THE IRON GIANT **** (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Voices of-Eli Marienthal, Vin Diesel, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Christopher McDonald and John Mahoney Director-Brad Bird Rated G Released August 1999 Warner Bros.
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Do yourself a favor. Skip Inspector Gadget, a special-effects filled junk heap with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and see The Iron Giant instead. This film successfully juggles a wide-range of humor, emotions and family fun to translate into great entertainment for kids and adults alike.
Don't be turned off by Warner Bros. previous animated outings. Both Quest for Camelot and The King and I were enormous financial and critical flops, creating a questionable future for non-Disney animated features. The Iron Giant, with an astonishingly mature and well-written script, manages to defy all odds. Look past the appearance (which may look mediocre after the visual feast of Tarzan), and you'll be delighted to find a movie that is memorable, sweet and genial.
The story, although taken largely from ET, manages to succeed on virtually all levels. It tells the story of young Hogarth (voice of Eli Marienthal) and his discovery of an enormous metal man that crash lands near the town of Rockwell, Maine. Hogarth knows he must keep him a secret, especially from his mother (Jennifer Aniston) and other citizens of Rockwell. The giant (who is given speech, perfectly, by Vin Diesel) is originally a horrifying sight, but Hogarth comes to realize that his newfound friend is more kind-hearted than he is threatening. One problem: he eats metal (namely cars and tractors), and providing adequate sustenance for him becomes a difficult task. Luckily, there is a kindly junkyard owner (Harry Connick Jr.) nearby, and after the initial shock he allows the giant to hide out on the premises.
But there is always, always someone out to do no good in a film like this. In The Iron Giant, the antagonist is a devious slimeball named Kent Mansely (Christopher McDonald), a government agent investigating a mysterious lead in Rockwell. Mansely rents the extra room at Hogarth's house, and is frequently questioning the boy about what he knows. While his character is strictly by the books, McDonald does an extremely commendable job as the run-of-the-mill sleazeball, bringing Mansely to humorous life with tactical and well-spoken precision.
The Iron Giant teaches valuable lessons, and is surprisingly successful at it as well. Hogarth educates the giant about death, spirit, and most importantly: that `guns are bad.' In one of the film's very few disappointments, some of these lessons are discarded in the finale in favor of a military battle. Still, the film has an overwhelming heart and a sense of good nature that shines through every scene, even if the story occasionally relies on formula.
The animation in The Iron Giant is perhaps the only noticeable defect. Certain close-up shots of important details could have been handled with better proficiency. But, in comparison to Warner's earlier animated work, this is an impressive step forward. Although The Iron Giant's visual appearance may seem sub-par in comparison with Disney, it is actually very well executed. And as for the written content, well, this is a real nice surprise. There is effective drama and wonderful humor that both children and their parents can enjoy. While the younger viewers marvel at the giant's movements and overall sweetness, adults will find themselves involved in the story and touching character relationships. And there is, indeed, some nicely distributed laughs that everyone will enjoy.
There is a lot to admire in The Iron Giant. The subject matter, occasionally, meets and even surpasses that of Tarzan, despite the fact that Disney has the obvious edge. This is a good, wholesome family film that should please viewers of all ages, with one of the more appealing alien costars ever to appear on the big screen. He may be a giant heap of metal, but the iron giant is more human than any character you may ever encounter.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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