Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Art Deco movie
Review: The sets in Metropolis are so fantastic that, if it had sound it would be fun to watch with the sound turned off. There's not much to the story but the DVD is everything it should be; full of bonus material and interesting insights.Given that sections of the original are lost forever it seems pointless to split hairs about the absolute authenticity of what remains.
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary restoration! As if it was a new film!
Review: I have seen Metropolis four times on public domain prints with an irrelevant organ score, faded black and white film, scratchy sequences, etc. Seeing this new Kino version is a revelation! If you have never seen it, do yourself a favor and invest now. You won't believe your eyes or ears. The original, full orchestral score energizes the film tremendously. The crisp, wet scanned print will erase every memory you ever had of what this film looked like. The restored scenes will broaden your understanding of what the film was about. The extras are generous: documentaries, biographies, etc. This version restores Metropolis to what it is: a major achievement of silent film!
Rating:
Summary: Review for the serious fan
Review: For all those who have not yet seen the movie, this is definitely the version to see. For those who are die hard fans of the film, this review is for you.
I was disappointed that, although Kino International worked so hard to fix the major flaws in this version, they still left some minor flaws in. One that drives me insane is, on one of the titles which explains a missing seen, they misspelled Freder and instead write "Feder." AHHHHHHHHH. Anyone who knows German will know that suddenly the character is being called "feather." Speaking of which, I disagree on the choice of digitally translating Hel's monument into English, since this scene never even made it to the English audience anyway. They should have left the original and added a subtitle. Likewise for the phrase "Great is the world and its Creator. And great is man." above the ruined Tower of Babel AND the invitation to Yoshiwara to see the robot dance, which in all other versions I have seen has been in German, leading me to believe that Lang did not shoot a separate English version of this scene. Another glaring error is that, in the picture gallery, a sketch by Aenn Willkomm for Maria's constume is inadvertently referred to as a dress for one of the girls in the garden (!!).
As for the digital restoration, it seems they didn't completely restore some scenes, especially toward the end of the film. On the left side of the screen there is some dust or other markings which could have been erased, and a thin black line running down Freder's face in another scene. Why didn't they fix this??
I also think the film is run too quickly and do not believe for a minute that it was originally run at 25 fps. I have also read that the original score had to be played faster for this very reason. The premiere would have been played between 16 and 20 fps, and subsequent showings by greedy theater owners may have sped it up to get a faster turnover.
My last complaint is that, unlike the other recent restored version, from Munich I believe, this version does not make use of stills to replace lost scenes. I enjoyed the stills in Munich's version because it helped to visualize the missing scene. For example, the photo of the thin man dressed as the bishop. It's not as if these pictures don't exist. On the DVD of this version, there are many lost stills from the encounter between Josaphat and the Thin Man. Why weren't these used in the film?!
Lastly, I still recommend the other Kino International release of 1989. The score, written especially for that release, is also good. Comparing the two versions, this newest one gives an 'evil' feel to the city when you see it for the first time and the robot's dance at Yoshiwara doesn't seem to fit the music. It is, however, still the best release yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Five star restoration, three star print
Review: Perhaps I'm picking nits here, but I find it regrettable that this print wasn't transfered to DVD before it was exhibited in theaters. The DVD reveals a number of black lines, from emulsion scratches on the source print, which occur now and then, throughout, but are particularly frequent and distracting for about the last reel. I also see dirt in the projection gate for a short time. Couldn't Kino justify striking a fresh print for this DVD edition, from their digitized negative? Nonetheless, I concur with the consensus that the restoration, aside from the warts on this print, looks and sounds beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: Over the years, as an amateur film historian, I have dutifully watched this film several times in its various butchered incarnations (with the sound turned down to stop myself from cringing at the various, woefully inappropriate attempts to score the film). I knew the film was one of the most important films in cinema history, but for the life of me, I just didn't "get" it. With this new Kino restoration, I finally get it. Metropolis, as it was meant to be seen, really and truly is an astounding film. This restoration is incredible, making the movie look for all the world like it was filmed yesterday. Yes, it still contains its dated pantomime overacting; but, my god, what a beautiful, stunning film! The incorporation of description cards and photo stills to fill in the missing footage really helps to flesh out the story, so it makes more sense. Best of all, the addition of the original 1927 score really enhances the film -- Finally, we have a score that matches the movie's action and historical significance! The score itself is magnificent and memorable, and hopefully will be made available on CD. This DVD is definitely a must-have for anyone interested in science fiction or film history in general. If you already own one of the older, butchered copies of this film, keep it so you can make comparisons -- It will help you appreciate Kino's restoration even more.
Rating:
Summary: OMG
Review: I havent PURCHASED the DVD yet, but I will say that I saw this verision METROPOLIS in a special screening this past summer at a theater and it was so moving that at times, I had wipe away some tears. The story, the composition, and the music. I am so thankful that a team of geniuses painstakingly reassembled this movie - which was a joke for years - into a beautiful masterpiece. I am going to buy it right now.
Rating: 
Summary: Wrong speed!
Review: I had a long argument with KINO after this restoration was released in the theaters. I know how difficult it would have been to release it theatrically at anything other than 24 fps. But with the DVD, we finally had a chance to see this film at the correct speed! They refused. The claims of 24 being the "authentic" speed all rest on one score that actually has "28 fps" hand-written on it. I think that was just somene's error. The simple fact is that if you watch the film, it is clearly shot at silent speed. People are sped-up at 24fps, as they are in all silent films. It's painful to watch. So sad - KINO could've included a version at the correct speed, even with no sound - I would've happily played my own music while I watched this beautiful restoration at the right speed. As it is, we have a gorgeous print with characters who move like the Keystone Cops - what a missed opportunity.
Rating:
Summary: Accept no substitutes
Review: Take your bargain-basement copies of Fritz Lang's _Metropolis_ and throw them away. This restored edition from Kino DVD is the real McCoy. Even though about 25% of the film is still missing (and will probably never be found), this is the most complete version we have to date. _Metropolis_ is a Fabian-socialist fever dream, the ultimate film maudit, and possibly one of the best movies ever made. Rent or buy, but by all means see it.
Rating:
Summary: Technical review of Kino Metropolis
Review: Ok, by now I assume you know what Metropolis is about, so let's go to the juicy parts: You want to know how it looks and how it rates to other versions. First of all, the one thing you will notice inmediatelly is that the quality of this DVD is *OUTSTANDING* (when considering this is a 1927 movie). The digital wizards that restored the film not only got rid of the scratches, they actually went all the way and instead of using an automated process to restore the film they went BY HAND frame by frame and fixed all imperfections. They fixed the grainnes, the contrast, AND the shaking (common to old film). The film almost looks like if it was recently shot with a black and white camera, it is THAT good. They even went further and when they combined many reels from different sources into one scene they actually fixed the images on both reels so that you don't notice the difference between then (i.e.: the transitions occur seamlessly). You can find out about all this in the included documentary on the restoration. They even mention that such a painstaking and expensive process is not used in most films, but due to the importance of Metropolis they went all the way. I also recommend you read the small booklet included which has even more information. As for the story, I have to admit that I was completely surprised. The movie now makes sense!!! For example, in previous "mutilated" versions of Metropolis, we were all told to believe that the robot was created to control the masses. Now we learn though that in the original film, the robot is really the creation of a scientist whose wife dies, and thus he tries to recreate her again. Also note one quarter of the film is still missing (sadly, very likely forever), but thanks to deep research they restoration team actually found out what was missing, and for those missing scenes they include special "title cards" that explain in text what's missing when (when you watch the movie this does not distract you, since it feels that the titles are part of the movie, this being a silent film after all). Also, you will find TONS of scenes you very likely never saw before in any previous version, and this also makes the film feel "complete". You will also be amazed at the grandeur of some of such scenes, giving any modern "monumental" movie a true run for their money. This also has to be said about the special effects, which in many cases hold up pretty fine even in today's age of digital wizzardly. As for the soundtrack: WOW. Now finally the soundtrack follows the action on the screen!!! They actually went back and restored the original soundtrack and used the original written clues in the soundtrack notes to find out what went where. Now everything feels much more in place and the music sets the mood in many scenes, making the movie much more enjoyable. Let me summarize this by saying that after watching this Kino Version of Metropolis, I went RIGHT AWAY and dispossed in the garbage of all my other Metropolis versions. All I can say is that this is a true labor of love, and that my deepest humble thanks go to the team that did this restoration. If I were one of them, I'd be extremelly proud for acchieving something many thought impossible. It finally makes justice over 75 years later to an amazingly great film, very likely the film "that started it all" when it comes to science fiction and many other genres (I can see 2001-A Space Oddisey, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Terminator, and the Matrix all being directly and heavily influenced by this film).
Rating:
Summary: SPECTACULAR: Hat's Off to the Team That Restored Metropolis!
Review: The team that restored Metropolis has done an absolutely fantastic job. This is certainly one of the greatest silent films, and now we can see it again in all it's glory, as it was meant to be seen. Sure, there are some missing parts, but they have put in just the right title cards and stills to fill in those gaps. I could go on and on about the greatness of Metropolis and the restoration ... but I will sum it up in one word: AWESOME!
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