Review of The Iron Giant (1999) by Kev_I_N — 21 Mar 2014

Overview.

+Great story that is surprising, entertaining and slightly unpredictable.

+Excellent voice acting giving depth to the characters.

+The sound effect fit right into the film, no sound seems particularly out of place.

+The chemistryOverview.

+Great story that is surprising, entertaining and slightly unpredictable.

+Excellent voice acting giving depth to the characters.

+The sound effect fit right into the film, no sound seems particularly out of place.

+The chemistry between all the characters feels right.

-Are a few plot holes here and there, but won’t mention any cause doing so may reveal the ending.

-Compared to recent offerings from Pixar, this film does look a little dated, but them again that is to be expected on a film that was released for 1999.

-Some of the characters feel a little under-developed.

Therefore I would highly reckon this film, as it is a great watch. It is such a shame though how the film as a whole was a finical failure, but don’t let that put you off.

Full Review.

The main features about the Iron Giant that makes it stand above the crowd are the story and characters. At first it seems a very stereotypical children’s film, with the main character (Hogarth) being the unfortunate, bullied, kid at school who them befriends an iron giant. Furthermore the similarity to E.T is unavoidable, and it could be argued the iron giant is a less emotional version of E.T, as the story for the most part is basically about the relationship between a boy and an unknown creature, while the government try to find the creature. However when the film introduces the villain (Kent) who is sent to investigate certain incidents within the town, the story picks up as Kent becomes more determined to find the giant, and Hogarth must hide him, leading to a game of cat and mouse occurring. Furthermore unlike typical children’s films, where the villain is so obviously evil and a bit dull, here Kent’s position is sort of understandable, as his determination to gain recognition, and his fear of the unknown drive him on, while he is restricted by governmental powers. The combination of believing motivates and restricts on his power, make Kent an excellent villain. Likewise while Hogarth can be boring and stereotypical at first, this changes when he begins his interaction with the Iron Giant, because the relationship between the two is excellently portrayed, as Hogarth tries to restrain the Giant’s power, while at the same time trying to have fun with his own Iron Giant. For me this makes the relationship between the two far more plausible than the relationship between Eliot and E.T, in E.T. Likewise Hogarth nature of being a little bit rebellious while not being a really annoying character, as his maturity further help to place the film higher than its competition.

The story and characters are made less stereotypical, with the introduction of difficult issues, such as fear of the unknown, teaching something wrong from right in a contemporary setting etc. However these questions are balanced with elements of heart-warming comedy, whether it is the childish nature of the Giant, the creative imagination of Hogarth etc. help to soften out the moral elements of the film. It certainly makes a nice change from the countless children films that focus only on love/romance. Such features help to make the Iron Giant a breath of fresh air.

The excellent story and character portrayal are all enhanced by the excellent voice acting. In particular credit has to go to Christopher McDonald voicing Kent who really provides a nice balance of normality, crazy levels of determination, frustration, and a consistent level of evil. Likewise Vin Diesel voicing the Iron Giant works fantastically well, because his deep voice combined with the lack of spoken dialogue gives the Giant lots of depth. For me the overall sound of the movie was great as there was a minimalist sound track with hardly any songs, but everything, from the water effects, to the explosions, fit right in to the overall effect and feel of this outstanding movie.

The only major drawback to the film, decides the things you would expect (dated looks, and plot holes); is the lack of the development of the sub-characters. While lack of development does not affect Dean I particular, the characters that feel under-developed are the General and Hogarth’s mum Annie. Now while the general is not in the film for a long period of time, so his under-development is understandable, the fact that within the film he holds the power of Kent means that by him being barely featured, when he does exercise his power it is not as impactful as it should be. The same sense of under-development affects Annie, who despite being a key character seems a bit unaware of what is going on, and like the General, despite playing a key role as Hogarth’s mum, is not featured enough.

However, I would still recommend this film to anyone because it is charming and a lot of fun, despite its short comings. A must see.