100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 34 ~ The Iron Giant

How does a non-Disney cartoon rank so high up the list?

Pretty simple...

It's amazing.

The Iron Giant is a tale of a boy and his Giant Robot.

Set in the turbulent Cold War 1950s, what happens when a giant robot from space crash lands on Earth and befriends a little boy?

Cool things happen, that's what!

Luckily for the boy, Hogarth, the Giant has bit of a dent on his head that scrambles his prime directive of being the ultimate weapon.  The two become best buddies, and with the help of a bit of a beatnik, attempt to hide the big guy from the Federal Government.

Unfortunately, the Feds think that this giant is a Communist weapon, and apparently the only hope of taking it out to save America...

Is to nuke it!

Oh my!!

Let me begin by saying that the voice casting in this film is exceptional.  Vin Diesel is unrecognizable as the Giant, in a part many will claim is the actor's finest role.

Ouch!

: )

Jennifer Aniston plays the mother, and Harry Connick Jr. plays Dean, the beatnik.  Whether he could become a potential love interest for the mother is an idea that is there, but the film only loosely touches on, after all, this is the story of a boy and his Giant Robot, remember?

Finally, there is Agent Mansley. Christopher MacDonald returns as the villain...the man is so good at being bad...see Happy Gilmore for further proof!  He is deliriously over-the-top as always, and dooms the entire world because of his short-sightedness.

Yep, typical Fed.

: )

As for the ending... you know how you are when you watch films.  They either get to you, or they don't.

I can't not watch this one without bursting forth the waterworks.

It still gets me.

Every. Time.


"Superman"


Great movie!


Available for streaming for Amazon Prime members for free as of today's writing.