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The Iron Giant (Special Edition)

The Iron Giant (Special Edition)

List Price: $19.96
Your Price: $14.97
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A real treat for young and old alike
Review: 1999's The Iron Giant is one of those truly outstanding films that never got the attention it deserved at the time of its theatrical release. While it may not have the glitzy look and feel of a Disney film, this Warner Brothers animated movie is of the highest caliber. The Iron Giant has a heart and a natural home-spun appeal that make it a great film for children as well as adults. Disney animated films always have a distinctly Disney aura to them, but The Iron Giant disavows artificiality to the extent that it almost seems too natural to be a movie. The animation is solid and impressive without any over-the-top or flashy sequences, the voice acting (featuring the voices of Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick, Jr., Christopher McDonald, Eli Marienthal, and Vin Diesel) is quite good, and the story is both entertaining and heart-warming, imparting some important lessons about life without ever becoming the least bit preachy.

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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome
Review: Even though I'm not a big animation fan, I was interested in seeing The Iron Giant. I'm glad it was on the Disney channel one day or I'd have never given this movie a chance. It's definitely worth a place in anyone's movie collection. It's a beautifully animated work with a heart-felt story that has a great balance of drama and comedy. The characters are well thought out and multi-dimensional, and at times it's easy to forget they're cartoon characters at all. I would recommend this movie to anyone; it's entertaining for all ages. Don't judge this movie by it's title or it's cover. It's a lot more than it seems.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great film, but no special edition
Review: First of all; I love this film; it's one of the best animated features of the 90's (and you can probably include some decades before that).
Beautiful story.
But I was so stupid to buy this so called special edition eventhough I own the previous release.
The comments are actually pretty dull (ok, I've worked in animation; so perhaps it's better and more interresting for "normal" people) and the extras are nothing new. The documentaries are a series of short films covering several topics. They are averagely one and a half minute each! And there are not many of them.
In addition to that there's not much else to celebrate on the DVD.
I would give the film itself ten stars, but this review is for the DVD which I give three.
If you own the old release; don't waste your money buying this. As far as I can remember, the extras on the old one covered just the same - perhaps more in essence.
On this one they just added more uninterresting stuffing.
Nonsense really.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's about time.
Review: Here's what we can expect with this true release of The Iron Giant:

-Anamorphic widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

-Eight never-before-seen additional scenes with introductions by Brad Bird, including an alternate opening sequence.

-13 mini documentaries revealing the origin and the in-depth development process of The Iron Giant.

-Interviews with creative consultant Teddy Newton on the storyboard sequence development process.

-The Voice Of The Giant: Brad Bird and Vin Diesel discuss voicing The Iron Giant.

-Scene-specific commentaries by filmmakers

-A motion gallery of original animation

-A letter from Ted Hughes, author of the original book upon which the film was based.

-DVD-ROM access to the original web site and Easter eggs revealing the behind-the-scenes filmmaking process.

The only thing I see wrong with this is the box/case. Click on the image here to see a larger version, and you'll see that it's the horrid snap cases. Oh well, at least the movie's getting the treatment it deserves. Pick this up when it comes out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Destined to be a classic!!!!!
Review: I have just loved The Iron Giant after seeing it in theatres 5 years ago. With it's heart, wit and engrossing story, it far surpasses anything to come out of Disney or Dreamworks. It truly is a pity that Warner Bros. did not promote it better than they did. A definite must for any DVD collection with tons of enjoyment for both the kids and the parents.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Family Flick
Review: I saw this animated film when it first came out, but had since forgotten about it. When my children and I watched the film this year (Dec 2004), I couldn't help but feel it was a shame that I had forgotten such a wonderful family flick!

The plot is so rich and heartfelt I honestly forgot I was watching a cartoon. There were moments of huge laughter, followed by tears. In the end, I left inspired to become a better friend than I already am to my family and friends.

Wonderful life lessons, and kid fun. You can't go wrong.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This Movie is NOT Rated G!
Review: I would have never purchased this movie for my daughter knowing the true rating was PG. Too much gun/laser usage, violence, and destruction. Amazon lists this as a Rated G movie, but on the clamshell it shows a rating of PG.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally, the Special (sort of...) Edition
Review: I've been waiting for this one. The film that vanished from theaters in 1999 faster than you could say "best reviews of the year" has finally been granted special edition status. Sort of. It's apparently been available in other countries for years, and not much has been added since. On the other hand, it's quite a coincidence that the release coincided with the appearance of his latest project, the also well-reviewed 'Incredibles.' But enough grousing. Everyone knows that it's a great film, but how does the new deluxe version hold up?

Not so well, I have to admit. The commentary is the only truly noteworthy aspect of this release, and it stars Brad Bird as well as three other people heavily involved in the project. That should make fans happy, and it's long overdue (the story of Warner's unwillingness to fund the project from day one is well-known). Sadly, the other features are fairly mediocre and uninformative. The hidden-in-plain-sight Easter Eggs involve about 45 seconds of material, the deleted scenes are a pastiche of storyboard material given an animated halflife (fair enough, given the medium, I suppose), and just generally feels tacked on (Quote alert!).

The print and audio quality are good, however, so that shouldn't be a concern. And like I said, it's a brilliant film that-- given the current state of US affairs-- is as timely as timeless. And its initial price is lower than the original DVD release! Looks like Warner Brothers is still committed to pinching pennies with this one, but The Iron Giant is a movie that will only gain status with the passage of time, and it's dynamite viewing for children and adults. Especially adults.

Five stars for the film, which is a bona fide American classic of animation that is as entertaining as it is educational. Three stars for the half-baked (but very affordable) special edition.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Before Incredibles There was a Iron Giant
Review: Interesting enough Brad Bird the director/writer of Incredibles also was the director/screen play writer for Iron Giant. Additionally Brad was involved in the early days of the Simpsons.

One of the most under-rated quote "family" movies of all time. Warner Brothers made several mistakes in the advertising plans and released the movie in the middle of a blockbuster summer. Years later it finally receives the DVD treatment it deserves.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ALWAYS a hit! Loved by kids and adults! A definate win!
Review: It seemed to be a sleeper in the theatre and no one I've met (with or without kids) has heard of it, but the Iron Giant is an underground classic. Great film for kids and adults. The story is told very well and the "cinematography" is wonderful. Don't pass this one up. I've given it as gifts to my friends with kids and their parents have reported back that it's been an instant, "can't get enough" hit.


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