The Iron Giant [DVD] [1999]

As for the robot, he lost his memory as he crashed down to earth, and has to start again from scratch. With help from Hogarth he slowly learns that being human is not being made of flesh and blood, but something deeper, and throughout the entire film he strives to come one step closer. That is where the treasure of this film lies: in showing that anyone or thing, even one of the most brutish creatures imaginable can be as wonderful a person as any if he chooses to be.
It is a thrilling adventure, with humour for all audiences, supported by a touching, warm story and perfectly developped characters. The scenery is beautiful and the music matches accompanies the mood and sights of the film perfectly... a true joy to watch... 5 stars !!!

It is 1957, and the Soviets have just launched Sputnik, giving rise to a sense of concern to the American people and its government. Thus, when something foreign tears through the atmosphere and hits the water some few miles off the coast of Maine, the government wants to know what this mysterious object is. Before government agent Kent Mansley arrives to investigate, though, young Hogarth Hughes has made first contact with what turns out to be a huge metal robot. The giant is child-like in terms of adapting to life on earth and does not seem to remember where it originally came from, but the lad soon makes friends with him and teaches him many of the things a parent would teach his own child. The giant gets a poignant and sad bird's-eye view of death, reinforcing its seemingly innate hatred of guns, and has little trouble developing a moral philosophy of goodness, choosing to mimic Superman rather than the evil robot Atomo. As sometimes happens in this world, though, the giant's goodness is met with fright, paranoia, and panic on the part of society, and Hogarth is only able to hide his gigantic new friend from the world for so long. The initially somewhat goofy but ultimately detestable agent Mansley sees to it that the army does everything in its power to destroy the gentle giant. He fears the giant simply because it is alien and different, never making the first attempt to understand or communicate with it. As might be expected, the giant eventually has to prove himself in a way that will convince even those who fear him of his kind and generous soul. In essence, the giant becomes the most human character in the film.

I have to say that there are a couple of pretty sad scenes in the film, but the hard lessons of life are presented in such a way as to be more empowering than frightening to the most sensitive of viewers. By and large, the movie is humorous on a number of levels, exuding obvious appeal to young and old alike. To sum up, The Iron Giant is nothing less than superb family entertainment in the widest sense of the term.