Dateline: summer, 1999. The summer of The
Matrix and South Park. That Recent
Unpleasantness in Littleton Colorado is even more Recent, but no less Unpleasant. Parent's
Rights groups from Maine to SoCal are screaming their heads off for a "family
movie." They really mean a "bland, unintelligent, Disney-fied movie. And it
better not have 'sex' written somewhere. I'll sue! Goddamnit, I'll sue!"
Into this mix comes The Iron Giant, a movie that's stupid enough for your kids, but smart enough to be enjoyed by even the most cynical and blasé person in the audience (i.e., me)
And it can't even make $20 million.
Do I smell hypocrisy somewhere? *sniff* No, that's just garlic. Never mind.
Despite that, The Iron Giant got itself a fan base, mostly on the strength of good word of mouth. One of them was nice enough to contact me. From the Inbox of Dr. Psy Chosis, dated Monday, 18 Dec 2000 20:54:14 EST:
Could you review "Iron Giant"? there's like 50 people who want you too.
Far be it for me to disappoint the fans.
It's Earth, 1957, territory no cartoon I know of has yet dared set foot in. The town of Rockwell sits ideally on the Maine shoreline, the perfect picture of 1950s America. Then Strange Things start to happen. Metal begins to disappear from the surrounding farms in huge chunks. Fences are torn up, antennas ripped off. A man's tractor is bitten in half by and unseen "monster" living in the woods.
Latchkey kid Hogarth Huges (Eli Marienthal) knows what's afoot. After his own antenna vanishes, Hogarth follows the trail of destruction, and inadvertently saves the life of a 50-foot tall, metal eating robot. Much to his joy, he finds himself adopted by this Iron Giant, who is apparently suffering from some kind of amnesia.
Completely out of his element, the Giant couldn't have picked a worse time or place to fall to Earth. Hogarth knows; he's seen his monster movies. He knows the kind of screaming and running and shooting that result whenever a giant something-or-other goes near a populated area. So Hogarth befriends the Giant, tutors him in the ways of Earth and, with the help of Dean (Harry Connick Jr.), the beatnik manager of the local junkyard, gives him a good place to hide.
We can't have a story without conflict, so here comes Special Agent Mansley (Christopher McDonald), who "works for the government." It's 1957, remember, and paranoid, xenophobic assholes like Agent Mansley are the ones who get promoted. Convinced that the Giant is an evil menace intent on destroying America, Mansley hounds Hogarth to give him the Giant, so the army and blow it away.
Yes, Mansley's a stock character, but what are ya gonna do? At least he's the only one. Instead of the normal conglomerate of Disney stereotypes, The Iron Giant actually gives us characters in full 3-D. There almost (gasp) realistic. Even Mansley, because this is the 50s, and the Red Scare has wrapped its tendrils into America's psyche.
Ah, the Red Scare. This'll go completely over your kid's heads, but who cares? Brad Bird's script continuously pokes fun at the 50s in general, and the paranoia of the times in particular. Sometimes the movie even feels like a liberal 90s take on the 50s monster movies I love/hate so much. Yes, the Giant is dangerous, but that danger is all Mansley sees. The Giant is more like a confused child than an evil, commie, pinko menace.
Hogarth and Dean, our human heroes, act and feel like you've met them somewhere before. Instead of a jive talkin' Scooby Doo beatnik, the script and Harry Connick Jr. create a realistic picture of the beat generation.
Hogarth, as we grow to know him, is an Every-boy, and we live vicariously through him. We experience the wonder, to total, unadulterated coolness of this entire situation, through them. He's the heart of the picture and Eli Marienthal gives one hell of a performance through the whole show.
Sure, the script does
get a little heavy on its moral messages ("You are who you choose to be.") but
it's a kids flick. Besides, great voice acting on the parts of all involved make even the
dumbest platitudes seem plausible.
Helping things along is some of the best animation I've seen in years. Cell and computer animation are combined to create rich textures and expressive characters. Animation has always been more versatile than live action, and a hell of a lot cheaper, to boot. You couldn't do this with live action, it's just not possible.
The Iron Giant is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, cartoon or no. Great animation and voice acting combine with a sense of wonder and fantasy that you can't get from live action any more. Swallow your pride, you macho bastard, and go rent it. This movie will leave you with a smile on your face regardless of your age.
