The Iron Giant review

 Number 388 on the top 1000 films of all time is Brad Bird's 1997 animated adventure: the Iron Giant.

Set in 1950's America, 9-year-old Hogarth (Eli Marienthal) befriends an alien that resembles a giant metal robot, voiced by Vin Diesel. However, the robot is being hunted down by paranoid government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher Mcdonald.) With the help of beatnik artist Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick Jr,) Hogarth must protect the Iron Giant from falling into the clutches of the government. Jennifer Anniston also stars as Hogarth's mum.

This film couldn't be a better allegory of Cold War paranoia if it tried. The iron giant was the communist running away from the Mcarthy-esque Kent. The Red Scare was little more than a witch hunt and the feelings of distrust easily spilled over into this film. The humans hunt down the iron giant because they don't understand him and because they're afraid of him. You can argue it's not the most original or complex of concepts, but it is certainly a powerful one.

 And that was down to the animation and Vin Diesel's voice performance. As the Iron Giant looks like a robot, it is easy to forget that he is a sentient being. The animators did well to convey every ounce of hurt and anger that he felt especially during the ending when he fights his true nature. And, even though, Vin Diesel has a reputation for playing action heroes, he is entirely capable of playing softer, more sensitive characters. When the Iron Giant asks Hogarth about death, Hogarth explains it is when the body dies, but the soul lives on. And a soul is exactly what Diesel gave to the Iron Giant.

Although I did think that at nine-years-old, Hogarth was a little too young to be a hero. Sure, at that age, you'll be more trusting then you be as an adult, and, of course, this is a cartoon, but I think it would have been better if he were a few years older.

But I did enjoy the film's dissection of American culture. At the film's conclusion, the Iron Giant goes on a rampage, causing the army to fire everything at him: guns, tanks, fighter jets and even a nuclear missile. I would argue it's just typical of Americans to shoot at something they don't understand.

Critics and audiences lauded this film, but due to a lacklustre marketing campaign by Warner Bros, it severely underperformed at the box office. Warner didn't see the value in animation films at the time. Considering how popular the film has become, I bet they're sorely regretting that decision now.