New Reviews Added At The Bottom Of The Page!!!
Folks, I feel strongly about this film. August 6th is a busy day, and I can tell you out of the 3 films I've seen thus far for that day, MYSTERY MEN is a solid entertaining film, THE SIXTH SENSE (review coming) is the best studio supernatural film I've seen thus far this summer (better than STIR OF ECHOES and THE HAUNTING) and then there is the classic film. The one that I believe is hands down a film for the ages and that would be THE IRON GIANT. Today (Sunday) in select theaters it's screening as a paid sneak, where audience people (people like you) can pay as if you were seeing any ol movie and watch THE IRON GIANT. Then at 7pm (E.S.T.) on the WB there's an IRON GIANT special. Find this film. DO NOT LET WARNER BROTHER'S SUBPAR ADVERTISING KEEP YOU AWAY! Remember how bad they made L.A. CONFIDENTIAL look? They're doing it again. Last night, there was a cast and crew screening of the film that Moriarty went to, HOWEVER, these reviews came from OTHER screenings that took place in different cities around the U.S. If I had received a BAD REVIEW I would publish it, but so far... out of the 100 plus reviews I have received, I have not received one single bad review yet. The reason? Because this is a classic film. A great movie. Seek this film out. You will not regret it. I don't like to give ratings to movies... You know... Like the four star or five star bits. Because I don't like to label films. But in a rating system, I'd give this film the highest possible recommendation. And, below, I've included a sampling of the least enthusiastic reviews I have received in the last two weeks. Beginning with The Giant Squid...
The Giant Squid here. I've been reading your site for quite some time now
and have heard all the hoopla about The Iron Giant, and yesterday, the gods
of celluloid smiled down upon me and led me to a sneak preview screening of
it.
I slithered in and found myself in a theater filled with parents and kids,
and I stuck out like a sore thumb. I had a lot of high expectations about
the film after reading so much about it on your site, and I am happy to say
that all my expectations were met and then some.
WARNING SPOILER PARAGRAPH AHEAD, SKIP IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!!
I know this comes as no surprise at all for you, but this film has to be the
single best animated American film ever. I've never been so touched in so
many places by an animated film before. Even now, a day later, images and
moments from the film are stuck in my mind. The deer, the talk about souls,
the Giant's reaction when he almost hurt Hogarth, the paranoia of the people
around him, when he takes flight for the first time, and finally soaring to
the sky at the very end and, ahhh, "Superman!"
END OF SPOILER PARAGRAPH CONTINUE!!!
This is animation that's grown up. This is a story with a message. After
the movie, instead of hearing the kids around me singing a cheesy song, I
heard a little child ask what the Giant meant when he said, "I am not a
gun." This is the kind of film that kids need to see. At the end of the
film, there was applause from the audience, but not just the pitter-patter
of children's hands, it was from their parents. This is an important film,
especially in this day and age. The lack of marketing for this film is
almost stunning. Everyone needs to know about it. Parents, run with your
kids to see the first possible screening of this film. Everybody, force
your friends to see this film with you. We can't let this film be a flop.
This is the future of animated film in America.
This movie is so good, I've forgiven Warner Bros. for Eyes Censored Shut.
And Harry, keep up the good work. I salute you with all ten tentacles.
Until later, I've got to go sink a ship.
- The Giant Squid
And here is Wraith 7000's review...
Greetings all who are cool,
I have just viewed The Iron Giant and though you might like to hear my
take on it. If this idea pleases you, please read further, if not, turn back
now.
Here's how it goes; I'll try and keep it short, sweet, and as spoiler
free as possible. I have been anticipating this film for some time, so when
my cohorts informed me there would be a special secret viewing of the print
for Sunday's sneak, I was all about it. When we got to the theatre I went to
the restroom and then quickly trucked on down to the auditorium with digital
sound, I opened the door and curses, someone was in there watching Deep Blue
Sea. Hummm... so I proceed to the next auditorium and there the select lucky
few were waiting on me in order to start the film. I walked into that
auditorium and yikes, the air was broken so it was like being in a big
stagnant sauna. Oh well, regular sound and a steambath it would have to be,
because if this movie is as good as the word I had been hearing, I knew all
those factors would fade into the background.
The movie started, and at first I thought humm...this looks
ok but is this going to be the same animated movie I had seen many times in
the past, but when Hogarth's character is introduced and the other
characters make their appearances they really start to fill in and interact
wonderfully, I could begin to feel that this wasn't like so many animated
films I had seen in the past. (the sauna around me was starting to
disipate...sound starting to improve). This movie really began to seem like
it wasn't animated at all, the animation was seamless and the chioce of
music fit perfectly in each scene, and best of all the giant didn't leap up
and sing a duet with Harry Connick Jr.,(even though that might have been
pretty cool, I have seen Harry twice in concert and would love to see him on
tour with a 100 foot robot) but anyway, the thing that is really great about
this film is that there are scenes of wonderful innocent humor, in which we
laughed so hard I almost started to cry. These scenes are great because
they're not goofy (i.e. goofy sidekick character) or raunchy (i.e.South
Park) but are genuine funny beacuse the characters are so well represented
in every aspect. Now I'm not saying The Iron Giant is a comedy, just that
there are good and proper comedic scenes in the film. Along with these
scenes there are also some equally as great heartfelt scenes of sadness and
understanding. Everything in this films works together wonderfully and the
direction in this film is superb, especially the subtle little things added
here and there that really bring this film and it characters to life. I know
this my be wishful thinking and that it really doesn't matter in the scheme
of things, but I really would like to see The Iron Giant nominted for best
picture and director, of course I'd also like to see it for Eyes Wide Shut,
but that's another story.
The Iron Giant is a great film and it really does show that
an animated feature can be created and work on many different levels without
having to have a song and dance routine in every other scene. I think kids
as well as us old folks will really take to this film. I hope everyone who
gets to watch The Iron Giant will enjoy it as much as I did, because it
really is quality filmmaking at its best ... it is like one of those great
films that you remember from your childhood, a fond memory that you welcome
back every chance you get.
wraith7000
Here is T.O.D.D. (Totally Ordinary Death Dealer)'s look at it... and this review has some strong spoilers, so you may want to skip this part all together and move on to the next review!
Dear Harry,
My name is T.o.d.d. and I love your site. I've been coming here for years and
I've been informed many a time by the nuggets of info this site has to offer
and now I have something for you to feed to your readers . I just got home
from The Iron Giant private screening here in Buffalo and I must say that
this film is a wonderful masterpiece of a story. Going into this film knowing
absolutely nothing about it was actually a relief because I was able to
capture a wonderful feeling called fun. This element is so lacking in film
these days so much. The story is set in the 50's and in a time of paranoia
and the red menace. A wonderful backdrop to the story I may add too. It later
added much depth to the fear you'd expect to see on screen because of this
monstrous creation. The robots character is easily adorable as his
relationship with the boy Hogarth Hughes grows into a strong friendship. The
whole movie I felt as if I never wanted anyone to discover the robot because
it was just inevitable that we'd see the government stick its nose into this
story and want to blow it back to kingdom come. Its really easy to fall in
love with the robot because of his innocent demeanor , but his nature as a
creation is that of war and it's hard to watch as he becomes a powerful
machine of destruction when threatened. You sympathize with the robot in
every aspect because we understand the confusion of being new on a planet
with no memory of where he came from. I'm not going to ruin this movie for
anyone, all I'll say to you is go see this movie on August 6 and prepare for
a funny, touching film that you'll soon never forget.
Here's our long time reviewer, LongShot!
The Longshot here again. Just went to a screening of 'The Iron Giant' this
morning.
I'm not going into the plot, since it has been covered enough on this site.
There were certainly plenty of kids at this one, so it was good to judge
reactions. Everyone was clapping at the end. Lots of promise next weekend,
even with the busy schedule.
As for the movie, I have to say this is one of the most wonderful animated
films I had seen in years. A must see. I couldn't see the seams between
the computer animation, like I could do on occasion with Tarzan. I enjoyed
Tarzan and I think it is the best Disney has done in a while, but this
raises the bar and did what I hoped Prince of Egypt would do. This is going
to be a great year for animated features, with Mononoke Hime, Heavy Metal,
Toy Story 2, etc. all coming up this year.
The Longshot
And lastly we have the Unsigned with their hopes and prayers for this film.
CHRIST, Harry. Just saw "Iron Giant" and it BLEW ME AWAY!!!!!!! It's so friggin' cool I could
hardly stand it. I felt like I was 10 years old again (and I'm 33). The story, acting, and
craftmanship on every level felt as though sweat and blood went into every frame. The sincerity
of the effort shines through and affected me in ways no recent movie has (and I'm talkin' since
"The Butcher Boy" last year...). I'm wary of the internet hype, but in this case, you've hit
it smack dab on the nail. Fingers crossed that Warners will realize what they have on their
hands and give it a bigger push than they have. If that doesn't happen, toes crossed that the
public will warm to this film and make them look like fools!!!!! DIE MEDIOCRITY DIE!!!!!!
Here is Nick Nightingale with his opinion of THE IRON GIANT!
Harry, I know you're getting flooded with Iron Giant reviews so I'll keep my
contentions short and to the point. The Iron Giant is the best film I've
seen all summer. This is quite simply why I love movies. Star Wars and
Eyes Wide Shut were both outstanding films, but they pale in comparison to
this beautiful and endearing film. I've always been a firm believer in the
notion that the most significant films will always take the world by
surprise. Not only did The Iron Giant take me by surprise, it exceeded
every virutal expectation I had. It is the definitive summer 99 movie. God
only knows how much attention and admiration this film would've gotten if it
opened on the coveted July 4th weekend, which was infested by Wild Wild West
this summer. One quick question: Did the WB executives even WATCH The Iron
Giant? Did they not know that they had lightning in a bottle? Who
knows...The only thing I know for sure is that I feel lucky to be a part of
this experience. I promise you that I will look back on this film in twenty
years with the same amount of awe and wonder that I felt today. I cherish
many movies that were made decades ago, and all I can think of is what it
would've been like to be around when they were released for the first time
to relish the hoopla if it's justified. Well...Now I know. This may be a
striking blow to my masculinity, but towards the end of this film I was
choking back tears. Yeah that's right TEARS!! This movie pierced my
hardened, cynical shell that I vigorously display whenever I see a film. I
love this movie, it made me feel like a kid again. This is not only one of
the best films of the year, it's the best family film in what seems like
ages. Every frame, every line, and every situation is chock full of
unbridled energy and imagination. Did I forget to mention that I'm a twenty
year old pool table installer who is quick to bash a film for any minor
imperfection? That personal fact should exemplify just how universally
admirable this film is. Do yourself (and your soul) a favor and see this
film as soon as possible. Nick Nightingale out...
And here's how passionately Stone feels about this film...
Harry, please, I'm begging you to post this.
This isn't a scoop, or really even a reveiw. An homage....? No, not
even.
I went to see "The Iron Giant " this afternoon. We don't get any sneak
previews up here in Hamilton Ontario often, so when a movie I have heard
nothing but praise for gets a sneak 6 days early I jump at the chance.
I simply haven't got the words. It was summerized really well about a
month ago by someone who wrote in who had seen a REALLY early preview.
It was "The Iron Giant review" posted in the "Reviews" section, around
the same time as "Tarzan". His review is what sold me on it. I.....I
just don't even know what to say. Really. Normally I am very well
spoken, wordy even. But this movie has trown me into a stupor.
The point of me writing was to beg all of you to take a few minutes of
your time and e-mail WB to thank them. Yes, that's right, THANK THEM.
And Brad Bird too. I'm sure Harry can provide the correct e-address at
the bottom of this, 'cause I don't know it. I really want everyone you
reads this to;
A) Go see "The Iron Giant. Take A sick day, ditch your "no-cartoon
buddies", tell your wife/husband you'll be out for a few hours. Just go.
Go by yourself, take your little cousin, hell...take a neighbours kid.
Just go. Don't worry about having the movie "spoiled" by someone (like
the little cousin) , your gonna go see it again anyway.
B) Take a minute and let WB, Brad Bird, all the others that were
involved, and in the end, the media and the rest of the world know how
much you like this movie and how grateful you are. Not grateful to them
just because they made it, grateful because SOMEONE is still able to
make these movies. The good ones.
I feel like I'm 10 or 11 and just discovered a really cool thing. I had
meant for this letter to be inspiring. I only hope that it actually
garners a response of EVERYONE sending in an e-mail to WB to let
EVERYONE know how good this is.
Someone is gonna say I work for WB I'm sure. I don't. I just really want
everyone to feel as good as I do right now.
Stone.
This came in from Eisenstein...
I saw Iron Giant about an hour ago, and I was absolutely moved and
stunned by the experience. From the opening shot of the Earth, I knew
that the film was in the hands of a master. Brad Bird had every shot
containing something very original visually for the audience. With this
film, Brad Bird moves onto my list of great directors regardless of
animation or non-animation. He has created the most exciting film of the
year over directors who had more money than him and had the latest visual
effect technincians working for them (Star Wars-Lucas, The Haunting-Jan
de Bont, The Mummy, The Matrix, Entrapment, Wild Wild West, Deep Blue
Sea, etc.). Iron Giant is going on my top five films of the year which
now includes Eyes Wides Shut as #1, Blair Witch, Cookie's Fortune, and
Limbo. Hopefully, the audience will not ignore this film on August 6th.
Here's George Bailey's review
Hey Harry-
Here's more happy noise about The Iron Giant. Saw the sneak today with my
number one son. He's 9 and I'm 40-something. We went in with expectations,
some similar, some (obviously) different. I lived through the Cold War,
Commies in the closet, duck-and-cover drills (yeah, rrrrrright) and MAYPO
commercials!! Did we like it? As I write, I hear the sound of my son in his
room, playing and saying "Hogarth, no follow now..." It's an instant classic
in these parts and we'll be searching out the toy relentlessly til we come
across at least one. Then, we'll fight it out for ownership!
The film itself is a lovely mix of traditional animation with some
near-seamless computer stuff. In some of the forest scenes, I'd swear they'd
dug out one of Uncle Walt's old multi-plane cameras. The script radically
changes the original Ted Hughes storyline while retaining all of the warmth
and charm. On the ride home, we called the wife and the kid told her about
the times he laughed until he cried and then I told her about the times I
just plain cried. I can't wait to take her with us next weekend.
Tell everyone, go see this gem, you'll long remember the iron man who has a
heart...and a soul.
George Bailey
This one came from E.R. (Ever-Ready)
The best film I have seen in ten years.
Here's THE GRADUATE's look at the film... Warning about spoilers though! He gave it 3 out of 4 stars for an alleged 'slow middle act'...
Hi there! The Graduate here with a review of the latest treat to come from the Warner
Brothers, this year’s Comeback King (ignoring a few missteps like WILD WILD WEST). I was
fortunate enough to catch word of the nationwide sneak preview of THE IRON GIANT mere minutes
before showtime. Thanks to my brand new wheels, I was there in a flash and snagged a primo
seat as well.
The buzz on this one, at least among animation lovers, has been strong. The movie’s a week
from release, and already phrases like "instant classic" and "masterpiece" are being bandied
about. Is it? Well, not quite. But it IS by far the best picture to come out of Warner
Brothers Feature Animation and the first animated film in years to successfully defy the
"Disney formula." There are no distracting songs, no unnecessarily sidekicks, no forced love
angle. Instead, there’s just a well-crafted story and some honestly interesting characters.
The setup, for those who don’t know: a giant robot descends from the sky and is befriended by
young Hogarth Hughes. Hogarth enlists the help of a local hipster, Dean, to hide the robot
from his mother, not to mention a nosy government agent, Kent Mansley. One of the film’s most
wonderful strokes is the setting: not a fairy-tale kingdom, but right here in America, Maine,
autumn 1957, smack dab in the middle of the Cold War. It’s an unexpected place to set an
animated film, but it fit the story perfectly: from the action comics and monster movies
Hogarth craves to the "Red scare" paranoia of the government agent, the setting honestly added
to the character’s motivations.
The animation has been heralded, but to me the backgrounds felt less lush than recent Disney
offerings. The character animation seemed little "cartoony" at first but did allow the
characters a good range of expression. The voices all fit seamlessly with their characters,
though I felt the standout was Jennifer Aniston as Hogarth’s mother Annie, a single mom who has
her hands full with her son. She’s desperate to protect him at the same time he craves
adventure. Aniston seized the chance to voice a character she isn’t quite old enough to play
in live action films, and it makes me crave the chance to see her in some other meaty roles.
But THE IRON GIANT is, at its heart, an homage to old 50’s-era monster movies, and its title
character is really what makes it shine. And what a character. The Giant is superbly animated,
and Brad Bird’s one significant achievement with this film is the seamless integration of a 3D
computer effect with traditionally hand-drawn characters (something even the Mouse House hasn’t
managed). The Giant’s physical expressiveness is a joy to watch (particularly as he picks up
on and imitates Hogarth’s physical quirks), and it’s not until late in the film that you learn
what he is truly capable of. The moment is wonderful and terrifying, and it makes me want a
giant of my very own. The climax is thrilling, the conclusion and epilogue powerful and
unexpected. The ending is by far the best part of the film.
The only major flaws are a slow middle act, which focuses on Hogarth’s increasingly futile
attempts to hide his new friend, and the somewhat one-dimensionality of Kent, the government
agent (though, like the Giant, it’s not until late in the film that we learn what HE’S capable
of). While the film has nowhere near the body count of the (absurdly) G-rated TARZAN, it
confronts issues of violence and death in a surprisingly straightforward way. And ultimately,
I have to give the writers credit for not sweeping those issues aside in time for a song or
joke. Oh, there’s plenty of humor in THE IRON GIANT, even a share of toilet humor, but it’s
never random and always advances the plot. And the climax is so thrilling because those
notions of death and the danger of guns have been brought up, and so we’re never quite sure how
it will turn out for any of the characters, particularly the Giant.
Final tally: Three stars out of four, and a fervent prayer that Warner Brothers Animation has
the courage to continue to make films in their own style.
Here's a look from Lord Chamberlain
Earlier today ('bout 3:00) I decided it was time to
crawl out of the lair (after getting four wisdom teeth
ripped from my head on thursday) and head out to Baton
Rouge with my poorly film-neglected Father and sisters
to catch a sneak of Iron Giant. I've been checking up
on the film (thru Aint-It-Cool for quite some time and
hoped beyond hope that it would well live up to
everything I'd heard.
Luckily by the time we reached the theater, there were
ample tickets still available. Some were snatched up
by wonderful parents that were looking for some
"afternoon" entertainment for the kids. Beyond myself
and the two "evil demon" sisters (count yerself lucky
harry, two is the number of the beast) and my father
there only seemed to be two other people there over 11
in the theater that didn't have kids along.
It didn't take me long at all to get swept up in the
tale of Hogarth's Giant. The kids really seemed to get
into it, even though (and especially because) it
didn't try to cater to anyone specifically which is
rare for any kid's film lately, not to mention an
animated film. It also showed a lot of heart without
subjecting anyone to the often sappy lines that get
thrown out in Hollywood(I.E. "Can I call you mom?").
Hopefully the Giant will get some good and
well-deserved word of mouth and maybe even get Disney
to review their ideas of a "formulated", or "safe"
film. It just baffles me how Warner can sit on such a
wonderfully marketable film and WASTE it. Hell, I'd
buy a happymeal to get the Iron Giant toy, and I'm
sure that the kids outside the theater who were
running around playing Iron Giant would too. Coming
out, I felt like a six year old again coming out of
Neverending Story (but I liked the Giant more).
Now I REALLY want to see Ray Gunn.
-Lord Chamberlain
Here's what Futureboy thought after taking his daughter...
I just wanted to add my comments for what they are worth to the raves for
The Iron Giant. I saw the sneak preview this afternoon with my 7 year old
daughter and I believe I may have enjoyed it even even more than she did
(I'm 35). I can't honestly recall when I have seen a movie with such heart.
Like another reviewer, I was choking back tears at several points in the
film. Without question, this is my favorite film of this summer and I
wouldn't be at all surprised to look back at the end of '99 and pick The
Iron Giant as my fave for the year. Do yourself a favor and see this
film. See it more than once. Let's make this movie the blockbuster it
deserves to be.
Futureboy
Here's Little Lord Fauntleroy..
BELIEVE THE HYPE! I was astounded by the intelligent dialogue, the
awe-inspiring animation and the more-realistic-than-Disney voice acting
(Jennifer Aniston, Christopher McDonald and Harry Connick, Jr. are
stupendous). No stupid sidekicks and annoying songs either. Just a truly
heart-warming (admittedly it is similar to Short Circuit but better) story
and a protagonist who for once is a LIKABLE kid. The tributes to old sci-fi
and comic books were great, plus it was in 2.35:1 ratio (have been waiting to
see another animated feature in this ratio since Anastasia). The animation is
a true work of art, I love the design of the Giant. In many ways it is more
rewarding for adults than children. A HIGH *** 1/2 (out of ****) or A-
Here's talkbacker... Darth Siskel...
Harry,
Today I was given a gift.
With Iron Giant, Brad Bird and Warner Bros Animation gave us a new hope.
The movie was so good, I cried several times. I wasn't crying because of
the connection I felt with the characters, but because at several points
during the film, it become overwhelmingly apparent how beautiful the
film was.
Incredible talent and immensely good taste went into this film, and
every frame of it shows. I hope this film tramples the box office.
Things are looking up for us.
Darth Siskel
Here's a look from Teko...
I know you're getting letter after letter praising Iron Giant, but
I just want to add a few words to the pile.
This is without a doubt the best American animated film in my
lifetime (that's two and a half decades). There's no Deep Canvas, no
headlining star voice (beyond the uber-cool Harry Connick Jr.), no
razzle-dazzle Broadway songwriting duo....just a beautiful story, spotless
craft, and the one ingredient Disney has lacked for so long: heart. This
film trusts its viewers.
Hogarth isn't an animated version of a kid...he IS a kid, fully
realized up there on screen. He's got more feeling and personality than any
animated character I can remember. His expressions and gestures were so
captivating and heartfelt that at no time did it feel like an animated
version of a 9-year old kid. It felt like a real child had been captured on
film.
I don't think I stopped grinning for joy for a single minute of
this movie. It's wonderful and magical, and by god I hope it does well,
because it could change the way animated films are viewed and made.
Thanks-
Teko
Here's HOBBS70, who was skeptical in TALK BACK below, before seeing it... Here's the review he just sent in!
Harry,
After reading the many good reviews on your site of The Iron Giant I just had
to see the special screening that was shown here in Atlanta on Sunday. I have
to admit I had my doubts just because I haven't seen much marketing for the
film so I felt like WB wasn't very confidant in the movie. Call me a skeptic
but sometimes your "reviews" don't hit the mark with me either. I'm a tough
critic.
After sitting down in a theater of mostly kids and their moms I personally
became transported back to 1980 when I was 10 years old myself. I felt young
again and laughed out loud at this movie's natural charm and good wit. This
is a film that will stand the test of time and will be just as good in
another 20 years.
I truly enjoyed the voice work of Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick, but most
of all the actor who did the voice of the young boy, Hogarth. Thank you Brad
Bird for your directing. Above all else the story really made this movie fly.
The animation worked really well especially showing the Giant in battle. And
finally the good score tied all of the pieces together perfectly.
There is not much else I can say that hasn't already been said but that I
hope this movie does well because it deserves to be a hit. I wouldn't mind
seeing a sequel either!
Thanks for the heads up Harry because I wouldn't have bothered to see a movie
like this without your recommendation. This time, you were right on the mark.
Now please excuse me, I'm off to buy my own Iron Giant toy before they sell
out!
HOBBS70
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