Watched this movie again today, damn but its a good one!
One question did spring to mind though, what exactly is the Iron Giant? All we’re shown is that he arrives in a fairly dramatic manner, damaging himself in the process. This suggests that perhaps his arrival on Earth was accidental and there is no specific purpose to him being here.
However if he had been sent to Earth what was his purpose, he seems intelligent enough but doesn’t seem the ambassador type, also he appears armed to the teeth which isn’t exactly friendly although it does seem mostly defensive in nature.
btw while the ending was nice and I realise its a kids film (although surprisingly violent, at least one of the army tanks is shown being destroyed with the crew still inside) I thought it would have been a better ending with the postscript having been left out, role to credits with the new family leaving the park with the monument behind them, a bitter-sweet ending but still in tone with the rest of the movie.
But, in the movie his origins remain undisclosed. Perhaps the author never really had one, but it’s easy enough to imagine a range of scenarios which could explain his appearance on earth.
I like the idea that he was running from some sort of alien war… perhaps he went AWOL and made way for an obscure solar system. He hit his head on impact with earth, damaged his memory, forgot why he came, what he was capable of, and who he was. This might explain why he arrived solo, was an obvious weapon, and no one from his world arrived to retrieve him: because they didn’t know where he ran off to.
He is a gun…that’s why his denial of it is so moving. He becomes Superman through self-sacrifice.
I’m certainly biased, but I see the Iron Giant as a distant metaphor for pit bulls, of all things. Designed as a weapon, the Giant is pursued by the authorities who fear his potential to wreak harm. Of course, when loved, he turns out to be the ideal companion for a little boy, whom he will willingly give his life to protect.
Frankly, Disney’s similar Lilo and Stitch is an even more apt metaphor. Stich is built as a weapon too, but mostly he needs guidance and an outlet for his immense energy. Stitch acts like a dog, and has an impressive mouthful of teeth. Stitch is even called a “weird dog” by those who do not understand him, and there’s the added element of his being pursued by people who want to use him as a fighting instrument (analogous to dogfighters) in addition to the government which worries about safety. After various misadventures, some brought on by Stitch’s inability to understand the world without a human helping him, he is saved by family love – no one gets left behind! – and ultimately proves the sturdiest possible companion for a little girl who needs roots and family.
Brad Bird was clearly strongly influenced by the 1950s SF film Kronos (it clearly influenced The Incredibles, too).
In that film, the Giant Robot was sent to Earth by never-seen aliens to drain Earth of its power, and possibly wreak havoc. You had the same giant robot appearing first offshore as a light, then coming ashore, and attacking power installations.
So I suspect that the IG was the same sort of thing, deliberately sent to Earth (the odds of him drifting here by accident seem minuscule, but that may just be artistic license). I have no idea how much Bird may have changed the original story, which I’ve never read.
I find this to be a powerful statement. At the same time, it is clear that, by having the Iron Giant ***choose ***to frame who he is, by denying his gun nature and sacrificing himself, it is the ultimate illustration of free will. Definitely illustrative of a few schools of philosophical, political and religious thought. And again, in line with The Incredibles.
