Metropolis (2001)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Katsuhiro Otomo, based on Osamu Tezuka's manga
Directed by Rintaro

Features:

• theatrical trailers
• animated menus
• making-of special
• filmmaker interviews
• multi-angle animation comparisons
• history of the Metropolis comic book
• biographies of the comic writer and director
• conceptual art gallery
• Japanese, French, and English audio
• English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai subtitles

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• animated violence
• unfortunate soundtrack choices
• icky imagery

Rating: PG-13

Anamorphic: Yep.

My Advice: Buy it.

A classic story of humanity versus technology, Metropolis the film is based upon Osamu Tezuka's manga, published in 1949. The evil Duke Red has a plan: ruling the world from his Ziggurat using a new kind of robot that will control every machine in the world. Shunsaku Ban, a detective, and his nephew Kenichi have recently arrived in Metropolis and just might be the only people who can stop Duke Red. Eventually, Duke Red's adopted son Rock attacks, and Kenichi and an android named Tima are forced to take refuge in the city's underground--of course they fall in love. Violence and chase-scenes ensue.

The video quality and overall look of the film are amazing. The colors are crisp and clear, and the backgrounds, as well as the scenes of the city itself, are detailed and as cyberpunk as you could want. Much of the animation is computer-generated, yielding a realistic look that forms a perfect backdrop for the story, and the cel imagery blends nicely with the computer-generated art. The almost cheerful art deco look of Metropolis' architecture makes the unfolding tragedy all the more surreal. Unfortunately, the look of the characters doesn't quite match--the characters are stock Anime, even rounder than usual, and jar slightly with the realistic, gritty, and dark aesthetic of the rest of the film.

The characterization is similarly flat. While the story seems to demand character development--fear, love, imminent death, etc--the characters in truth change very little and don't come across as actual people; instead, they seem more like types than individuals, but the story does not demand such archetypal representation. While the film may look a great deal like Blade Runner, the characters lack much of the comparative depth; viewers understand neither why Kenichi and Tima would love one another, nor why any of us should care.

The features are simply amazing. This DVD has just about anything you could possibly want in a such a disc, certainly all the features that you wish other discs had, such as interviews with the creators, animation galleries, and a list of languages that should please any fan. The making-of special is interesting and technical, and the conceptual art gallery does an outstanding job of cluing viewers in on the design process. The unusual multi-angle gallery tells viewers a bit about how animated films are directed; we see how a simple arm movement (for example) can change the whole look of the scene and underscore or disrupt intended impact.

The plot is good, but nothing special. Viewers won't be surprised, but neither will they feel as if the cliché elements are meant to be a sort of homage. The typical Japanese trope of humanity versus technology was done just as well, if not better, in such films as Akira and Ghost in the Shell, and viewers will be hard-pressed to find a unique or particularly interesting contribution to the genre in Metropolis. That said, however, Metropolis is fun and beautiful to watch, and the chase scenes are tense and exciting--if there have been better action movies, there have surely been many that were much worse.

The sound is crystal clear, and the voices, both English and Japanese, do an outstanding job of conveying emotion. Too bad the script doesn't give the voice actors enough character to work with. It's also a bit odd that the music chosen to play while the evil Duke's wicked Tower of Babel is crumbling happens to be "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles. Are we to weep for Duke Red's lost dream? Or are we to assume that the power of Tima and Kenichi's love is what has ultimately toppled the Duke's Ziggurat?

In short, Metropolis is a lovely film, and you should see it for that reason. The lack of character development and surprising story means that you probably won't need to see it more than once, but you may want to study the film for its very real production values. The extras on the disc alone will keep you fascinated for hours, as will thoughts of how Tezuka's dystopia varied from other tech-futures in such films as The Fifth Element or Blade Runner.