Rating: 
Summary: A Beautiful Anime Film For All Ages
Review: Remember Osamu Tezuka for his work on Astro Boy and Kimba? Well, even though he died of stomach cancer in 1989 doesn't mean his artwork is dead. With combined forces of Katsuhura Otomo (who was also working on Spriggan at the time) and Rintaro (who oddly enough was denied to make a movie of Metropolis when Tezuka was alive) combine on what has become the new AKIRA of the 21st Century.Ironically enough, Metropolis (when it was published in 1947) is set in the year 2000. After the completed Ziggurat has been built in Metropolis, the most popular billionare in Metropolis, Duke Red, plans to use an android modeled after his dead daughter to rule the world. However, with deception a foot and political themes getting way out of hand turns Metropolis into a ticking time bomb. When Kenichi and his uncle San go to Metropolis to arrest Doctor Laughton for vivisection and organ dealing. However, when they finally find him, Duke Red's adopted son Rock has already set the lab on fire. Inside, Kenichi meets a girl that changes his life forever. What I love the best about Metropolis is that it sticks extremely close to Osamu Tezuka's original designs while at the same time successfully combining it with CG and fluid animation. And since it has been five years in the making, you know it is going to look good. One of the main points about Metropolis is the heavy detail. Everything is highly detailed from people to blimbs to trains to cars are all successfully combined to make the cityscape easy to get use to. Many are wondering what the English dub is like since Metropolis was released in theaters in it's original Japanese form. The script is fairy close to the original, but not dead on which is sometimes a good time. The dub actors aren't famous, but they are people who know how to do voice acting. Notice how Kenichi is played by the same guy who does the voice of Jim Hawking on Outlaw Star and that Tima's voice actress use to do the voice of Minmei on Robotech. The DVD features on the mini-disc are pretty good if you really want to get down and dirty with Metropolis. Everything is here from production designs, animation comparisons, history of the comic, biographies, featurette and interviews. I should however mention there is a preview for the Cowboy Bebop movie coming out soon, but it's mostly old footage you've probably already seen for it. Overall, Metropolis is a great film that can be enjoyed by all ages. Highly recommended for all audiances even if they don't have any knowledge of the comic at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie- Bothersome Animation
Review: OK OK i dont want to burst people's bubbles, because i know everyone is saying that the animation of this movie is THE BEST EVER, but unfortunately i have to disagree. Probably 85% of this movie is done with computers, and to me, that is just too much. i will say though that the computer animation was VERY well done. also, the thing that probably bothered me the most, WAS THE ANIMATION OF THE PEOPLE. i realize that this was the comic-like style of the creator of this story, but to me it really really takes away from the movie and makes it seem like they spent tons and tons of money on the computer stuff and got careless with the regular animation. it doesnt seem like japanese anime style at all- most of the people have very small and undetailed eyes, they look totally misproportioned (they have very thick lower legs that look bizarre), they are very short, and their coloring and over-all look is again NOT ANIME-LIKE.
THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE. however, after seeing the huge amount of computer animation and strangely done characters, i didnt want to categorize it as anime at all and it left me feeling slightly disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Theme has been way over done in anime
Review: The theme of this movie is that of a robot wondering and desperately hoping that it is human while the people around it are far from being considered humane. This area has been explored very thoroughly by such Anime as "Ghost in the Shell," or even in the movie "Bicentenial Man." Metropolis does nothing to add to the genre, and may even subtract from it. While there are some very mature scenes in the movie such as a robot suffering an oily death, I wound up not really caring too much about many of the characters because it felt so cartoony. The main villain, Rock, was a complete characature lacking depth and was constantly being defeated by pretty much everyone. And the main antagonists just couldn't seem to realize that they should actually just tie him up and hand him to the authorities, but nope, they have to just leave him where they found him so he'll have time to become even angrier and show up yet again later in the movie. If you're not familiar with anime, than you may find something new here, but I recommend looking elsewhere.
While the animation is very well done, it is really nothing more than an homage to "Tin Tin" and gives the movie a cartoonish feel (well, true, it is a cartoon, but the art style makes it seem even more cartoonish if you can believe that) of an animation from that of the 60s, and winds up transferring the sympathy for the characters to thinking about how cute they look on screen. The CGI seems to be pretty hit and miss with this as sometimes it blends well, and other times it doesn't and can become quite an eyesore.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece!
Review: This is the best anime I have ever seen. A labor of love. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: Metropolis
Review: First, the pros:
1. Two thumbs up for the city of Metropolis! The visuals of the city are simply breathtaking! (Check out the beginning when the Ziggurat is first seen - it just rises up forever! And wait for the ending when the tower explodes - that is a great scene!)
2. The robots are interesting. It's interesting to watch the different robots being used for different things throughout the film. The film really points out how integrated they are in the society. (Watch the radiation scene)
3. The different levels to the city. It was interesting to see the underground levels beneath the city - it clearly showed the different levels of society too. Now to the cons:
1. Unfortunately, with all of the cool visuals, it's kind of strange that the characters themselves are visually uninspiring and awkward. With their huge eyes and round features, they appear too cutesy to fit in with the very real city of Metropolis.
2. While the idea is great, the story never gets developed in the film. The characters are flat and boring...the robots have more emotion than the humans. The only character that had any potential is Rock; but unfortunately, he is never given the chance to fully develope since the film keeps focusing on the boring ones, including the humaniod "super-being" Tima.
3. Who chose the songs to play during the most spectacular and dramatic scenes!? The music was, for the most part, mediocre but appropriate (Cowboy Bebop does a much better job with jazz music) but it really became annoying at times. A prime example was the final scene: it was visually stunning, but it was totally ruined by the very ill-suited song that accompanied it. If it was the Director's attempt to use a gentle song against a destructive scene, it was a poor attempt. There are plenty other films that do a much better job at it. Conclusion: While a visual feast (minus the characters) and a nice idea, Metropolis is nothing more than a poor attempt on a theme that has been used much better in other films. Rent it for the cool scenery, but in the end, stick to films that have done a much better job at the human-robot theme: Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira. (It actually deserves a '2' rating, but I was feeling generous and I enjoyed watching the city.)
Rating:
Summary: METROPOLIS is #1
Review: I just saw Metropolis and I have never seen a movie like it.The colors and backround are so real and intreging. The story is so real. It's happy,sad,deperssing,lovly,wonderful,spectacular and I could go on forever. The ending is not going to tell. Maybe it's happy,sad, or in the middle. All I know is that I am going to watch this movie every chance I get. You should by this on DVD that way you can watch it in it's original Japanese form(with subtitles) and you will get the full experiance. Tima(the robot) and Ken-ichi are the most kindest and loving people in the world, I hope this review helps you make a decision on whether to watch it or not. All I can say if you don't see it you will be missing the best anime in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of animation!
Review: I first saw this movie at an arthouse cinema in Cambridge,MA in the middle of February in its original Japanese language version with subtitles, and I was amazed. The animation is spectacular! And the soundtrack, which I also purchased from BlackMoon.com, is wonderful. Today, I brought home the DVD release, and the English dub track is much better it seems to me in terms of the voice acting than the original. This movie is a delight!
Rating:
Summary: Must See
Review: I really, really enjoyed this. I wasn't sure I would, after hearing the about the lack of depth, and, of course, Ray Charles. But I did. I really did. The music, saxphone in the beginning, giving it an 1940 feel, fit perfectly. And when "I Can't Stop Loving You" played, well, the effect was strange, sure, but not at all bad. I ordered this from another site, and just finished watching it. (Delivered two days earlier then amazon, but no biggie, at least amazon is selling good anime) The DVD picture, and the bonuses...well, they deserve 5 stars. Great behind the scenes look at the CGI.
Rating:
Summary: Intense, Emotional, Thrilling, Funny!
Review: I have been dying to see this movie for so long (before I saw it I didn't know what I was going to see, I just like watching anime and that is what this is). I finally rented it and absolutely loved it. I found it to have the psychotic-ness of both "Akira" (the director and creator Katsuhiro Otomo, wrote the screenplay for "Metropolis") and the dark and emotional sense of "A.I. Artificial Intelligence". Actually there was an uncanny resemblence of both movies in this one. The anarchist elements of "Akira" are featured throughout the movie and one of the main characters is a robot hater that is reminiscent of some of the characters in "A.I."! I enjoyed this movie thoroughly and will add this movie to my collection. Watch it if you have seen Akira and A.I. and try to find the scenes I'm talking about.
Rating:
Summary: mmm beautiful.
Review: I keep seeing this movie getting slagged for its lack of plot, but you should know that around 30 minutes were cut from this film for the U.S. release. If you watch this film knowing that you can see the jumps in the plot. I hope we get the deffinitive realease in the vein of the recent release of Akira but I hope we don't have to wait ten years.
|
