie despite it's strong left-wing liberal Hollywood "guns are bad" preachy message. The packaging for this DVD is very cheap. No hard plastic case. Just a flimsy cardboard one with spindles that don't want to release the DVD without breaking. The "making of" feature on the DVD is just a promo show they ran on WB network. Never saw it? Me neither. I thought the film was well promoted for a non-Disney animated film. I saw lots of full-color, full page ads in the Detroit Free Press and ads on TV. I don't know how it was promoted in other markets but here it was well advertised.
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Summary: Iron Giant
Review: Now if I could, I would give this film a big fat 10. I though it was great and my two year old daughter though she didn't understand the whole concept of the film, loves it. She has to watch it at least once a week. It was amusing, fun and just a great film all together. I would recommend it to all.
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Summary: A Deep Story on Human Nature
Review: The Iron Giant remined me of a line from the movie Interview with The Vampire, in which Louis (Brad Pitt)is described as "A vampire with a human soul." I thought of it as without our souls, we are no less than a vampire. Our Iron Giant is "A gun with a soul." In some way, this movie tells us about the human nature. The message is encouraging as "we can choose who we want to be."
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Summary: This movie is for YOU also!
Review: Warner Bros. did a grave disservice in how they promoted this film when it first came out. I remember seeing a theater preview that managed to completely botch what this movie is about, and thought, "Well, that's one to miss." Then I picked it up on a two-fer DVD rental night and, realizing what I'd missed, immediately bought my own copy.Put simply, this is one of the best animated movies you will ever see. It is plainly a labor of love: every detail, every nuance, every little bit of this movie was crafted with passionate care and attention. Children of all ages will love it, but they won't be alone; I can't think of another feature-length animation that a thinking adult could enjoy as much as this, and it holds up to repeated viewing. It is that much-overused word, a masterpiece. The story, adapted from the children's book by Ted Hughes (yes, _that_ Ted Hughes), is moved to America in 1957, just after the launch of the first Sputnik. The time and place are conveyed with stunning but understated precision. In fact, there is a exacting discipline never found in the loud overkill of recent Disney productions with their mechanistic, plastic musical numbers. (The score is lush and beautiful -- the composer and Czech orchestra deserve recognition on their own right.) If anything, the darker elements hearken back to the heyday of Disney movies, such as Snow White and Pinnochio. One element not much remarked on, despite his importance, is the character of Hogarth. How long has it been since you've seen a depiction of a young boy who can serve as a positive, courageous role model without being unrealistically smart or smug? What a refreshing change to see a character that age have fun _and_ be responsible enough to grapple with big issues. All the secondary elements of this movie help the main theme (You are who you choose to be), but do so without preaching. Any emotions you feel at the end (and you'd have to be made of stone not to feel some) will be real. Despite the ending, I hope there is no sequel. This is a special movie, the kind you treasure because it is unique.
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Summary: Don't dismiss it cause you think it's just a kid's film
Review: After I've seen this movie, I had to convince ALL of my friends to see it. Unfortunately, most of them wouldn't give it a chance, because they think that it is just for kids. I love all sorts of animations, and I know I can't change people's bias against this. However, even just rating the movie, simply based on the story and the direction, this is a very well written, well executed film. The characters are well developed, and the thoughts and details on setting, designs, etc. are superb! I wish the distribution company had invested more on the promotion of the movie, instead of letting it flop in the theatres. It's a great film and if you haven't seen it, give it a chance!
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Summary: crazy about this movie
Review: This movie'll make you laugh and it'll make you cry. It's not just a kid's humor movie. I saw this movie and just about died of laughter and it's very odd when a movie can keep me laughing and on the edge of my seat at the same time.
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Summary: Animation fans will drool openly, and rightly so!
Review: This is the type of feature film that illustrates VERY clearly why animation is a viable medium for storytelling. It also shows us why it is good to have major studios taking serious interest in feature-length animation. The WB made big strides (no pun intended) in blending traditional cel animation with CGI. It's possible to see where CGI is used, but it no longer stands out glaringly on the screen, making for a much smoother viewing. Disney is good, but they SHOULD take this movie as an object lesson in how to present a story honestly. The adaptation of the Ted Hughes novel is proof that it isn't too hard to adapt a novel without destroying it's message. It's a shame that Hughes died before seeing how many people his story reached in this form. Incidentally, the biggest fan of this story would have to be it's executive producer, Pete Townshend (yes, THAT Pete Towshend), who was so affected by the story that he adapted an early stage version of the story into a pop musical in 1989, The Iron Man. That being said, I bought the DVD sight-unseen based on reputation and word-of-mouth alone. I watched it three times in one sitting. You will too!
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Summary: Do Not Hesitate to Buy this Before Seeing It
Review: I bought this DVD without having seen it in the theater or on video. I bought it on the basis of the strong reviews I saw on year-end top ten lists. This is one of the few (only?) major animated works that does not double as a musical. It relies solely on the strength of its characters to tell the compelling story of young "Hogarth" (yes, Hogarth!) who befriends a giant robot who has crash-landed on earth during the 1950s. Naturally, the military and other adults become suspicious of the apparently benign giant. The real strength of this film is that both adults and children will enjoy it because it works on several levels. It is a sly commentary on 1950s paranoia (without being heavy-handed), an exciting adventure film, and a comedy that has humor for adults and kids. Both will fall in love with the "Iron Giant" (voiced by Vin Diesal, from "Saving Private Ryan") who eventually teaches us humans a thing or two about loyalty and sacrifice. A word of warning for those with very small children: there are a few "damns" and "hells" (3 or 4) throughout the movie; thus its PG rating.
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Summary: excellent animation and a great story
Review: I didn't expect much from this movie... but after my first viewing, I was hooked. My three year old daughter and I have spent many hours together watching this.
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Summary: Touching and hilarious, something for all ages
Review: My husband wanted to see this more than I did, and I'm glad he talked me into getting it. This was one of the greatest animated motion pictures I've ever seen. The detail of the animation was breathtaking. Unlike 99% of other animated features I've seen, this one kept me laughing. A cartoon making me laugh with something besides physical comedy? Unreal. The story is touching. I found myself in tears near the end. I was a bit surprised at the seriousness of the plot in the last half-hour of the movie; the idea of a whole town getting blown away by a missile is definitely not something I thought I'd ever see in an animated picture. It might be a little disturbing to younger viewers. However, I'm being a bit unfair by saying that, considering that the movie also carries a valuable lesson for people of all ages about violence, intolerance, and guns (which, by seeing the news the past two years, is a subject that alot of young people apparently need better education about.) So this movie has a little bit of everything - emotion, humor, and most importantly, a moral for everyone.
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