I’m a big fan of “The Iron Giant,” the Brad Bird-directed 1999 animated movie. Great flick. I understand it was loosely based on “The Iron Man,” a 1968 children’s book by British novelist and poet Ted Hughes. How are they different, and how are they the same? Which do you like better?
I preferred the movie. The book was nice, but it’s very much a children’s book. There’s not much of a story, and it’s not very coherent, as if each chapter is meant to be read as a seperate story. The plot of the movie bears almost no resemblance to the plot of the book, but IMHO is a more interesting story.
I haven’t read the book, but love the movie, which didn’t get the break it deserves.
I gotta point out, though, that the premise and several scenes bear a suspicious resemblance to the film Kronis, a 1950s flick about a giant robot sent from outer space. It crashes/lands in the sea and makes its way to land, first being visible as a lighthouse-like light from the sea.
Kronos wasn’t great SF intellectually, but it’s visually dazzling, even though it’s black and white. Considering that the big K was basically a Big Rectangular Box, you wouldn’t think it would be visually interesting – but it is! The same team that did Forbidden Planet are reesponsible for this one, and it’s usually singled out for its visual flair in lists of 1950s SF films.
I can’t help but think that The Iron Giant is Kronos in an alternate universe where the big Robot looks more human, but gets a bump on his head that screws up his programming.