Parts of it are very silly, but it is still extraordinarily powerful as cinema and its meanings grow murkier, not clearer, with what we now know of Lang's life.
Metropolis (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:55
Fresh:50
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Even though the storyline is nothing new, Metropolis is an eye-popping visual treat.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
US Box Office: $494,432
Synopsis:
Metropolis: A future society, where humans and robots co-exist. A giant city-state, atop of which rests what could be termed a symbol of the advanced civilization, the newly completed skyscraper...
Metropolis: A future society, where humans and robots co-exist. A giant city-state, atop of which rests what could be termed a symbol of the advanced civilization, the newly completed skyscraper Ziggurat, where an opening ceremony is underway…
During the middle of a florid speech by Duke Red, the prime mover and shaker of Metropolis, a disruptive party crasher is shot and killed by a young security guard, But after it turns out the gatecrasher was just a robot, the young guard goes nonchalantly on his way. Two of the bystanders at the scene watch with great interest. They are Private Detective Shunsaku Ban and his traveling companion, his young brilliant nephew, Kenichi, both of whom have just arrived in Metropolis on the trail of a case.
Their investigation leads them to a laboratory, where a fire breaks out after they break in. Escaping by the skin of his teeth, Kenichi has a fateful encounter with a girl, Tima, who is actually the robotic double of Duke Red’s deceased daughter. Tima has no idea that she is a robot, nor is she aware of the fact that she was secretly imbued with enough power to control the world.
In the midst of the madness surrounding them, the human Kenichi and the robot Tima open their hearts to each other, even as they’re stalked by a persistent killer.
Rock, the young leader of the vigilante Marduk Party and adopted child of Duke Red, has no plans to allow Tima to become Duke Red’s successor. He instead plots to remove her as an obstacle. But Tima is eventually abducted and imprisoned by her “father,” Duke Red, who reveals her robotic origin to her and his plan to place her on the seat of world power. Though she doesn’t know it yet, the fate of Metropolis and all human-robot relations lie in Tima’s hands. -- © 2001 Columbia TriStar
Director: Rintaro
Director: Rintaro
Story: Osamu Tezuka
Screenwriter: Katsuhiro Otomo
Producer: Katsuhiro Otomo, Yasuhiro Nakura, Shuichi Hirata, Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi, Kouki Okada
Composer: Rin Taro, Toshiyuki Honda
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Reviews for Metropolis
Wow. Japanese animation reaches new heights (if that's possible considering what we've already seen) with this superb adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's 1949 manga (comic book).
It smoothly blends outrageously diverse visual styles and emotional tones.
Otomo's typically sophisticated script ensures slick pacing, combining humour, terror and pathos, particularly in the final scenes.
Metropolis se veut une %u0153uvre impressionnante, à la hauteur des noms qui lui sont rattachés.
Doubling up on the imagery makes for an interesting, though ultimately somewhat unfulfilling, experience.
One of the best animated films I have ever seen, and it is one of the finest films released in the US last year.
While some of the subplots are very sketchy and the motivations of some of the characters are not clear, it is a journey worth taking because of the wondrous imagery.
In the end, the story doesn't really matter that much as this is really a vehicle for the amazing visuals.
One of the best looking and stylish animated movies in quite a while . . .
If you are a fan of animation you’ll want to watch it more than once.
A film of staggering technical and visual virtuosity, filled with utterly amazing images, that's also entertaining and engaging for children and adults on several levels.
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