Giant Metal Munching Monster Saves the World!

Let's face it, a 97% on the Critical Tomatometer is reserved for no more than a few films a year. Unfortunately Iron Giant came out in 1999, the same year as Toy Story 2, which carried with it the monstrous Marketing machine, known as Disney.

Early in the film, the young hero, Hogarth saves a huge Iron Giant from being electrocuted. The giant responds by being a friend to Hogarth. The child and the machine play together, eat together, whatever. Hogarth spends a lot of time trying to avoid telling anyone that he's made a friend of the giant, because he (correctly) thinks that everyone will be afraid of it. The anti-war stuff is a bit heavy handed at times, which accounts for most of the bad reviews.

Brad Bird is brilliant in his first feature length performance, and if I had seen this in '99, I would have rushed to see Incredibles even faster. This movie ranks way up in the animated features department. With the old school animation style, and the multiple throwback references, it almost qualifies as a cult movie.

The movie deals with a single primary issue, but in the language, culture and animation style of the 1950's, which we all know so well. Other themes branched from this primary theme, but choices both in becoming and believing, was what made the film what it was.


[Spoilers hereafter]
Pugente and Williams link the anger in the Iron Giant to Christ's cleansing of the temple. The Giant responds violently to violence. When he or Hogarth are attacked, the Giant goes into full kill mode, with guns popping out of everywhere. He destroyes several tanks, and is about to destroy a battleship, when he is distracted by Hogarth, who repeats what he learned earlier in the film: "You are what you choose to be." It seems that the violence is excessive, if excusable, so I understand their connection to that part.

In my own life, I would say that this little quote is more important than almost anything. Not, "You can be anything you want" which is absolute drivel, and can lead to a complete disconnect with reality. No, our choices make us into the people we are, and the people we will become. If we choose to enter into a relationship with God, we are changed. If we daily choose to live in submission to Him, we are given the rewards for that. We are what we choose, and until we truly understand that, we cannot become all that God intends for us to be.

The Iron Giant chooses, ultimately, to give his life for the town that so recently rejected him, and even for the individual that has ordered his destruction. The Giant, then, is a true friend, and demonstrates a capacity for love. His choice, like ours should be, is give himself up for those that he has a relationship with.