Brad Bird's Directional Debut Is A Timeless Classic

Rating: Null/10 (2 April 2015)

Affectionately crafted, mesmerisingly told & gorgeously animated, The Iron Giant is a wonderful marriage of traditional & computer animation from Warner Bros. Animation that not only triumphs as a technical marvel of its genre but is also the most heartwarming, emotionally resonant & thoroughly intimate narrative to surface on the silver screen since Pixar's very own Toy Story.
Set in the late 1950s during the Cold War, The Iron Giant tells the story of Hogarth Hughes; a lonely but smart kid raised by his mother who one day comes across a giant metal robot that fell from space & soon befriends the innocent alien. And with the help of a junkyard owner, he tries to save the fifty-foot, metal-eating robot from the paranoid government that intends to find & destroy the Giant.
Directed by Brad Bird, The Iron Giant marks his feature film debut & is a work of impeccable craftsmanship from start to finish. There is no irrelevant moment in its story, every sequence has a role to play, the various themes it deals with brilliantly captures the fear & paranoia present in the society in those times, and the way it all adds up into an engaging & thought- provoking cinema speaks volumes about Bird's talents as a filmmaker.
The whole plot maintains a playful tone despite dealing with some serious issues, has a very fluid feel to it coz of which the events unfold in a smooth manner, the 2D animation is exquisitely handled & meticulously detailed plus the CGI element is seamlessly integrated into it, voice cast is wisely chosen, use of colours isn't extensive but it works in its favour, pacing is steady and the background score provides a very personal feel to the story.
On an overall scale, The Iron Giant is one of the greatest animation features of last century that deserves to be seen by every cinema lover out there. Presenting a firm control over all aspects of filmmaking, cleverly balancing its refined drama with clever wit & riding on the strength of its highly gripping story, crisply defined characters & terrific animation, The Iron Giant is endearing, entertaining & enlightening in equal doses and is a timeless treasure in every sense of the word.
A roller-coaster ride of emotions that's sure to leave its audience both smiling & teary-eyed by the time it ends, The Iron Giant is absolutely worth your time & money and comes one hundred percent recommended.