User reviews

I have always been a fan of the 60's and 70's anime. I feel that the 80's and 90's Anime got a bit out of hand, but this film brings me back to the experimentation, the wonder, visuals and the drawing you into forgetting this is only 'anime' at all.

The story is an update of the fantastic silent film Metropolis, and at points in this telling, the story falls flat, but just watching the film drew me in and made up for those story gaffs. There isn't any one who can look at this and not be taken with its ambition. Old anime elements, new ones, stop action, realism -- you name it, its all in one nice package! I am looking forward to additional works from this team, I hope they continue on for I feel this project was a great venture and to what they are capable of. This film is really wonderful, I recommend it highly.

In the futuristic Metropolis, robots are segregated and used for all the menial work. Many unemployed blame the robots and pushing for revolution. Duke Red is building a vast skyscraper. A robot disrupts the opening and Duke Red's son Rock destroys the robot. Private detective Shunsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi are hunting for scientist Dr. Laughton who is supposedly trafficking organs. Laughton has actually been hired by Duke Red to recreate his deceased daughter with an advanced robot.

The visual style of this animated movie is beautiful. This is worthwhile watch simply for the visual aspect. The story is functional for more than half of the movie. Kenichi and the robot on the run is pretty good. The rest is a bit disjointed and complicated. Motivation is tricky. The twists and reveals are questionable and the story is overstuffed. It is still a beautiful looking piece of animation.

I am a fan of anime, so after hearing all the great acclaim this movie got, I knew I had to see it.

Visually, the movie it top-notch. The blend of computer graphics and hand-drawn animation is seamless, with incredible detail given to each. Graphically, this movie is indeed a milestone in animation, one that will definitely be referred to over and over in the future. If you are a fan of animation (Japanese or otherwise), you MUST see this movie.

As for the story and character - they were somewhat underwhelming. Occasionally each got to the point where they intrigued you and made you want to learn more - but you got no more. You learn really nothing about the youthful male protagonist or the female humanoid who he saves and takes care of. They hardly even say a word to each other! There were also some big jumps in the storyline, feeling like a lot of important information was cut out.

The movie was based on a long manga, so it's obvious that A LOT of character and story development had to be cut out so that the movie would run at an acceptable running time. I honestly think this story would have worked - it certainly would have been somewhat better - had it been done as a miniseries. Maybe the visuals wouldn't have been so stunning, but a more compelling story and more memorable characters would have made up for it.

Fritz Lang's original 'Metropolis' is an enduring classic of cinema. The techniques used at the time that it was made were absolutely astounding and it is still astounding to consider the technical achievement that Metropolis represents even these days. This Japanese re-telling of the classic story doesn't follow the plot of the original film, but they are linked due to the way that they both utilise grand settings for their thrills and although it was a lot more impressive in 1927, this version of the story is still a very decent film. I can't say that I'm a big fan of Japanese 'anime', but every time I see a film in it's style I tend to at least enjoy myself, and that can be said of this film. The plot has too many elements to be fully coherent, but it serves its purpose and is always second to the visuals anyway. The story follows two societies; robots and humans, and comes together when a private investigator's nephew meets a robot girl constructed to rule the city. The script is somewhat taught, this may be because of the fact that it has been translated into English, or it may just be a bad script. It doesn't really matter though as, again, the sharp visuals are always enough to distract the viewer from the other areas of the movie. It's almost a shame that this movie isn't better when you consider that it has an absolutely great source of inspiration, but then again you can hardly expect it to rival Fritz Lang's classic. On the whole, I recommend this movie if you've seen Lang's and want some more, but otherwise I just recommend the original classic.

In my short life I've developed a taste for a film that challenges me as a viewer and is more than the sum of it's parts. Metropolis is one such movie. While most will only give it credit for being a visual masterpiece, Metropolis is a well - rounded work with strong characters, themes and music. Not only does the character design have a fresh and captivating style, each character has his or hers own unique features. The setting is so rich and vibrant at times and dark and mysterious at others, it could only have been created through animation. The use of old western jazz and borderline ragtime music gives the huge city an earthy feeling, which is reflected in the architecture of the lower levels of the city. The themes are classic science fiction themes. I shy away from calling them derivative or repetitive because they still remain some of the most relevant ideas portrayed in any genre. Katsuhiro Otomo's screenplay is understated, contrasting the near "in your face" visuals. He is one of the most highly regarded writers in the genre, and he shows why here. The chilling ending is a destructive one, but it isn't the apocalyptic disaster some people make it out to be. The use of "Can't stop loving you" by Ray Charles frames the scene so well, and I found it far more moving and touching than the ending of Dr. Strangelove, which it is rightfully compared to. So, to all movie lovers, not just anime lovers, I ask you to go see this work of art and let it absorb you and change you. You will be better for it.

A Japanese animation movie based on a comic by Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astroboy, that tells the story of android Tima and her human friend Kenichi in the city of Metropolis.

Metropolis shares with Astroboy some of Tezuka's themes: Father-son troublesome relationship due to the Father's rejection and unloving treatment of the son. Also very important is the presence of a great variety of old-style chunky robots and very developed humanoids who ask themselves what/who I'm I?

The animation is flamboyant and amazing regarding the settings, backgrounds, architecture and machinery, and combines 2-D and 3-D mixed with some real movie elements. Some of the scenes at the end of the movie are spectacular from a visual point of view, too.

The mood of the movie is excellent, with the creation of a retro- futuristic city very developed but impoverished and with no freedom. We have the bright city and the underworld, with different colors and styles.

The music is fantastic, also retro, with lots of Mow-Town, classic Jaz, alternating with symphonic pieces that reminded me of John Williams'.

The script, though, is a poor mix of well known sci-fi elements and characters. I found the script not engaging most of the time, not only because of the unoriginality of the same, but, above all, because of the drawing of the characters is completely childish, which barely fits with the innovative and more artistic style of the rest of the movie. Tima and Kenichi are beautifully drawn, and, being children, the style suits them, but the adults are drawn in a comical style that doesn't suit the story either. It reminded me of famous TV cartoons of the 70s!

I think it is a movie for teenagers, with elements that would suit both children and young adults. Not a movie for adults, to me.

I'm not a big fan of Manga I must admit. The movies I've seen have been few and far between and while I certainly enjoyed the likes of Ninja Scroll, Akira and Ghost In The Shell, I've never had much urge to seek out a really wide knowledge of the genre. That being said though, Metropolis has to rank as one of my top five films of all time, not just the animated ones.

Telling the story of a far future world where humans and robots exist alongside one another, it focuses on the adventures of a Private Investigator and his son visiting the city for the first time and hunting down a missing robot called Tima. And what a city it is! The animation, simply put, is stunning. The epic scope of this vast urban world is beautifully captured on screen. It is richly detailed and lit up like a fantastic world of colour, like a fine piece of dramatic art that has come to life. The animation on the characters meanwhile is no less amazing, it is more akin to French than Japanese in stylistic terms, but is still very detailed and beautifully realised.

But this is no piece of aesthetic beauty with nothing to back it up as the storyline is truly gripping. As the boy befriends a young girl, both of them unaware that she is in fact an experimental robot, you find yourself getting swept up in their plight and they have just as much, if not more depth and emotion than any real-life actor's work.

Come the climax, you'll be simultaneously thrilled and left emotionally stunned. This is a magnificent film, I can't praise it enough.

This movie is about Duke Red, the wealthiest man who lost his daughter Tima. He tries to create a super being resembling his daughter to be his successor. Private detective Shunsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi Shikishima are searching for Dr. Laughton, a rogue scientist wanted for organ trafficking. Meanwhile, Duke Red's adopted son, Rock, seeks his dad's acceptance by turning against the creation of the super being, Tima.

The movie also deals with the revolution of humans against robots who replace them in their jobs. Despite the animation style suggesting it's for children, the content is suitable for all age groups. The film starts well and is engaging for the first 45 minutes, but then it slows down. The scenes become mediocre and boring for the rest of the film. The bond between Kenichi and Tima was good. The character Rock's arc is also well-written as a conflict between Tima and Duke Red.

The investigation scenes of the private investigator and his robot assistant are lacklustre and don't contribute to the story. The portrayal of people appearing in front of the private investigator while he is relaxing in a bar or motel instead of searching for them makes him look like an incompetent investigator. The end of his robot assistant doesn't evoke any emotion, and there is no proper reason for it. The climax was drawn out and made me feel like, "Just finish it already."

The movie had the potential to be good, but the way it was presented made it mediocre sci-fi movie. I wouldn't recommend this movie if you expect a compelling sci-fi story.

This is another great masterpiece in anime. Also, it's very different from others, as reviewers have pointed out.

I never expected old-1930-ish-saxopohone jazz music to be playing in an anime movie. It's a great movie, and, like Akira, the Matrix, and Princess Mononoke (or, Mononoke Hime as I prefer), it gets better every time you see it.

and in the climax of the movie, you hear Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You". Puts in the same touch as how Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain" was put in "A Clockwork Orange". It engraves the scene in your head, never to forget, and it does bring the scene back to your mind once you hear that song. It's happened to me lots of times after i saw Clockwork Orange.

Review: 5/5, Good Movie scale Ratings: US PG-13, UK PG, Canada PG

An homage to one of the best movies ever made, that in the end it's good but unfocus. from the sceneries to the plot everything has layers and layers which makes it over complicated for its own good. That being said exageration aside an enjoyable experience.

When I first saw this I was totally blown away by its beautiful animation and groundbreaking use of music! It really made me lyrical in a way few anime does - Rintaro and Otomo really has what it takes to make a masterpiece. The blend of charming old-fashioned technology and allusions to modern phenomenons makes it the perfect anime for the beginning of 21st century!

Metropolis is based on Tesuka Osamus first manga and later gave inspiration to his more famous "Astro Boy". Some story elements and characters from Tesukas later works are clearly inserted in Metropolis to make it work as a movie, which in this case is good... The choice of music is, in my opinion, daring and rather funny; jazzy tunes spiced with hits from the 60s (Ray Charles) sets the tone of the "optimistic atomic age". All in all, well made nostalgia...

I could go on forever with this rant, so I spare you that if you see this little animated gem! Rent it, buy it, steal it (if necessary ;) , you won't regret it!

METROPOLIS (3 outta 5 stars) Very well-done science fiction anime about a multi-tiered city of the future and how the quality of life differs for characters from different levels. Young Kenichi is helping his private investigator uncle track down a doctor dealing in illegal organs. Their search brings them into contact with people on the highest rungs of society as well as the lowest. Kenichi meets a mysterious young girl named Tima, who is actually a super-advanced robot created by the doctor his uncle is loking for. Duke Red, the dictatorial leader of Metropolis financed her creation so that she could take over from him to become the supreme ruler. His adopted son, Rock is determined that this never happens and he hunts Kenichi and Tima through the lower decks of the city... prompting encounters with lower-caste robots and humans ripe for revolution. Big, sprawling story goes in many unexpected directions... getting better and better as the movie progresses. The animation, a combination of cel animation and computer graphics is terrific... reaching its peak in a beautifully staged confrontation amidst some falling snow. The finale with Kenichi and Tima is bizarrely set to the tune of Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You"... the song seems so completely out of place at first... but by the time the scene is over it seems utterly perfect. (And a little reminiscent of the finale of Dr. Strangelove). "I am... who?"

For crying out loud, it's stylized! That's why the soundtrack is jazz and blues and stuff. That's why the character animation is "crappy".

Look at a comic book from the twenties/thirties, namely Herge's Tintin books, or Tezuka's manga (fifties actually), which this is based off of, DANG IT! The characters are designed to look like comic book character's from that era. Shinsaku looks like one of the Thompsons. Kenechi looks like a cross between Tintin and Astro Boy.

It's meant to be like a Prohibition era Chicago or something.

Anime is tantalizing. Its differences from its western counterparts are refreshing - the mythical themes, the slow tempo in the development of the story, the frequent focus on poetic moments or small scenes of peripheral importance to the story, and so on. Simply different, yet familiar in essence. One can still relate.

Metropolis is a big anime production with spectacular backgrounds an effects, but the characters and the story they go through can not measure up to that background. The impressive scenery takes over the lead, and keeps it - all through the grand finale.

The elements of the plot are easily recognized from a majority of anime films, especially the character who is unaware of his or her enormous inner potential and great destiny awaiting. Such a character is just about obligatory in anime, and one could elaborate on why. In this film it's a girl robot - of a very special kind - who is unaware of being a robot, and very reluctant to accept it.

There is a love story, a rather childish one, between her and a human boy. Sort of beauty and the beast, or for that matter Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, it is not explored at any depth, though it would have made the movie much more interesting at length.

Then there's also the Metropolis concept of a higher and a lower world, references to Dr Strangelove, and what not. A wonderful mixture of mythical and symbolical classics of the west, seen through Japanese eyes. That's all there, in the background. So the lack of foreground, of characterization and its development, is not that crucial.

Metropolis isn't an action, adventure, or a drama...It's an experience. It's a roller-coaster ride of a movie that takes the audience through an experience into the future with a sense of the past and present. I'll explain. First off, the animation in itself is what makes the film so unique. It's a sort of Tin tin animation mixed in with anime. The background of the city is amazing, a must see. The music is what does it though! The music is very classy. The type of music used in the old black and white classics. The whole movie experience is a sort of oxymoron, it contradicts itself. The futuristic background with the classic-styled people and music. A very unique animation indeed and one not to be missed if you're a fan of animation.

This is not just one of the greatest anime movies ever made but one of the greatest animated movies of all time. This film is an amazing achievement in every aspect and really pushes the may animated movies are directed and presented.The film takes place in the a future reminiscent of art deco. It will be almost impossible to fully explain the story of metropolis in a comment alone for there are many important characters with there own back story but in brief i can tell you it is about a young boy and his detective uncle as they discover a humanoid robot with striking similarities to a human being. Wat immediately catches your attention of metropolis is the way it is presented, blending CGI with highly fluid hand drawn animation in a noir style this makes the film very memorable Wat's more striking is the character development with highly memorable characters with a great English and Japanese voice cast. You have a great deal of sympathy even for the antagonists e.g.You have the main antagonist shattered by the loss of his daughter and his right hand man born without parents adopted Duke Red (main antagonist) as a father but is often neglected and shunned by him.This is an excellent achievement for an animation and should not be missed this is a film that joins other anime greats like Akira and Princess Mononoke a must see film.

I knew little about this film but when I saw that it was going to be on television I decided to watch it; there is so little non-Ghibli anime on TV one has to take what one can get. When it started I knew this was going to be different; most of the characters didn't look like anime characters, they looked more like characters from western cartoons of the 1930s. This fitted in with the feel of the whole film which was a 1920s/1930s view of the future reminiscent of Fritz Lang's film of the same name.

Set in the city state of Metropolis where the robot underclass must stay in their designated areas and a scientist is building a robot that looks like a girl but is destined to run a new skyscraper known as the Ziggurat. Into this city comes a Japanese private detective and his nephew Kenichi who are seeking to arrest the scientist for organ trafficking. The state's de facto leader Duke Red's adopted son Rock is determined to destroy the robot thinking his father is replacing him. Rock starts a fire in the lab. During this the robot is activated and escapes with Kenichi although neither know that she isn't human. Rock continues to hunt them as the flee through the various layers of the city to a climax in the mysterious Ziggurat.

I loved the retro feel to the animation along with a sound track that also felt like it was from that time. The use of the song "I Can't Stop Loving You" during the climactic scene was inspired. Even if you don't normally like animation this is worth watching as it is a good story which is well told.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

In order to appreciate the beauty of this film you need to watch it on the big screen, its animation and breathtaking. I loved it the first time I saw it, but it is not a movie you can re-watch. While the animation is beautiful, the style of the animation jars. This is a serious movie about serious topics, but the characters are drawn in a manner similar to astro boy. This is not surprising considering the producer, but on a 2nd watching its something you begin the notice. The lack of dialog is also an issue for the 2nd watching, although this is not an issue when you watch this for the first time. I class this as a must watch, but you may find you cannot come back to it for a 2nd viewing without spoiling your first impressions of the movie.

Pros: Animation, score.

Cons: Directing, storyline undeveloped.

Metropolis is similar to A.I because they both deal with the same topics. What defines life? Metropolis is much better at telling us than A.I because it doesn't force it down our throats like A.I does, but sadly it is only slightly better than A.I. Metropolis deals with the adventures of Kenichi and Tima(a robot)who are our protagonists, and Duke Red and Rock(his son)who are our antagonist. In A.I there is a celebration of the birth of A.I but Metropolis begins with the celebration of the Ziggurat, which is essentialy a Pyramid. This is an obvious reference to the Tower of Babbel because the ziggurat is both the tallest building in the city of metropolis and also the Tower of Babbel was also a ziggurat. unbeknowest to its citizens, it is actually a giant ray gun and it has a throne for a leader to control it. hat leader is Tima, a robot built by Duke Red in the likeness of his daughter. She like that other guy in A.I thinks she is human. She befriends Kenichi, who uncle is investigating the inventor of Tima. Rock, the psychopathic leader of the Malduks despises Tima because his dad likes her more than him. Due to a mysterious explosion caused by Rock, Tima is left wandering around metropolis with Kenichi and a couple of revolutionists. Metropolis is similar to Fritz lang film of the same title in terms of the levels of the city. It has three zones. Architechurally, it is similar to bladerunner and story line, similar to A.I. All three film has been unanimously hailed as classics so Metropolis should be one right, wrong. The story is very underdeveloped. For example, I saw only about one conversation between Tima and Kenichi that lasted five minutes, yet as we go along she becomes obsessed with him. Still in the tradition of mangas, it boasts exceptional animation.

Premise: Kenichi and Tima have bloody adventures in Metropolis.

Metropolis won no awards.

Grade: 6.2/10 (like Akira, not my cup of tea).

Director Rintaro stubbornly refuses to progress a barely existing plot, expose motivations, make connections or build towards any kind of conclusion simply wasting your time for 108 minutes. While the visuals are of course great, with nothing remotely available to serve they also are totally f***ing pointless (like this whole thoughtless movie). Anyone who is into the genre knows, that for what reason ever, anime does barely ever provide you with a tight narrative or even a solid plot, but let me tell you this movie is just pointless.

Because I have said everything I can about this thing and still don't meet the required amount of lines, I will recommend other anime here. Skip this and if you heaven't yet, watch anything from Akira to GITS to Sky Crawlers, to Studio Ghibli movies, Soul Eater or Claymore instead.