Metropolis

Rating:
Summary: That was a genuinely FrEaKy movie!
Review: Well...it's kind of hard to describe. No doubt, countless other reviewers have discussed and critiqued the vague storyline, and all the strange and pronlonged turns it takes. When considering the movie aferwards, though, one is quite tempted to say they enjoyed it quite a bit.
It's just a strange piece of work, in both good, and questionable ways.
Yes, yes, me and my friend almost had a conniption from laughing at the end bit with that Ray Charles song. It's...it's hard to describe the utter levitated strangeness of that moment...
The animation is a bit out of place though with the characters at times, and Tima becomes just plain messed-up...
But if you watch this, it will certainly give you something to remember.

Rating:
Summary: Really Good
Review: This movie was really cool. I loved the music. The characters were very well developed. I agree with other reviewers it left you wanting more. I would reccomend you see it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: First of all, let me say that the animation was wonderful. Not all anime fans are into computer-generated animation, but I feel it was used to great effect in this movie. (I'll admit that the "un-animelike" characters bugged me a little, but I understand and respect that they were designed to be like those in the original Tezuka manga.) In addition to the animation, I liked the special features that were bundled with the movie. For these two reasons it gets two stars.

Unfortunately, that's where the movie's good points end.

The characters were severely underdeveloped. At the turning point of the movie, I felt that I knew very little about both Kenichi and Tima, and as a result I couldn't get interested in what was happening to them. It seemed to me that the most well developed character was Rock, who was intended to be third-important at best.

I also got the general feeling that some scenes were created just to show off the animation, when that time could have been better used on the story. And while (as all seasoned anime fans know) it is unreasonable to expect a happy ending, I was expecting at least SOME resolution. There was very little. Instead I put this movie away with a kind of empty feeling.

My verdict? Rent it, don't buy it. It's worth seeing once (especially the fireworks scene at the beginning), just to enjoy the quality of the animation, but the animation is nothing more than a fancy gold finish on a rusty story.

Rating:
Summary: Great Graphics but leaves a lot to be desired
Review: I really enjoyed a lot of the movie but the ending was a total bust. It leaves you thinking why in the hell would they choose that for an ending. In fact a good portion of the movie leaves you feeling like that. I wouldn't particulary recomend it to anyone. It was a decent movie. The graphics were amazing but other than that I'd pass on it. If you want to see a good anime leaving you wanting more check out Angel Sancuary. It takes a little while to latch on but if you can sit through Metropolis you'll do fine in Angel Sancuary, and unlike Metropolis when you are finished watching it you'll feel you didn't just waste your time :)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Anime...
Review: I originally rented this movie as an "I just want to see an Anime movie" rental. I must say that I was quite surprised at how this movie turned out to be. The backgrounds used in this movie are spectacular (to me, they looked almost like the CG movies found in the Final Fantasy VIII and IX games). The plot was very interesting as well; it made you wonder what was going to happen next. All in all, the merging of animation and computer-rendered backgrounds in this movie look great (they don't look "cheesy" at all). I really don't excessively buy DVDs, but I may just get this one. Also, if you like this movie, or are a fan of Anime, I suggest renting/buying Princess Mononoke (a very good movie as well).

Rating:
Summary: The best anime I've come across...
Review: I saw this anime while looking for a new release in Blockbuster. I saw the cover and went "Hm this looks interesting" so I rented it.

This movie combined beautiful 3-D CGI backgrounds with 2-D anime characters seamlessly. The visuals are enough to make you want this.

The storyline is easy to follow for beginners and the characters are likeable, even Rock. You end up caring about the characters, which may be hard for some people (with anime).

This movie will wow you with the look of it, and move you with the plot and end.

This 2-disc set is full of subtitled interviews and behind-the-scenes information about the director and creator. Watch the movie in Japanese with many subtitles for all nations or English.

I recommend this movie to all anime fans.

Rating:
Summary: Snooze Plot
Review: Alright I was hopeful that this anime would turn out to be a superb materpiece! However i started the movie and fell asleeps fourty-five minutes into the picture.
People raved how great the graphics were nbut i feel that CGI has no place in anime.
This movie should recieve negative stars.

Rating:
Summary: "Metropolis" a futuristic eye feast with a helping of heart
Review: First of all, I absolutely cannot stand the Far East animation treat that has entered our Western popular culture. That's right. I hate anime. There's something about twisted super-human cartoon characters, badly drawn, and moreover, badly dubbed dialogue that simply reviles me. That being said, only two anime feature films have truly dazzled me in recent days, "Akira", and now "Metropolis".

My inhibitions of anime aside, "Metropolis" is unlike the gloom and doom post-Appocalyptic visions of "Akira", or the partially cohesive story line. Instead, "Metropolis" presents a maze of towering buldings and skyscrapers, seemingly reaching to the sky, amassed in tangled and twisted metal, in which robots and humans coexist, robots being in submissive subserviance to humans. Amid the busiling choas of this picture, we throw in characters for which we can actually sympathize for, particularly Tima, the radical super-robot humanoid, and Kenichi, the nephew of a detective sent to investigate the sinister Duke Red's plot to sieze absolute power in the world of robots and humans. Add the Duke's rebelious adopted son Rock, a sprinkle of peasant uprising against the robots, and Tima's ultimate destiny, and the story is set, conflict ensues, and everything wraps up in Metropolis nicely.

What "Metropolis" achieves is a very intricate story that works provided your comprehension is willing to work with it. "Metropolis" desires more than just knock us over with it's superb combination of 2D and computer generated imagery, but it aspires to integrate a story within that world. And it achieves both stunningly. The best part about the story of "Metropolis" is it actually has a semi-happy ending. Yes, the city is in ruins, but there's hope, and where there is hope, there's, at least, a happy ending.

"Metropolis" also sports an enjoyable, and interesting soundtrack, using American jazz, Dixieland, and Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" during the climactic sequence of the film, reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove"'s use of "We'll Meet Again" sequence. That should perk up our Western musical tastes.

Loosely drawn from Fritz Lang's 1925 silent film "Metropolis", "Metropolis" is truly a stunning achievement in anime. I was wholly entertained, and satisfied that I let my critical disdain for anime fall so I could enjoy this truly remarkable animated feature.

Rating:
Summary: Between God and Man
Review: This is the tale of a leader who desires to be God and create a perfect human to rule the world with him. Can that really happen? What makes a perfect human?

This is Carrie meets Genesis 11 done anime style. And what a show this is! When a lab is destroyed where the building of a perfect human in the form of a small girl, a detective saves her and they go about trying to make it to familiar friends. They need to overcome adversaries such as rebels who kill robots, and the corrupt government who want to take the girl. This 1st half can be somewhat slow and not that amazing, but halfway through the film takes a turn to the interesting side. What will happen when the perfect "human" finds out she is a machine? What is family worth? And should humans really try to play God? All I can say is there are severe consequences.

The animation is wonderful, and has cgi put in. In addition to a great story, this DVD is packed with extras. There is something that will interest most people. Okay if your an anime fan, im sure you've already seen this, or plan to, but if your not a fan of anime, you should still see this. It sends a message about family, prejudice, corruption, and tampering with human beings. This film has many layers, and I'm sure most people will enjoy it. 4 stars, instead of 5 only because the beginning is somewhat slow and I feel they could have made it slightly better, but still, I recommend this.

Rating:
Summary: Hmmmmmm.......
Review: Osamu Tezuka's Metroplolis is a masterpiece, even if it is not the pace you like or not bloody enough for you it is still a grand piece of animation. The second mini-disc is proclaimed as the first ever but Gamecube games are on mini-DVDs so this is not entirely true, and as long as there is an inner-tray in your disc tray I think you should be fine to play it.

Video: The quality of the animation is spectacular and the computer and cell images blend together nicely. In most instances it is easy for the trained of eye to easily distinguish the different forms of animation and there is also a tiny bit of "floating" and some of the computer animation does look out of place, so there is a minor score loss there. 8/10

Sound: English and Japanese tracks are both pretty good borrowing english voice talents form such as Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star so it should not dissapoint. The audio is very crisp and I never found it off or crackling. 10/10 (for 5.1)

Bonus Disc: It is good if you enjoy interviews and history and things of that sort, there are no games or real extravagant features. The amusing features are multi-angle views of production and a tiny art gallery. 8/10

Cons and Gripes: The only reason I gave this movie 4 stars instead of 5 is the kid-based approach that was taken to this movie. I feel that in trying to make it acceptable to everyone they left out adult content that was needed. When people get shot (it happens enough) they don't really bleed and also the themes could have been explored more in depth if the movie was just a little meaner.

P.S. To me this movie seemed to have a lot of Katsuhiro Otomo throwbacks in it. There is the political betrayal, like Akira, a social uprising, also like Akira, and there is a chair used in symbolism and it is important near the end of the movie, hey Akira again! I have never read the original Metropolis manga so I am not sure how much of this Otomo added in but if anyone else has a comment on this feel free to e-mail me.