Best SF picture of the year -- maybe the decade

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 1999)

Forget STAR WARS, ignore THE MATRIX, skip DEEP BLUE SEA. The best science fiction picture of 1999, bar none, is this quiet and well-rendered story of a boy and his robot.
The animation is good if mostly understated -- technical highlights are the opening starfield and storm at sea, as well as the sequence in which the Iron Giant finally shows its full range of abilities. But what shines is the writing. Brad Bird and Tim McCanlies have produced what may possibly be the best screenplay ever written for an animated feature film. As good as a few of the Disney features have been, and as good as Fox's recent ANASTASIA was, this is better. Add a solid, effortlessly smooth ensemble of voice performances, and you have a story that viewers will remember and return to with pleasure.
Look for THE IRON GIANT on awards ballots -- and not just for animated films or SF movies. The term "classic" is overused, but this is a movie that deserves the label.