Customer Reviews

Metropolis [VHS]

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Well, for once I will not cut corners around this review, this film must be watched by everyone. It could quite possibly be the most well-done anime of all time.

Now, to start off with the basics, "Metropolis" is a state-of-the-art anime that was based off of the old Osamu Tezuka ("The God of Manga", creator of "Astro Boy," "Kimba," and "Adolf" to name a few) comic from 1949. It's modern update was written by Katsuhiro Otomo ("Robot Carnival," and "Akira") and directed by Rintaro ("X:The Movie," and "Galaxy Express 999"). But you all know that after reading the shallow Amazon review from above.

The film's story has been brought up again and again, so I won't go into it that much. However, I will say this, the story is executed in a form in which I would call "Noir Disney." Don't worry, it's nothing bad, it's just saying that although the film looks like it takes a childish approach to things, it tends to be a bit more on the dark side. Thus, the film seems like a very interesting blend of two different genres. Besides, Otomo takes extreme cautions with the script, knowing that the material it's based on is nearly half a century old.

Characters are something to gleam over as well. Unlike "Akira," "Ghost in the Shell," or "Arcadia of my Youth" the characters have a full understanding of their emoitions. This can be credited not only to the superb animation, but also to the very talented JAPANESE (not English) voice cast. It is very easy to fall in love with all of these characters. From the robot, Pero, to the detective Shunsaku Ban, even to the enigmatic Rock of the Marduk. A rarity even in Disney movies.

The animation is the real star of the show. Blanding extraordinary CGI and traditional Tezuka-style characters, the artwork teems with both powerful and simple energy that radiates from ever cell of animation. Madhouse Studios ("Ninja Scroll," "Trigun," "Cardcaptor Sakura," and several others) spent a LOT of time and effort on these breath-taking visuals. Whats more, they even put in enough effort to make the film seem as if it were alive. For example, in one scene, Shunsaku Ban is reading a book, he flips the page, but the page flips back (as it would in real life) and he turns the page back to where it was. Don't see my point? Well, considering that animation is a technique that requires A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT, the fact that they would put something as small as that gives the film a certain clarity not seen today.

Last note, the soundtrack....wow. Everything about the music is so...so...I don't know, vivid, alive, real...I could throw out a lot of adjectives here. Its basically Dixie-Land Jazz played in the background and foreground throughout the entire film. It captures just about everything in the movie. From the city scapes, to the chase scenes, even to the little scenes like people in a bar. What's the shining note is the climax song, Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You," I won't spoil the ending but I will just say this, "Dr. Strangelove" anyone?

In the end, "Metroplis" is a landmark in anime. EVERYONE should buy the DVD when it comes out, or just go to the theaters. Believe me, it is time worth spent. And if your an anime fan, you have more of a reason to go. You can't be a true otaku simply by watching "Fushigi Yugi" and "Utena" all day long. Do yourself a favor and watch this. There, I said my piece.

-RW

Between 1947 and 1949, Osamu Tezuka - who was to become the world's best-known anime producer - issued a small series of manga about a world of the future where industrialization, robots and humanity are all at odds. Sharp class differences also contribute to the tensions of a world largely in the hands of the power hungry. Now, 50 years later, Rintaro, another famous name in anime has decided to create an film from the original manga, sparing no effort or expense.

We find Metropolis in the throes of a celebration. Duke Red has completed the Ziggurat, an immensely tall building whose central tower conceals a solar weapon that will make the city the capital of the world, and Duke Red its ruler. The intricate politics of Metropolis are based on three tiers - the upper class, a vast and impoverished lower class, and beneath all else, the robots. There is great conflict over the role of the robots. Many fear them, and an anti-robot faction called the Marduks watch the streets, ready to destroy and automaton that acts out of line. Duke Red is the power behind the Marduks, but secretly he has hired Dr. Laughton, a criminal scientist, to build a super robot in the image of his daughter. This is Tima, whose destiny is to command the weapon hidden in the top of the Ziggurat.

Into this come Shinsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi. Shinsaku is a detective, come from Japan to track down Dr. Laughton. As he is doing this, Duke Red's adopted son Rock, leader of the Marduks, is plotting to destroy Laughton's lab and Tima with it. The resulting conflagration catapults Kenichi and Tima into a wild race for life with Rock right behind them. On the way, we get to see much of Metropolis's underground, bringing home the social message.

The real thrust of the plot, as is often the case with anime involving robots and cyborgs is the question of what is human and what is not. Or whether that should even make a difference. Tima, who does not know she is not human, finds she is capable of wonder, love, and fear. Is she a soul in the making or a flawed machine? If she had never met Kenichi this would have been a far bitterer film, and the white doves would never get to fly.

Not only is the artwork remarkable, but this is an exquisite piece of animation, smoothly combining CGI and two-dimensional animation. Sometimes the entire screen seems to be in motion. An agile eye will pick up new details on each watching. Toshiyuki Honda's music is equally satisfying. It is interesting that Tezuka refused to have this story made into a film during his life. Apparently, he thought of 'Metropolis' as an early and not especially successful effort. However, Rintaro and writer Katsuhiro Otomo (of 'Akira' fame) have much modified and expanded the story. This is a commonplace when a manga is converted to the screen, since many Japanese anime producers avoid slavish imitation if they have an opportunity to break new ground. I like to think that Tezuka would have been impressed with Rintaro's efforts even if 'Metropolis' was no longer just his story.

Based on Manga by Osamu Tenzuka (the "Godfather" of anime responsible for the familiar doe-eyed look) and adapted to the screen by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), "Metropolis" only bears passing resemblance to the Fritz Lang film that obviously inspired it. While the animation is breathtaking and the story good, it never fully delves into the possibilities of the various philosophical problems it raises: artificial intelligence, surrender of freedom for security, and responsibility of outsiders to do the right thing. As a result, "Metropolis" ends up coming off as a really, really nice piece of fluff - one that, unfortunately, cannot compete with other `serious' anime titles like Princess Mononoke, Akira, or Grave of the Fireflies.

The story alternates between Kenichi, the son of a Japanese private eye sent to the gigantic future-city of Metropolis to find a doctor who is accused of making illegal human-robot hybrids, and Rock, a slightly off-kilter policeman who is head of the fascist-leaning goon squads that kill robots and revolutionaries with equal gusto. When Rock discovers that his adoptive father, a powerful Duke who plans on taking over Metropolis, has ordered the creation of a robot that resembles his dead daughter, he attempts to kill her, but she falls into the city's seedy robot/worker underworld where she meets Kenichi. He forms a bond with her, but her innocence is soon replaced as she realizes she was created for one purpose: the completion of a mysterious ziggurat that sits at the center of Metropolis. As the story moves towards its inevitable, Akira-esque conclusion, the revolutionary workers in the city attempt to gain control, although it becomes clear they are merely pawns of a larger force.

As other reviewers have noted, it's difficult not to see the strains of other movies in this one: Akira most notably, but Ghost in the Shell as well, and probably quite a few others. It's not a problem, but it makes "Metropolis" seem a little soul-less - as if it were cobbled together from stolen parts. The good parts of Fritz Lang's classic are present, but incredibly watered-down - robots with souls, workers revolting, and arrogance in power. Again, these concepts are never fully explored, leaving the viewer wondering, `great, well, what next?' It should be noted, however, that the soundtrack is a lively collection of old jazz, blues, and swing tunes, and adds a very unique side to Metropolis - probably its most outstanding feature.

While many of the backgrounds are rendered, the animation is far more fluid and traditional than other recent computer-assisted efforts, most notably the short and rocky "Blood-The Last Vampire." While the viewer notices them, it's never a distraction. The characters are all animated with the traditional `super-deformed' large heads, hands, and feet, and of course eyes the size of dinner plates (if you're a cute character, anyway). The DVD is the perfect exhibition ground for this movie, as its presented in stunning anamorphic widescreen that looks so good it hurts. The colors are lush and clear, and there are two DD 5.1 soundtracks (one English, one Japanese) and - an anime first - the original Japanese track in bass-blowing DTS. There are subtitles for the purists (and hard of hearing), of course, but the dub is pretty darn good. The extras are all contained on a second small DVD similar to promotional CDs they used to hand out. It's more of a gimmick than anything, but it's your standard making-of fare and interviews. In other words, you'll watch it once and forget about it.

Metropolis should probably stay in the "rent it before you buy it" category, especially if you are used to more depth from your anime. It's one of those movies that grows on you, and you end up liking it despite its problems.

I was lucky enough to catch "Metropolis" playing at a theater relatively near me, and I can't recommend seeing this on the big screen enough. The sound of the film and the huge layout of the CGI Metropolis were both breathtaking. The character designs were a bit cartoony for my tastes, kinda like anime versions of the old black-and-white Popeye toons (of course, what else would you expect from the director who brought us "Astro Boy"?), but I quickly got over that. Thankfully, "Metropolis" is being released in theaters in its original Japanese with English subtitles. I shudder to think what kind of dub voices would have been used to go along with the characters' already goofy looks.

The story follows a young detective named Kenichi and his uncle, who travel to the futuristic Metropolis to apprehend a scientist wanted for illegal genetic experiments. Along the way they run into such characters as the robot detective Perro (like a dog), the revolutionary Atlas, the savage and severely unbalanced bouty hunter Rock (who not only shares Mega Man's name but LOOKS like him as well), and a beautiful, enigmatic young girl named Tima.

Despite the ultra cartoonish look of the film, it definetly gets dark, and quite often. Heck, every so often it gets downright morose. But unlike the terminally gloomy feel of movies like "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell", "Metropolis" maintains a air of friendliness and hope throughout. Think of a Disney movie where you're never exactly sure how many of the characters are going to die before it's over. Or better yet, think of a cyber-punk flick as directed by Miyazaki (of "Princess Mononoke"). Or best of all, stop wasting your time reading my stupid attempts at analogies and go see "Metropolis". You'll be glad you did.

The majority of METROPOLIS is visually stimulating, with rich backgrounds (for the most part) on the level of Geoff Darrow's HARD BOILED. Computer generated imagery appears with hit and miss success, as some scenes seem terribly rushed and out of place. Some 2D/3D combos, particularly during the climax, are poorly designed. But for every clumsy scene, there's another which is highly inspired. The screen graphics during Tima's cyber search through the phone lines are riddled with interesting goodies. Very cool.

The story is familiar dystopian human versus technology, and reminded me a lot of MISTER X (and TERMINAL CITY). But I generally like that sort of thing. Without ruining anything, I found the climax to be the slowest, most boring part of the film (I kept looking at the clock, wondering when something was going to happen), but when it does...the final conflict and the use of "Ray" is truly superb. Unfortunately, this is quickly followed by a weak resolution, but I'll take my gems where I can find them.

At it's best, METROPOLIS is a beautiful feast for the eyes, beaming with high design and style. At it's worst, it bears clumsy imagery and animation reminiscent of Bakshi, of all monsters.

Definitely worth renting.

I have seen several anime films in the last ten years or so (anyone does who has friends who draw, I think) and most of it has either left me disgusted or, even if impressed by the animation, bored and wondering why I didn't just watch Bugs Bunny instead.
Up until now the best one I had seen was "Princess Mononoke", and it was tedious for a good twenty minutes right in the middle of the film.
Metropolis, however, transcends Japanimation.
I thought, watching it, that if someone made a live-action version of this, shot for shot, it would undoubtedly be the highest grossing film in history, and probably take home the Best Picture Oscar. Not that there is anything in it that can really be called "acting", and the story, though very deep (especially for anime) and thought-provoking, is not one of the most thrilling ever told.
However, a combination of tightly direction action (and repose), a script universal and yet human enough to make you genuinely care about these 2-D characters--and some of the most amazing visuals ever juxtaposed on screen--make Metropolis a high quality SF FILM and the fact that is it animated and tied to a dubious genre is almost negligible.
Except, of course, that you will marvel that something so epic and detailed can go from an idea in a man's head, to a drawing, to the setting for a world that will make your seen your own in a new way...

The first thing I'd like to do is just clear up a few things that negative reviews have been hooked on and maybe shed a bit of clarity on what is being shown in the movie.

-Origins : It comes from a manga written by Osamu Tezuka, the founder of anime, and is loosely based on that. It borrows themes from the black and white movie "Metropolis" as well but when you watch it, its best just to let the movie unfold itself instead of you forcing it to fit any particular mold.
-The animation : There are a lot of different animation choices moving around here. you have the deco-style buildings which jut across the skyline of metropolis, the astro-boy style human beings with large eyes and exagerated features (eyes, arms, noses), and then the cyberpunk innards of the city, as well as the much more "real" and dirty areas beneath the city. the humans are MEANT to stand out against the deco, everything isn't supposed to fit neatly together in a single style. in the movie this is shown in the plot; the elite humans (duke red, the president, etc), common people, the robots, and the city all are at odds with each other. Its not supposed to be hyper-realistic, the styles chosen are deliberate and invoke specific contrasts.
-Plot : At times things trip and fall, but I think part of the incongruity is on purpose. The chaos and sort of non-sequiter plot lines are actually just intended to encase the story of 1)humanity's fear of the 'other' 2)Tima and Kenichi. Except for Tima, the other characters just kind of putter out (aside from Luke, or Rock in the U.S. version) but her story was fantastically strong when placed within the struggle of humanity (with its own inner turmoil) and the servants they created.

In conclusion, this movie is just saturated in AMAZING visuals and great jazzy music (I couldn't think of a more appropriate use of "I cant stop loving you" by Ray Charles at the end), and it contains a story of a search for a 'self' within the fantastical world of Metropolis. Characters broaden and shrink the scope of where they place themselves here, yet everyone lands in own unique niche. But for the staleness of character development/bogged plot I drop half a star.

4.5/5 - A must see, for movie fans with open eyes.

I'm not very good at wording things but I would like to comment on Metropolis.

I'll let the other reviews speak for the storyline and plot. I did like it and will watch it again. What I would like to do is comment on the negative views of the character animation.

The characters do have a somewhat Astro-Boy appearance but the smoothness of movement far surpasses that of Astro Boy. It is certainly leagues beyond the likes of Yu-GI-Oh, Digimon, Pokemon, or any American Saturday morning cartoon or "cheap 80's drawing."

What you do have is a very old style of character design with excellent motion and color which I think is beautiful especially because of it's old look. I think it works well with the computer animation. For some reason the 1939 animated film Gulliver's Travel comes to mind. The movement is not perfect but it is very well done.

The film is NOT for you if you think anything less than Skrek or Toy Story is archaic or behind the times and not worth watching. This film is NOT for you if you hold opinions like the characters "look like they were from "a freakin Rodger Rabbit" or a dull and boring character design that went out with the 30's.

This film IS for you if you do appreciate the dying art form of great cell animation like Gulliver's Travels, Disney's Snow White, old Popeye or the old Warner Bros. cartoons.

I think it is sad that hand drawn animation is a dying art form. Disney has decided not to do anything from now on unless it is completely computerized and it seems we will be stuck with either really bad stuff like Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon or completely hands off computer animation. It is sad that there will be no more great hand drawn stuff like Disney's Pinnochio.

I came to this film with very high expectations; the jacket has a plug from no less than James Cameron himself that reads, "Metropolis is a new milestone in Anime. It has beauty, power, mystery, and above all...heart. Images from this movie will stay with you forever."

The movie pays tribute and homage to another of my favorite movies, Fritz Lang's Metropolis of 1927, and possibly some other movies like Bladerunner, and it's a fascinating experience to see those kinds of images transformed into a very different but equally dramatic form using anime.

Despite my high expectations, I wasn't disappointed. This is probably the greatest anime flick ever, but I would be curious to know how people who have seen both Metropolis and the recent Final Fantasy movie recently would compare them. Although the story in Metropolis is much better--the mystical Gaia theme in Final Fantasy is a little silly--but the level of detail and the realism of the sets and backgrounds in Final Fantasy exceeded, to my mind, what was done in Metropolis. So I'd be interested in hearing what other animation fans thought about this.

That having been said, I still think Metropolis is a very visually appealing and even stunning animated movie and well worth seeing, even if you're not into anime or animation in general.

Much has already been written about the contribution of Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira fame. The influence is obvious. However, the unique quality that Hayashi Shigeyuki brings into the equation is the fusion of Ridley Scott's Bladerunner, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Osamu Tezuka's manga, and of course Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. The fusion of all these almost seemingly unrelated sources is nothing short of a classic in the making -- and it should be considered as one. I'll tell you why...

The first thing anyone with guts enough to pen a serious review needs to do is to admit his/her bias. I was drawn into this genre by Ghost in the Shell so understandably, almost everything I watch is measured against this standard. In terms of plot and character development, few anime come close to Ghost in the Shell -- but that is my bias. In terms of being visually stunning and a sense of geniune displacement (an effect that most of these post-apocalypse anime features have on me) Metropolis is second to none. No doubt, the visuals are stunning. Akira may have had the grit, Ghost in the Shell or Princess Monoke may have had the character and plot development -- but none could have come close in terms of impact with that move of playing "I can't stop loving you" juxtaposed along the destruction of the Ziggurat like structure that looms large on almost every scene in the movie. I'm taking a different approach here -- Metropolis has the same impact on me -- not so much as Blade Runner had but more akin to Ayn Rand's modernist epic The Fountainhead (1949) and Rock reminds me more of Howard Roarke than he would a Deckard or even a Tesuo. I'm not looking for hidden symbology -- more like an experiential thing...

The art deco theme is nothing short of spectacular. It was the look the drew me in. Hard to compare other anime features as each on has its own "thing" to contribute -- each one is unique. Metropolis has a truelly different aethetic feel to it. However, much like all the other films that preceded it, including films by Hayao Miyazaki -- Metropolis calls to question the rise of technology and the eventual inclusion of robotics into our everyday milieu. Just like Bladerunner -- the tendency is to see technology as a double edged sword -- with a real potential to go rogue.

No less disturbing is the almost subtle allusion to a real sense of separation between corporate giants and the little person. Along that same problematic is a solution steeped in toppling the bigwigs through a revolt or uprising and an almost fatalistic turn towards some form of terrorism. Is this really our fate? Do we really need to resort to violence to gain some form of agency? I would like to think these movies are cathartic in nature and give us something positive to think about. They all do give us something to think about. Besides, what could be better than escaping into a stylistic world of art deco and ragtime. As fragmented as these stories are, they always seem to come to some sort meaning -- as many meanings as there are viewers.

Miguel Llora