Metropolis

Rating:
Summary: the next best thing to life
Review: This movie was fantastic! I am so happy that I spent [the money] on it. The CG is amazing, which about %90 of the movie was made with it. The endig is what really got me in the heart. That was probably the most climatic part in the whole movie. It is a superb work of art. It will carve itself into your mind forever

Rating:
Summary: A.I + 5th ELEMENT + GUMN +ASTRO BOY ="metropolis"
Review: A.I because tima is like "david", she can also have sentiments,her facial morphology is based on a photo of a deceased child. (in a.i david is the copy of his creator's child. in metropolis, it's duke red's daughter.)

5th element,...because of the architectural designs..the city of metropolis is almost identical.

Gumn , because the conclusion of metropolis is very similar.

astroboy, because of the characters, the style, etc...everything is pretty much faithful to the original comic book written by OSAMU TEZUKA.

overall, "metropolis" is technicaly very impressive. the music composed by Toshiyuki honda is splendid...lots of metaphorical messages, and facinating adventures..what else can i say? the japonese are specialised, and disney should be ashamed of what they're presently doing.
my only problem with metropolis?.. the last 10 or 15 mins..but, as an ensemble, it is a brilliant animated movie.

SUGGESTIONS:
Aeon FLux , the Maxx , AVALon (directed by mamoru oshii) ,Ghost in the shell , sprigan..

Rating:
Summary: Good and Bad Points.
Review: Ok, here we go. First I'd like to address the various complaints people have had about this film, so as to help others who are thinking of getting this:

1. This film is nothing like Fritz Lang's 1926 film of the same name!

No, no it's not. And it wasn't meant to be, it gets its name from a 1940's manga, not from the b&w silent classic. There are similarities though (homages if you like it, theft if you don't) with the city being divided into levels in the film in contrast to the single-level sprawl of the comics, and the design of the 'throne' prior to its transformation.

2. The characters don't look like standard anime characters!/They're too cartoony, I don't like non-realstic characters!

No, no they don't. But, if you did some checking, rather than spending [money] on a DVD you know nothing about, you'd find out that it's based on (I prefer to say inspired by) a comic by Osamu Tezuka, the same man who created Astro Boy, so you should know what to expect. Big eyes, short legs, round bodies, and exagerrated facial features (Duke Red's nose being the most noticable) If you don't think you can deal with this, then this film isn't for you. If you can, you may like it.

3. What's with the music, especially using a soulful, melancholy piece over a violent section of the film?

Ahhh... that's a homage to yet another old b&W classic, Dr. Strangelove. Which brings us into the bad points about this film:

Bad Points:

1. It's not that original. The plot borrows heavily from everywhere. Robots who aren't allowed on one section and people who kill them if they're found (Blade Runner), the Dr. Strangelove inspired sequence, and of course the obvious bits from the Fritz Lang film of the same name. While some of this unoriginality may be placed on the fact that bits of it come from the 1940's, where it was more than likely original, it just doesn't seem that fresh today.

2. The plot seems kind of incomplete. Questions are never answered that we'd like to have answered (they aren't crucial to the plot, but they still would be nice to know)

Good Points:

Those however, are the major bad points, and if you'll notice, they all deal with the plot. That's because for this film, the visuals are stunning.

The traditional cell animation characters over the CG backgrounds works well for the most part, and results in an amazing feast for the eyes. If you enjoy it, you'll want to watch it over and over again to catch the little bits you missed. In fact, that's the main reason to watch this, even just once. The plot's not that bad (it's actually quite enjoyable for the most part, just not wholly original) and if you manage to ignore the non-traditional character designs (something any anime fan should learn to do in my not-so-humble opinion, we don't expect all movie stars to look like one particular actor, we shouldn't expect all cartoon characters to look the same either) then your eyes will be in for an enjoyable experience. (And if you like the plot, all the better)

Since this is a DVD review, may as well mention the extras, which are all included on the second disc. There's some characer sketches, biographies on Rintaro (the director) and Osamu Tezuka (nothing too special really), interviews with the filmmakers, all of these are nice, but are nothing special. (There's also some multi-angle animation comparisons which I haven't watched, so I can't say what they're like.) What's really nice though is the 30-min special, which includes interviews, discussions of the animation techniques, and a few pictures of the original manga, allowing you to see the main differences in the two.

As for the audio, you get Japanese 5.1 in DTS and Dolby Digital, English in Dolby Digital, and French and you get a whole slew of subtitles, including two seperate English sets (the original translation and the theatrical release ones.)

Overall, the film's got a plot that's not too annoying, really enjoyable visuals, and the DVD's got enough extras to satisfy the fans of the film, if I could, I'd give it a 3.75, which is good, seeing as few films ever hit a 4 on my scale, and even fewer hit the magical 5. Take a chance, you'll probably enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: WOW! This Film Blew Me Away!!
Review: Once in a blue moon you will be lucky enough to see and hear a movie this good. Metropolis is one of those PERFECT works of anime, it is the Akira of the new millenium, and this DVD's sound and picture quality is awesome. If you have never seen an anime film, watch this one. Believe me, you'll become a fan of the genre after watching Metropolis.

I cannot describe the quality of the visuals in this movie, it is truly an incredible achievement in animation and a great tribute to the original Fritz Lang silent film. The soundtrack is perfect, no matter what the critics say. BUY THIS FILM.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificantly the Top Film!
Review: There are so many words that could describe what I think of this movie, and one of the so many is- Wow!
This Anime film is by-far the top I have seen this year. Over coming the famous Princess Mononoke, Metropolis is a brilliant animation that comes from the future of robots and destruction.

In the high-tech world of Metropolis, Duke Red is a powerful man with some plans to create a highly advanced robot by the name of: Tima. But Duke Red's brutal son Rock has a grudge against all robots and intends to get rid Tima, once and for all.
Now Tima is stuck between the violent world of pain and emotions. Luckily, she befriends a young detective's nephew, who is slowly falling for her. With both of the two not knowing the truth of Tima being a robot, things hit down hard when finally she finds out, causing the fate of the world - and Tima's life - to become dangerously caught at the edge.

Rating:
Summary: It does'nt get much better than this!
Review: the second first started watching Metropolis I was very impressed and intruigued, and as the story unfolded and I started to know the charactors it got better and better and kept on going up in quolity. It keeps you interested and wandering what could happen next. The cute and curious female lead in this-Tima-has a sort of air about her that just makes you love her charactor right away. then theres the main charactor, Ken-ichi and his detective uncle, a great team that is actually seperated most of the movie. And there are the robots the cool sweet innocent beings that help out our freinds on their journey. Then of course there are the villans, the scum and characters you just sort of hate, they look menacing enough but not quite evil-like most movies-. The animation is sort of a tribute to early anime which gives it a really cool feel and view. It's story is a mix between Ghost in the Shell and Akira, but a little less intense. I watch alot of movies and alot of anime and I know a great anime when I see one and this IS a great movie, not just in the anime genra, it's a great movie. I hope-and think-this will bring a whole new era of anime but i doubt any of it will be much better than this wonderful film.

Rating:
Summary: WOW EYE-POPPING IMAGES
Review: The Zigarut is an art deco tower that thrusts up in the middle of "METROPOLIS." Inside, evil Duke Red plans to rule the world from it. And to do so, a new robot is being developed by Duke's main dude, Dr. Laughton. When completed, it will command all the machines in the world.

Stunningly detailed and literally breathtaking -- yes, you will actually gasp in awe -- visuals saturate "METROPOLIS." Although based on Osamu Tezuka's 1949 graphic novel of the same name, the story in this opulent eye candy does not quite live up to its remarkable images.

The plot follows a detective who arrives in Metropolis in his hunt for Laughton. But when Rock, the duke's nutso adopted son attacks the secret robot lab, Kenichi the detective's nephew and the delicate android Tima escape into the city's underground regions and fall in love.

Director Rintaro lifts scenes, ideas and elements (or is it an homage?) from Fritz Lang's 1926 "Metropolis" and Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner." The sound track is unusual in its choices in much the same way Kubrick used songs to counterpoint in "Dr. Strangelove." For instance, when the Zigarut crumbles, we hear Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You."

Even if the story is sometimes convoluted and hard to follow, the fabulous images make this something worth seeing. A second mini disc includes an animax special making of "Metropolis," interviews, concept art and much more.

Rating:
Summary: uneven, but worth the watch
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: a brilliant, instant classic
Review: First of all, let me say that Katsuhiro Otomo is a genius. If you're a fan of anime this movie is necessary for a worthy collection; (as is anything else Katsuhiro Otomo has done.) This movie is amazing- the colors are stunning, the sound (5.1) is UNBELIEVABLE, and the computer animation blends smoothly with the cell (hand-drawn) animation. Rintaro did an awesome job directing this film; (remember Galaxy Express?) And the most important thing of all, the story! The plot is gripping and dramatic, while at the same time exciting and dishing out plenty of action. You'll find no spoilers in this review because this movie is too good for words. You have to see it for yourself. Like so many others are beginning to belive, Metropolis may actually exceed Akira and take its place as the new classic in anime. If you're a hardcore anime fan and you don't already own Metropolis: shame on you.

Rating:
Summary: Jonbenet and Saturation Bombing
Review: A strange mix of "high" and "cutesy" take this animated feature into uncharted territories. Childhood innocence hits a wall of cynicism and war in this breathtakingly beautiful, animated feature from Japan. This is not for everyone, but if you like Final Fantasy, Blade Runner or the Wizard of Oz, you may very well love this. I did.