Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: Giant robot lands in Cold War 1950s, and meets a small kid.
Biased, pithy comments: There were moments in this film in which I was transported. The first few minutes are precious and exciting, and draw you into the beautiful world of animation. Likewise, Bird and his team of animators has found a way to make things really seem *big*---huge, massive, towering, lumbering. monstrous. Those two facets alone should have made a delightful, engrossing film. I think I should have liked this more, but I'm going to take the unpopular stand that the moral turned a tad preachy about halfway through and failed to let up, dragging something that should have been wondrous into a strict lesson in the waste of the Cold War. You know, I thought the Cold War was a mistake, and I can't fathom owning a gun or hunting, but for some reason I felt hammered with a two-by-four with this one; it seemed to explore thematically things explored already by ``E.T.'' and ``Terminator II.'' Your mileage may vary.
Other Notes: Oy, I'm alone on this. Lots of 3.5 stars, 4 stars ratings here. I've been wrong before.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel, Christopher McDonald.
Directed by: Brad Bird