Metropolis (2001) (PG-13)
Directed by Rintaro
Daddy Says:
This isn't the Fritz Lang classic from the 1920s, this is an anime film based on a Japanese comic. I haven't seen too many anime films, mostly those by Hayao Miyazaki, although my first anime was Akira which I thought was incredible. This movie approaches that level of greatness, but falls just short of the mark.
Metropolis tells the story of a future society where humans and robots co-exist. During a speech by the city's leader, Duke Red, at the opening of the new skyscraper named Ziggurat, a disrupter is violently shot and killed. But as it turns out, it was only a robot. Viewing the proceedings are Private Detective Shunsaku Ban and his young nephew, Kenichi, both of whom have just arrived in Metropolis on the trail of a case. Their investigation leads them to an underground lab where a fire breaks out. Kenichi rescues a young girl named Tima, who is unaware that she is a robot, secretly commissioned by Duke Red and given enough power to rule the entire world. Meanwhile, Duke's agent called Rock is looking for her as well, but with an entirely different agenda.
Metropolis weaves a complex narrative, but it isn't difficult to follow along. I watched it with the original Japanese dialogue and English subtitles, and had no problem telling who was who or what was happening. The animation itself was spectacular. My biggest problem was with the choice of music throughout the film. Most of it was light jazz, and during the climax of the movie the soundtrack breaks out Ray Charles singing "I Can't Stop Loving You". The music really doesn't go with the distinctly Japanese animation and took me out of the moment, but not enough that I can't recommend it. If you can find it at your local video store, definitely check it out.
Rating for Metropolis: ****1/2.
Daughter Says:
Metropolis is definitely not your normal cartoon. It takes a city of wonder and beauty, and puts you in the scariest part of town. Riots, war, and mostly violence takes place in this good movie.
I really loved the story line in general. It took me on an adventure of a life time and shows what really goes on in a perfect world. It's strange how technology has taken over lately. Maybe that will be us in the future. I also could relate to the characters, even though it wasn't in English. Half the time I stopped reading the subtitles or just couldn't finish the sentence up (I'm a very slow reader), and I could understand the story perfectly.
I kind of liked the animation in Metropolis. In certain parts, the art was so well drawn it was almost realistic in its own way. But there were other times where I just couldn't stand it. I like to think of animation as trying to portray the real world but in a cartoon way. So in this case if the setting appears to be almost realistic then the people should appear almost realistic. Metropolis failed to do this. They made the scenery look amazing but the people looked really faked. Duke Red, for instance, had a huge nose that looked like it belonged on a parrot. Rock had hair that looked plastic on his forehead. Who wears their hair like that anywhere these days? It was like watching someone who wanted to be on Grease but couldn't get the part.
Other than that one complication the movie overall was rather well done. I don't know what Dad is talking about the music not matching the film for. I understood why they chose to use jazz music. It was the Japanese version of a mystery film so cheesy jazz music should fit perfectly. I'm surprised they didn't have the Pink Panther's theme song in this movie at least once. That would have cracked me up. I was already laughing when the film broke into a chorus of "I Can't Stop Loving You".
Overall this movie deserves a good rate, but I can't get past certain problems. Maybe it was my high expectations for it because of Akira or Hayao Miyazaki films. It just wasn't one of my favorites. Oh well, I think anyone can enjoy this film anyway. So check it out!
Rating for Metropolis: ***.
Directed by Rintaro
Daddy Says:
This isn't the Fritz Lang classic from the 1920s, this is an anime film based on a Japanese comic. I haven't seen too many anime films, mostly those by Hayao Miyazaki, although my first anime was Akira which I thought was incredible. This movie approaches that level of greatness, but falls just short of the mark.
Metropolis tells the story of a future society where humans and robots co-exist. During a speech by the city's leader, Duke Red, at the opening of the new skyscraper named Ziggurat, a disrupter is violently shot and killed. But as it turns out, it was only a robot. Viewing the proceedings are Private Detective Shunsaku Ban and his young nephew, Kenichi, both of whom have just arrived in Metropolis on the trail of a case. Their investigation leads them to an underground lab where a fire breaks out. Kenichi rescues a young girl named Tima, who is unaware that she is a robot, secretly commissioned by Duke Red and given enough power to rule the entire world. Meanwhile, Duke's agent called Rock is looking for her as well, but with an entirely different agenda.
Metropolis weaves a complex narrative, but it isn't difficult to follow along. I watched it with the original Japanese dialogue and English subtitles, and had no problem telling who was who or what was happening. The animation itself was spectacular. My biggest problem was with the choice of music throughout the film. Most of it was light jazz, and during the climax of the movie the soundtrack breaks out Ray Charles singing "I Can't Stop Loving You". The music really doesn't go with the distinctly Japanese animation and took me out of the moment, but not enough that I can't recommend it. If you can find it at your local video store, definitely check it out.
Rating for Metropolis: ****1/2.
Daughter Says:
Metropolis is definitely not your normal cartoon. It takes a city of wonder and beauty, and puts you in the scariest part of town. Riots, war, and mostly violence takes place in this good movie.
I really loved the story line in general. It took me on an adventure of a life time and shows what really goes on in a perfect world. It's strange how technology has taken over lately. Maybe that will be us in the future. I also could relate to the characters, even though it wasn't in English. Half the time I stopped reading the subtitles or just couldn't finish the sentence up (I'm a very slow reader), and I could understand the story perfectly.
I kind of liked the animation in Metropolis. In certain parts, the art was so well drawn it was almost realistic in its own way. But there were other times where I just couldn't stand it. I like to think of animation as trying to portray the real world but in a cartoon way. So in this case if the setting appears to be almost realistic then the people should appear almost realistic. Metropolis failed to do this. They made the scenery look amazing but the people looked really faked. Duke Red, for instance, had a huge nose that looked like it belonged on a parrot. Rock had hair that looked plastic on his forehead. Who wears their hair like that anywhere these days? It was like watching someone who wanted to be on Grease but couldn't get the part.
Other than that one complication the movie overall was rather well done. I don't know what Dad is talking about the music not matching the film for. I understood why they chose to use jazz music. It was the Japanese version of a mystery film so cheesy jazz music should fit perfectly. I'm surprised they didn't have the Pink Panther's theme song in this movie at least once. That would have cracked me up. I was already laughing when the film broke into a chorus of "I Can't Stop Loving You".
Overall this movie deserves a good rate, but I can't get past certain problems. Maybe it was my high expectations for it because of Akira or Hayao Miyazaki films. It just wasn't one of my favorites. Oh well, I think anyone can enjoy this film anyway. So check it out!
Rating for Metropolis: ***.
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