Rating: 
Summary: Not quite the original
Review: I was enjoying this right up until halftime, when the defective disc stopped playing. The biggest problem with the film is with aspects that could have been corrected.KINO has no basis taking a German titled silent film, removing the German titles from the film and transposing " digital " English titles. It really damages the film, and some of us who can read German would have preferred having the option of either original German titles by themselves or having english subtitles underneath the German from the actual film. One part, where the Tower of Babel is described as "Praised by one and cursed by many " actually shows the German titles, by mistake, first! You may have to stop/freeze to see the German. What a sloopy restoration! I do not know about the jerky movements of the actors in the film. Some have said that it was an error by KINO that undermines Lang's original cut. No question though, the movements are incredibly jerky and stilted throughout the film. Of course, this dvd is worth getting, there seems to be no other edition out.
Rating:
Summary: Call me a caviller, but...
Review: It' a classic, no question about it. But is it really that great? I find it diffucult not to cheer at the evil Robot-Messiah turning the slave-workers into communists, destroying the machines and flooding the city, but I'm not sure that's the point. Hitler wept with emotion after the screening, actually he saw it on several occasions and declared it his favourite movie. McCarhthy would had wept too, if he knew anything about art. Well, I don't think the story or the ethics has made it a classic, rather the visuals, but apart from the transformation-scene they aren't really that impressive. The german expressionist-scene has made far superior movies, not half as celebrated as this one. I wonder why.
Fritz Langs own "M" is a much better movie, great visuals, intelligent script, great acting (in stark contrast to the silly twitching in this one), brilliant and disturbing - and made only four years after this hilariously overrated piece of hokum. Not to mention that the nazis hated it.
Rating: 
Summary: Ahhh - silent movie bliss!
Review: I was lucky enough to see this film in its 2003 restoration - with the full original soundtrack - in a boutique cinema. The only other version I have seen is the Moroder version.
Watching this film as it was originally shown is silent movie bliss. The soundtrack, which I expected to be rather weak and "old fashioned", turned out to be every bit as exciting and dramatically orchestrated as any modern film - and of course it is newly recorded in Dolby Surround!
Of course, this is the film that was butchered by studios just like Abel Gance's "Napoleon". Unlike Abel Gance's "Napoleon" we will probably never, ever see this film completely restored. The company that restored this film in 2003 must have been through a great deal, finding as many of the remaining fragments as possible, to reconstruct this film to the best level of completeness possible.
Alas, many scenes were still missing. Alas, they will probably remain missing. This version provides text summaries for the (now much fewer) remaining gaps in the story. It is much more comprehensible than any previous version; the storyline may still suck, but at least it's much more coherent!
The restorers also redid many of the special effects using original elements - my favourite is the infinite streams of slaves making the Tower of Babel! - and also restored the image so that it literally looks like a new film. Overall, this film was quite an experience in the theatre. If only more silent classics were shown in such painstaking restorations!
Rating: 
Summary: Buyer beware
Review: Buyer beware. I saw "restored authorized edition," and foolishly assumed this was the Giorgio Moroder version, with his modern rock score, tasteful colorized accents, and missing footage. Always read the fine print. If you're a silent film purest you might like this version, but with DVD technology wouldn't it be nice to give us the option to toggle between the modern enhancements and this version's antiquated , "1927 orchestral score?"
Rating:
Summary: An Opinion Contrary to Convention
Review: I kept waiting for the great looking female robot (what really qualifies this as sci-fi), and she has all of a minute of screen time! All that work to design and create her, so why not find a way to use her? As to the poignancy of the narrative, it is basically angry communist propaganda. Time did not prove that philosophy relevant. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the story, the cinematography, nor the acting. And the entertainment value is fairly low for a film this deep into the silent era. I really don't think this film is at all entertaining or important. Fire away, but I think this is probably the overrated silent film ever.
Rating:
Summary: The BESTTTTTTTTTT
Review: The best Science Fiction Movie ever made, from 1926 til' now -"NOTHING NEW IN THE WORLD" - the most beautiful production, excellent.... 78 YEARS STILL THE BEST!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: Science fiction suffers from a lack of sound and color. I love old sf films -- but I have to agree with Stanley Kubrick (as quoted by Arthur C. Clarke in The Making of 2001 -- A Space Odyssey). Most science fiction before 2001 -- A Space Odyssey is awful. My love of Metropolis and Things to Come and Destination Moon is a result of nostalgia -- an 80 year old man may still love an 80 year old woman, but he can hardly expect a young man to see her in the same light. The only reason for a young person to watch old (pre-Kubrick) sf films is to learn about the history of the science fiction film. If you do want to learn about the history of film sf, Metropolis is the place to start, and despite some valid and informative objections from purists, this version comes the closest to making sense.
Rating:
Summary: How could they blow this?
Review: Metropolis is one of my favorite movies of all time. Furthermore is one of my favorite stories of all time.
I was quite exited to see a Restored "Authorized" Edition, but when I saw it I was very dissapointed.
The restauration in this one is one of the most uncaring and unloving works I have seen. They did not care if the story in the movie was told smoothly or not, they just said "hey we found this footage... lets stick it in!!", and they did.
Some of the the chunks they put in made the story relly on the written letters and less in the image, and some others were just not calibrated at the right speed (but oh, yeah, we managed to restore this "lost marvels"... right).
People in charge of restaurations, please: before gluing the pieces together, first learn to love the film you are working , wonder if the restauration you are making adds some merit to the film or it is just candy for the depraved film experts out there... Movies are not meant to be classes of history (although they are) they are supposed to be tales told with lights and shadows and wonder... Do not spoil them with bits and pices that spoil or might spoil the fun.
Rating:
Summary: Best version so far
Review: This may very well be the most complete version of Metropolis since the film first debuted. I won't go into the plot, but after nearly 80 years Metropolis is still an engrossing film and good piece of sci-fi. The first hour of the film may cause some sleepiness but I promise you'll be captivated by the end. The audio on the DVD is outstanding. 5.1 audio really manages to do the score justice. The film is silent(no spoken dialogue), but character's emotions come through quite clearly if exaggerated. Inserted text fills the viewer in on the missing plot due to the still missing pieces of film. The appearance of the film is great. The cinematography is amazing, the art deco is interesting, and the pyrotechnics are outstanding (for their time). Altogether Metropolis is a great movie and this is a great restoration of it. If you don't buy it at least find some way to view it.
Rating: 
Summary: Kino or Moroder? I like both apples and oranges.
Review: I won't repeat what others have already said about the historical significance of this film or its contents. I do want to share my opinions about the Kino restoration vs the Moroder version. I already owned the Moroder version when I purchased the Kino restoration on DVD. Like many others, I was amazed at the incredible visual clarity of the Kino restoration when compared to the Moroder version, as others have said it looks like it was shot yesterday, not 70+ years ago. Also, seeing it with a performance of the original score provided a different experience. Some of the other differences are: 1. The Kino version contains some footage missing from the Moroder version, but not a lot more. The scene that stands out most for me is the first scene in Frederson's office - we gain a better understanding of how hard he works and how much he expects from those below him, so the firing of Josephat and Josaphat's reaction makes more sense than it does in the Moroder version. Another scene that is significantly different is the first meeting between Frederson and Rotwang - their rivalry is portrayed in greater depth in the Kino restoration, although it is also perfectly clear in the Moroder version.
2. Many 'purists' have complained about the music in the Moroder version. I disagree, I think that the music and the lyrics greatly enhance the emotional impact of the Moroder version. Don't misunderstand, I think the original orchestral score as presented in the Kino version is great, but words and music together are far more powerful than either alone.
3. The story is a bit different. Personally, I think that the story as presented in the Moroder version makes more sense, why would Frederson want his workers to revolt? But this is his motivation for having Rotwang create the machine-man in the Kino restoration.
4. Many 'purists' complain about the colorization in the Moroder version. I admit, there were places where I found it a bit jarring, but overall I think it adds to the emotional tone of the film. Still, I think the Kino restoration is valuable for what it is, a restoration. The point I am trying to make is this. The Kino restoration is an incredible piece of work that will be of great value to all who wish to experience as much of the original film as is possible today. But, in my opinion the Moroder version, with its modern lyrical score is also of great value, maybe not as much in a historical context but as a separate film experience. Think of the Moroder version as a new work based on an old work, not as a restoration. My recommendation? See them both, but see the Moroder version first, the Kino version second. Otherwise, you'll be distracted by the degraded video quality in the Moroder version and you'll miss the incredible soundtrack. Someday when home computers become more powerful and video production software is cheaper and easier to use I'll probably dub the Moroder soundtrack to the Kino video and have the best of both worlds. Until then, the Moroder video isn't that bad, it is about what you would expect from a 70+ year old silent film, but the Kino video, in comparison, is incredible. And, by the way, the Japanese animated film produced a couple of years ago bears only the most superficial resemblance to the original, I was seriously disappointed.
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