Anansi00

What a fun, demented movie! After the original pirates, I wasn't sure if a sequel could stay as clever and offbeat, but Dean Man's Chest delivers on nearly every front! Yes, it's great to see Johnny Depp's bizarre creation, Jack Sparrow, again, and this time to peer into his mind. The original film never really took a close look at the character, who returns this time with motivation, complexity, and (perhaps) genuine conflicting emotions. This installment also takes care of Orlando Bloom, whose character is given much more of a chance to be both leading man and action hero. Only Keira Knightley is given the short shrift, giving a great performance but only having a few scenes that really give her a chance to do anything with her character.

The special effects are as spectacular as it gets in this jaded age of CGI, and the fight sequences are intense and energetic. But what I loved the most about this movie was how wonderfully weird and demented it is. I won't give anything away, but just from the trailer you can already see Jack's eye makeup, a duel on a rolling mill wheel, and a villain with an octopus for a head, all much fresher and more demented than anything you usually find in Hollywood outside of the realm of Tim Burton. I had no idea Disney did things like that! This movie definitely lacks the strong, uncontrived storyline of its predecessor, clumsily maneuvering a number of contrivances to get the story rolling. The resulting plot is more a travelogue than anything, but fun nevertheless. It also picks up speed toward the end, and, for a film that sets itself up for the next installment, still works pretty well as standalone fare.

Anyway, this movie, like the first, is first and foremost an exercise in camp and offbeat swashbucklery, which it delivers beautifully. Be warned that there are frequent references to the original film, many of them clever, others quite predictable. Still, as an extension of the original world and characters of Pirates of the Caribbean, this movie excels takes the cake, and in terms of blockbuster entertainment, there's nothing fresher or better under the sun.

After seeing this movie, I was overcome by a strange feeling. I realized that I had found a treasure where I had least expected it. The Iron Giant is intelligent, funny, touching, and visually superb, and should show the world that an animated movie does not need to be A) computer-animated, or B) based on a fairy tale to be successful. One of the best American-made children's movies I have seen in a decade: 8.5/10.0

Now, I'm a 17-year-old who is slowly transitioning into the domain of movie buffdom, which basically means that I am watching a stream of movies based on recommendations from friends, critics, and the IMDb Top 250 list. I got this one almost by accident after the local rental place could not find the movie I was really after, choosing it basically on the knowledge that it was the previous project of Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles (a personal favorite). After watching it, I felt like calling up every mother I knew and telling her to have her children (and herself) watch this.

The Iron Giant revolves around an adventurous young boy in 1950s small-town America who discovers a gigantic robot out in the woods that has arrived on Earth from goodness-knows-where. He befriends the robot, while trying to keep him safe from a nosy government agent. The story seldom lags, with a series of comical adventures connected by the boy's growing relationship with his friend.

This movie is very appealing as entertainment. The voices are well-done, and the scenery is also terrific. Most importantly, though, is the animation, which is a bright spot from this time period. The characters are well-drawn, especially the Giant, who through terrific design, lifelike movements, and clever small touches (i.e., the eyes) seems both alien and human, imposing and childlike. Furthermore, the animation is comical. I don't know when I have ever seen slapstick or punchlines so well-complimented by the animation. The script, written by Bird and based off the book The Iron Man, is also very well done. Though the movie relies upon a few minor crutches common to children's movies, it is still very original and clever.

One thing that I must point out about this movie is its morals. Throughout the movie, the main moral of the story, about the Iron Giant learning and choosing to be good, is actually fairly adroitly handled. At no point when the subject comes up, including standard sentimental climax, does the idea seem contrived. Throughout the movie, evidence of Bird's influence by comic books is quite evident, and his ultimate message about heroes (variations of which will resurface in The Incredibles) is relevant and sincere. However, I do have to say that the secondary moral, about the evils of xenophobia and paranoia, both of which are embodied by the movie's antagonist, the government agent and the military, are very politically charged. While this may sound initially controversial and politically charged for a kids' movie (the second of which I do not deny), I noticed that it was in large part a thoughtful spoof of Cold War America, with jokes as well as valuable lessons about "duck and cover" and 1950s nuclear edginess that I found very clever.

On a final note, I do have to point out that this movie had me laughing hard, but more importantly, it brought me closer to tears than any animated movie I can remember (including Bambi), closer than I like to admit. I wish that I had discovered it sooner, and I hope that everyone gets the chance to experience it the way I did.