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The Iron Giant [VHS]

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Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel, James Gammon, Cloris Leachman

Directed By: Brad Bird

List Price: $9.98
Our Price: $8.85
You Save: $ 1.13 ( 11% )
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Average Ratings:

This gentle reworking of Ted Hughes's 1968 novella was the unseen gem of 1999. Hogarth, a young boy who lives in the Maine woods during the cold war, befriends a giant robot. As with E.T., the iron giant is a misunderstood outsider who becomes a child's best friend, and Hogarth does his best to hide the massive figure from his mom (voiced by Jennifer Aniston) and the local scrap-yard beatnik (Harry Connick Jr.). Soon the suspicions of neighbors and a government agent (Christopher McDonald) spell trouble.

With no songs, no sidekicks, and no cheap ending, The Iron Giant is a refreshing change-- like an off-Broadway production compared to the glitz of Disney's annual animated extravaganzas. Director Brad Bird may have Family Dog and The Simpsons to his credit, but this film doesn't have that brand of scatological humor. As with the best family entertainments, there are gags that adults will howl at while the kids are watching something else (see Bird's interpretation of cold war propaganda). And the star is one cool piece of animated magic. Voiced by Vin Diesel (Saving Private Ryan's hulking Private Caparzo) and filled with more gadgets than a Swiss army knife, the giant is a grand thing to behold. And like another famous cinema tin man, our hero--and the movie--has heart. Superb entertainment for ages 5 and up. --Doug Thomas


DESCRIPTION:

Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780790743646
Format: Animated
ISBN: 0790743647
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Release Date: 1999-11-23
Running Time: 86
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1999


ACCESSORIES:

• The Iron Giant: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack


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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Classic
Comment: The story is a sweet tale of a robot/rocket/warrior that crashes into a forest. His memory malfunctions and he forgets his warrior skills until he is threatened. The young boy that befriends him teaches him the good things about life on Earth.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Robot movie!
Comment: I originally bought this movie on VHS for my daughter who is now 10. My 5 year old son has a new found love of robots and I searched unsucessfully for her movie. I bought this movie on Amazon and he absolutely loves it. My daughter loved it as well and was still willing to watch it again with her brother. The new sale price of $[...] is great, I think I paid $[...] and it was worth that since my son has watched this DVD over and over.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Destined to be a classic
Comment: Kids love it. Adults don't hate it. Classic in the making. Themes are of interest to kids.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Slightly entertaining leftist propaganda
Comment: The animation is reasonably engaging (though, not Disney quality by a long shot) and it does have a basic, run-of-the-mill heartwarming ending as well as occasional funny moments.

As others have noted, on the surface, the plot is the usual and tired US Government/Army wanting to destroy the monster from outer space without any attempt to learn anything about the monster (robot). However, what makes this different from scores of other cheesy, 1950's B sci-fi movies is the VERY unsubtle message in the portrayal of the Government/Army's actions. The Iron Giant is NOT just about how we fear what we do not understand. Watching the movie, it's hard to not get the feeling that the film maker wants the viewer to understand that the Giant is a metaphor for the Communist Soviet Union of the 1950s, a country and political system that, like the Robot, was unjustly reviled and fought against by a foolish and overly paranoid United States. At almost every point in the movie where there is any interaction with or mention of the United States Government, the word "Russia" could easily be substituted for "Robot" without making the story confusing.

The sophomoric, blatant and irrelevant anti-hunting scene was so intellectually shabby, it's not even worth commenting on.

There are many movies worse than The Iron Giant, so it deserves better than one star. But, it's unexamined and unsubtle leftist outlook is pretty jarring; I do not recommend it.

Customer Rating:
Summary: The perfect family movie!
Comment: This is one of those movies that I initially watched with a sceptical eye...but that didin't last long. This is one of the coolest movies ever made. My kids have watched it since they were really little and still love it. I've watched it since the kids were really little, and still love it! This movie is very funny and has just enough moral message to make it worthwhile....I know I should critique the flick and give all the reasons you should watch this DVD...but nothing I could say would tell you nearly as much as just watching it. It's just really, really good. We wore out our video and have just replaced it with the DVD...it's a classic and you should just take the plunge and buy it. You won't regret it.

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