Iron Will (1994) Reviews

• One Of Disney's Better Efforts

  ccthemovieman-12005-10-22

  How much of this story is true is up for dispute. I suspect most of it is highly exaggerated. Nonetheless, it is inspirational and fun to watch: an excellent adventure tale. The movie reminded me of "White Fang" with the winter scenery and the young hero, played by MacKenzie Astin, looking and sounding much like Ethan Hawke. The story was simply about a dog-sled race in the early part of the 20th century. The picture is beautifully shot, especially the train scenes, and looks very good on DVD. The villains in here aren't as despicable as in other films, so it's more pleasant to watch. I enjoyed the entire story except for the whistling at the finish line which was a bit stupid, but that's minor. This is one of Disney's better efforts.

• "Iron Will"

  tuckman123452005-11-22

  Here's a "feel good" movie that I showed to a bunch of 8th graders who are "way too cool" to ever like something with a plot so contrived. I have seen it at least 10 times in the last two years. It has never failed to produce emotional responses, at least as early as when Gus gets savaged by the bad guy's dog, and Will takes out a gun (obviously thinking of putting him down), and most certainly when Will slugs the guy late on that evening. It has the predictable villain, and other events that most people could forecast, but I had kids who otherwise are apathetic standing up and cheering as the events unfolded. My conclusion: kids seem to be cynical and jaded, but when you give them a reason to be optimistic, they have hope and are uplifted. "Iron Will" inspires me; particularly when I see its effect on middle school students. I would rate it even higher if I couldn't predict many events in the movie. This really works well with other Iditerod/dog stories.

• One of my favorite films!

  ztwise_32006-10-07

  Based on a true story, this journey begins in South Dakota in 1917. Will Stoneman is a 17 year old young man who loses his father. Will is left with devastated until one morning he notices a flyer of the Carnival Derby (a dog sled race from Winnipeg, Canada to St. Paul Minnesota) in which his father was thinking of competing. After getting his mother, Maggie Stoneman, to comply, she gets Ned Dodd, an Indian who lives with the family, to get Will straight into training. Once Will arrives to the competition, he is greeted with a ridicule of laughter, yet do they know how bad he wants to win. Will that be enough to get Will from the beginning to end of the race and win, in one piece through the meanest, toughest stretch of land, and weather conditions that he has yet to embark on?

• Very Good Historical movie!

  speedygonzale172006-05-10

  I recently saw this movie again which I've now seen probably 4 or 5 times. If you like true stories as I do, then it makes the story that much more interesting and entertaining to watch. Although there is the very sad, and tragic scene where Will's father drowns in the river, the rest of the movie is uplifting and you find yourself cheering for Will, as he physically struggles to make it to the finish line in exhaustion, almost beaten by one of the two Indians who later help him stand up as Will is greeted by his mother. This is a "feel good" type of movie with of course, a sinister and evil Swedish man who will do anything to win the race, at the cost of the other dog sled racers who have done him no wrong. Until his sled dogs stop and refuse to race on, and turn on the Swede man in a rage, having been whipped continuously throughout the movie and terribly mistreated. They attack him and he is finally out of the race, and Will is vindicated. You will feel both uplifted and yet almost feel like crying as Will is greeted by his family and many others who have come to the race at the movie's end to cheer him on to victory. This is the kind of movie that you need to watch if you feel like giving up on your goals. Will proves that despite his many adversities and struggles with fatigue, muscle soreness, a rival enemy, and bitter cold weather, that you can accomplish anything. His nickname "IRON" Will is clearly an accurate way to describe him.

• Go on, let the tagline decieve you... it's worth it, though it's not exactly true.

  anya_angie2002-01-18

  Being that I like to wonder about what really happened in historical films, I had been curious about what really happened in that race. I did everything I could to find out about the "real Will" and found out some interesting information. On a history of dog-sledding site it is said that the race made famous was dramatized in the movie Iron Will, was loosely based. That's an understatement. They change the hero's name from Frederick S. Hartman to Will Stoneman. It's not so bad, I love the movie it's excellent, and I suppose if they had kept the ending to what really happened it wouldn't have been so inspiring (nothing melancholy, but Frederick actually lost the race). What I like about Disney films is that they have some theme to it. Writers and English Lit teachers know what I am talking about: An inner meaning that the writers have inside the story. You see this over and over again in movies, and Disney is excellent at it. The acting is great, the screenplay is all right, history aside it's not too bad. After all, history can be bleak sometimes, and hope springs eternal, we can always dream and imagine right? For film score fans like me, the music, which I always am interested in, is not so bad, the main theme is nice, but it's not as good as the music from Interview With The Vampire or Forrest Gump. Bottom line, don't be taken too much by the tagline about it being a "true story;" if you do research you will be disappointed. Other than that, see it if you haven't yet. It's excellent. Just because it has hardly anything to do with the truth doesn't mean it's not a great movie.