The Iron Giant - Blockbuster New Releases Information

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J. T. Nite “mightybjorn” (Mesa, AZ USA) –

  

Due to horrendous advertising that buried most of the movie’s charms, most people think this movie is a b-grade kiddie flick. But ignore the brainless trailers and the awful extreme-sport ad campaign that accompanied the video release, and you’ll be rewarded with an astonishing film.

The Iron Giant is complex and sophisticated enough to be a live-action movie, indeed more complex and sophisticated than the movies that trounced it at the box office (I’m talking to you, Inspector Gadget). It is a remarkable achievement of all the elements of a movie working at their very best.

The visuals are astounding. The script is funny without resorting to cheap laughs. The characters are well-rounded. The voice talents are ideal, from the Giant’s rumble to Hogarth’s wide-eyed wonder (for a welcome change, a pre-adolescent boy does the voice instead of someone trying to sound like one).

Most interestingly, the movie makes such a dynamic, empathic character of the titular hunk of metal that we genuinely care about his fate. At the film’s climactic scene, I was ashamed at the tears running down my face, until I saw that my three friends (all of us twenty-something, manly guys) were misty-eyed as well.

Anyone over the age of 8 will love this film. If you don’t like animation, try this on for size. If you love all types of animation, see it NOW. Even though the film’s marketing department apparently doesn’t want you to see it, you’ll be glad you did.

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In the recent age of Disney films, the classic art of animated story telling has given way to 3d vine surfing and rock music. THE IRON GIANT is here to tell the world that the old art is alive and well. This is such a well made and touching film, with humor and heart, and superb voice overs. It resonantes like E.T., tackling childhood innocence, danger, death, and rebirth with the same funny and touching aplomb. It both pokes fun at and sympathises with the fears and prejudices of adults with equal care, demonstrating a lesson without demonizing anyone. As someone who writes and produces feature films, I am quite jaded, and usually leave a theatre fealing empty and critical. But THE IRON GIANT made me run out and tell everyone who would listen to go see it. They didn’t, and it is their loss. So BUY THIS, watch it on your own, and with your kids as many times as they want. It’s either this or Pokemon. Let them see what a real family film is all about.

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This is a movie for all to enjoy. Kids, parents, and animation buffs of all ages will be impressed by this masterpiece. Some parents might be wondering about the PG rating — it means just that; the parents should see it with their kids, but they don’t really have to unless they are terribly sensitive towards certain subjects. Some parents might object to having their children hear about death (“It’s bad to kill, but it’s not bad to die, it’s part of life” explains Hogarth, the boy, to the Giant) and such. But this is a far better movie in content and design than anything Disney has produced in the last several years, perhaps the decade. The animation is a lot of CG (the Giant is pure CG, believe it or not) disguised as old fashioned cell animation, and it looks spectacular. All of the characters were well done. 1)Hogarth, the boy, was actually pretty cool, never annoying. 2)The Giant was amazing animationwise and as a character, he is NOT a big dumb hulking mass. 3)The villain was creatively done and quite deceptive. And it is a breath of fresh air to have a (very, very) funny kids movie WITHOUT forced, saccharin-happy, sing-song scenes or completely lame comic relief “sidekicks”. As for the violent scenes, Tarzan, Mulan, heck even the Little Mermaid, were worse. If anything, the superior animation might make the violence more impressive looking in “Giant”. The only thing that could be classified as gore or maiming was a bloody nose Hogarth got when he ran into a tree. Oh, and somebody shoots a deer (offscreen). As for objectionable language, Hogarth says “Oh my God” and the villain and a military General say “hell”. As for the dramatic scenes, they were impeccably done. The characters displayed emotions that were convincing (even- nay -especially the Giant) Nothing felt artificial, nothing made me gag. The ending made my eyes water, my girlfriend cried, and my cynical, sourpuss brother whispered “wow!”.

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