Review of The Iron Giant (1999) by Amanda C — 15 Sep 2017

"The Iron Giant", released in 1999 follows a boy who befriends an iron giant that has fallen out of the sky overnight. For me, the movie made me feel indifferent overall. It was an enjoyable film, however, I didn't feel as intrigued with the story as much as I would have liked to be. However, the film was insightful as to the fear and the threats that people experienced during the Cold War. The threat of nuclear bombing, and kids having to be taught how to protect themselves should a bombing occur was the reality then, and a scary one at that.

The film "The Iron Giant" fits into the animation genre in a different capacity. Nowadays, we are so used to the Disney/Pixar style of animation that is more vibrant and lively, where the style of animation that "The Iron Giant" employs is more of a classic animation. It reminds me of how movies like "Lady and the Tramp" and "The Rescuers" were animated. To me, I feel that the animation style used fits the tone of the movie, in that the movie isn't happy go lucky, so much as it is on the darker side with the subject matter that it explores.

I feel that "The Iron Giant" could have done better with some sound editing changes. It might have just been my TV, but it felt like the dialogue of the movie and the sound effects of the movie were on two completely different levels and I had to constantly adjust my volume. I also felt that Kent the detective staying at Hogarth's house kind of came out of nowhere. It felt bizarre to me that a single mom would all of a sudden let this random man spend so much time in her house with her only child.

I did appreciate the character evolution of the giant. It was great to see how he handled different situations. When Hogarth and the giant were playing in the metal yard, Hogarth points a toy gun at the giant and the giant reacts how he was programmed to, which is to destroy any threats. By the end of the movie, as the giant is flying in the sky trying to protect Hogarth from the army that is chasing them, one of the planes fires at the two of them and the giant's eyes start to narrow, as if to shoot his laser at the planes. Instead, the giant holds back, realizing that that isn't the way to handle the situation. I watched the film many times as a kid, and that was a piece that I had never noticed until now!