Hey folks, Harry here. Ya know it amazes me how the media is sometimes. You see folks, some in the media are calling my support, and that of the site's, for THE IRON GIANT as an orchestrated buzz created by Warner Brothers. Wow... Now that really would be something. One article claims I've printed 61 stories on THE IRON GIANT.... this one is number 19. One press mouthpiece says how scary it is that THE LA TIMES printed a bit about THE IRON GIANT saying it had "hot Internet Buzz" and then goes on to say AICN had ONE unverifiable review to back it up. Well... Last I heard, you could contact Moriarty. You could contact me. By April I had 4 reviews, all of which did not come from ANYONE working on the film. Contrary to this UNRESEARCHED B.S. from the press mouthpiece is saying, I know each of the people prior to that L.A. TIMES article that sent in reviews. Two are animators without a connection with the film, another was a writer for a noted entertainment magazine that wasn't allowed to run the story in their magazine and I've met this person at film festivals multiple times... and the last was Moriarty.
I've seen THE IRON GIANT, but guess what... it wasn't on the Warner lot. It wasn't with their permission. There is another way to see films that these lazier reporters seem to not pursue. As a result, when THE IRON GIANT is being heralded as a brilliant work of American Animation, and Brad Bird is being highly praised uniformly by critics across the country, including the mouthpiece that shot off at the mouth like no tomorrow... I bet he doesn't apologize. The Fact of the matter is this fella probably hasn't seen the film, unless it was at the screening at the LA COMIC CON where fans were happy as hell, getting the tingly sensation they craved from STAR WARS but didn't get.
AICN has been hyping the hell out of this movie for several reasons.... 1) Warner Brothers has been incompetent in their marketing of the film. 2) It's a film that is highly appealling to the readers of this site and last and not least 3) It's a brilliant movie that WE HAVE SEEN!
Hello. I have been reading your site for over a year now, and never really had any reason to contribute, yet after attending a screening of The Iron Giant, I was compelled to send you a review. I will let you know that I run a web site dedicated to movies and DVD's called The Digital Ring ( www.thedigitalring.com ), and the review you are about to read has already been posted on my site. However, you are perfectly welcome to post my review on your website, without even letting anyone know about my site. I am not looking for a plug. I just feel that the world needs to know about what a truly enthralling experience The Iron Giant is. Just call me moviefann.
Iron Giant
Warner Bros. has been the weakest contender in the animated genre of films, as Quest for Camelot, and The King and I rank as some of the worst animation I have ever seen on the big screen ( though I will admit, I never saw The King and I at the theater, only the trailer ). Anyway, from the trailers that I saw for The Iron Giant, it looked again as if Warner Bros. would embarrass themselves. Yet despite the initial impressions I had about the animation, The Iron Giant turned out to be one of the greatest animated movies I have ever seen. This movie is truly unbelievable.
The Iron Giant is a story about a large robot who crash lands on earth, only to be befriended by a young boy. I won't go any further into the story, for knowing nothing is the best way to go into the theater. The story is very mature, and isn't nearly as goofy as most of Disney's movies, yet it also has allot of humor. The story is very gripping, and is played out perfectly.
The animation in The Iron Giant really grows on you. The opening sequence of the robot crash-landing into the ocean is very beautiful, yet as the film progresses, the animation tends to weaken. Though not entirely eye-popping, I believe that the animation ranks as some of the most impressive I have seen. It is just completely breath-taking. You see, unlike Tarzan, The Iron Giant's animation is completely seamless. You can't distinguish the CG from the hand-drawn. Everything looks like it is of the same world. The robot is animated beautifully, and so much compassion is shown in it's eyes. It is truly the heart of the movie.
Michael Kamen has written one of the most beautiful musical scores of the year, a truly haunting melody. I think that the score suits this movie very well, and can't imagine the film without it. This score is a bit subtle, but is really great.
It is just really hard to talk about the film, fearing I'll spoil some elements for you. Just know that The Iron Giant is one of the best films you are likely to see. If you are a fan of animation, E.T., or masterpieces, rush out to see The Iron Giant. It is a very rare type of film, one that you expect to be bad, yet turns out to be the polar opposite. The Iron Giant is a movie I will rush out to see again, upon it's August 6th release date. I recommend you do the same.
