A great action children’s movie offers great entertainment that the whole family will love. They should always be age appropriate and have lots of animated features and a storyline that children can understand and follow. In the Iron Giant, a 9-year-old boy befriends a colossal but very gentle giant that a paranoid government agent is intent on destroying. Unfortunately, this robot happens to be a 100ft tall killing machine that has lost its memory after a crash landing on Earth. It has a really good build up and has an emotional end. This movie was steadfast, action driven, and the outcome is successful.
One of the very first things I noticed after watching this movie was that the main characters were steadfast the whole entire time. Hogarth Hughes is the 9-year old boy who stumbled across this giant. He maintains his essential caring nature the whole time while attempting to solve the storyline’s problem. This young boy meets up with this alien robot and they work together to avoid a federal agent. The main characters develop well together and the pace is very smooth. Both the Iron Giant and Hogarth Hughes were very likable. They both, especially the Giant slowly understand what relationship really is. It was refreshing to see a kid in a movie act like a kid the whole entire time. There was not a single exaggerated childlike trait, for example, cute, annoying, whiny, and misbehaving. The voice acting was so amazing as well. This isn’t too common in movies and television anymore. Hogarth Hughes is somebody that I feel almost everyone knew or was in their childhood. His character was made out to be exactly the way it was supposed to be.
I also enjoyed the action in this movie. For a children’s movie, my daughter and I watched it together for the first time and could not wait to see the next thing that would happen. The Iron Giant and Hogarth Hughes trying to avoid the federal agent was very funny. The federal agent only had one goal which was to promote himself even if it was at his own destruction. The story is perfect and the action is driven. In terms of the overall plot the action in this movie forces decision to be made. Hogarth Hughes is a little boy who prefers physical solutions so it causes great action-packed and super funny scenes. The story climax then occurs because all other options have been used and exhausted. The action in the movie has innocence, friendship, learning, and brought even death. The movie was filled with important lessons we have to learn in life. The colors used as well brought the action to life. The scenery is breathtaking and the story is so well told. Childhood friendship is rarely so touching in films. The action celebrates boyhood. The movie is funny without being manic. It has an E.T. vibe that shows that new and different things are not what will necessarily destroy us, but the fear of it will. And the Superman part was perfect. This movie is great for all regardless of age or background. The action in this movie focused on the Cold War, irrational related themes, and teaches us that everyone has been blessed with choices. We are who we chose to be and souls do not die, not even metal ones.
The ending and outcome were great for me because it was a success. Hogarth Hughes used realistic problem-solving techniques and it was not exaggerated. In terms of the overall plot, the original goal is achieved. The judgment on the story is good. Hogarth Hughes ultimately succeeds in resolving his personal problems. In less than 90 minutes my daughter and I became in love with the movie. We can all somehow relate to this movie in some way despite never having dealt with a giant metal man. If you heard the premises of this story ahead of time, like “a giant robot crashes on earth and befriends a little boy,” you might think it was dumb. But it all comes down to the way it was told, and I think the story was told perfectly. It has good action, cute and whimsical moments, and some really funny scenes, all leading to one of the most dramatic finales in animated history I believe.
One thing that others might say is not okay with this movie was the so called “foul language.” The only words that you might find questionable are “hell” and “damn”. If they instead decided to use heck, darn, or dang in the movie, no matter how great the message, I believe it would have come off as awkward. If anything the few instances of hell and damn only help to fully express the intensity of what the characters are feeling at the time. Thinking of it from a child’s point of view, I stub my toe so I say “dang it”. How upset can someone seem if all they say is simply “darn!” In this case, all it does is simply express the emotions in the film. There is nothing excessive and nothing foul. This is a PG movie, PG for Parental Guidance suggested.
Overall this movie was amazing. If you are 26, or 6 it touches you. It is a shame that this animated film never really reached a bigger audience. While the story is familiar, Brad Bird brings humor, freshness, and heart to the sub-genre that lets this transcend into a terrific movie. There are some very funny jabs at the cold war mentality, and some terrific, unusual supporting characters, including a mom far more interesting and complex than you find in most cartoons, and a local wannabe artist who joins the boy to take on the giant iron man’s cause. I loved the look they designed for the giant himself. There is something wonderfully retro and artsy about him, and they do a great job of bringing heart and emotion to this gigantic metal creature. At the end I was shocked by how moved I found myself. It is a lovely, well told fairy tale that is as much for kids as adults.
The iron Giant gives us aside from comedy but the value of friendship. No matter who you are or where you come from, friendship is always the best thing to make a connection. The connection was steadfast. Also, the action of becoming who you want to be; you can become a destructive 100ft killing machine or Superman. The outcome was the moving point in the film. The giant gave his life to save his friend to prove to everyone he was not a bad person. This movie is excellent, and I highly recommend it.
Originally published 15.10.2019