The Iron Giant (1999) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Featuring the voices of Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Eli Marienthal, Vin Diesel and Christopher McDonald.
"The Iron Giant" is one of those movies that seem to have come out of nowhere.
It is a warm and touching animated feature with roots in the science fiction films and mores of the 1950s, the period in which this feature takes place.
This entertaining family feature is based on a book by British Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, best known as the widower of poet Sylvia Plath.
It is a simple tale of friendship, love and understanding. Set in Maine in October of 1957, the story tells of 9-year-old Hogarth who, hearing a fisherman tell how his boat was sunk by a gigantic metal man, sets out in the woods to find this wondrous robot.
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for, it may come true. Not only does Hogarth find the 50-foot-tall iron robot, but he also saves its life. The metal-eating robot turns out to really be a gentle giant, and Hogarth decides to find a place where he can hide it so as not to frighten the local residents.
being a time of paranoia in the United States, a government agent is sent to Maine to investigate rumors of flying saucers, Soviet invaders, giant robots or whatever he can find.
This is where "The Iron Giant" succeeds brilliantly. Like the live-action "October Sky," released earlier this year, this movie captures the fear and loathing for anything un-American that existed during this era.
Whatever is not American is automatically an enemy and must be destroyed, was the thinking of the day. And this theme of intolerance is carried over into "The Iron Giant."
It is a wholesome, family-oriented feature that will please and amuse parents and children. One sequence especially will have the baby boomers in the audience smiling.
One day at school, Hogarth and his class watch a movie giving them instructions on how to "duck and cover" in case of atomic attack. If you remember those air raid drills when you had to crawl under your desk, this scene will tickle you.
"The Iron Giant" is a story of friendship, tolerance and knowing who you are - even if you are made of iron. It's a story with a message, but the two are interwoven so thoughtfully that you are not hammered over the head and feel as if the filmmakers are preaching to you.
The animation is not as sophisticated as some newer features such as Disney's "Tarzan." "The Iron Giant" has a 1950s comic book look to it, which is apropos to the story.
The movie features the voices of Jennifer Aniston as Hogarth's mother; Eli Marienthal as Hogarth; Harry Connick Jr. as his friend, Dean; Christopher McDonald as government agent Kent Mansley; and, notably, Vin Diesel as the giant.
One complaint about the movie is that it is too white. True, it is set in Maine in 1957, yet there are no people of color anywhere. Every character is white. It would not have hurt the film in any way to put some ethnic faces on some of the townspeople.
Otherwise, Brad Bird, who adapted Hughes book and directed the film, keeps the pace lively so as the younger audience members do not get bored. "The Iron Giant" is a quaint little film, a nostalgic piece of entertainment.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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