First the compliments: Metropolis is one of the most beautiful anime films I have ever seen. It's setting, a retro-futuristic megalopolis (inspired by Fritz Lang's original Metropolis) is put up with such craft and attention to detail, that the only points of comparison are such dystopian classics as Blade Runner and Brazil. The film's first half an hour goes by just marveling at the amazing imagery.
Sadly, the film soon falls victim to it's own visual gorgeousness. Too many scenes in Metropolis have no other function than to portrait the namesake city. In a movie of this magnitude the story and the characters are secondary to the scenery. Sure, the plot is more complex and the characters more interesting than in your run-of-the-mill anime. The script actually touches many topics explored by earlier dystopian sci-fi, but it hasn't got anything new or particularly interesting to say. The film tries to be deeper than it actually is, so when the hyper-dramatic finale is over, the viewer can only respect the creators visual imagination, not their intellect.
Another flaw in the script, based on an original comic by Osamu Tezaki and penned by manga and anime legend Katsuhiro Otomo, is that it borrows too much from other science fiction. The setting is straight from the original Metropolis, the basic concept pays a strong resemblance to Blade Runner, and the ending echos Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita, Otomo's own Akira, as well as Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. There's nothing wrong in paying homage to one's sources of inspiration, but enough is enough.
Still, I can't deny liking the film. Metropolis is a feast for the eyes, not for the brains, but who needs brains anyway?
Sadly, the film soon falls victim to it's own visual gorgeousness. Too many scenes in Metropolis have no other function than to portrait the namesake city. In a movie of this magnitude the story and the characters are secondary to the scenery. Sure, the plot is more complex and the characters more interesting than in your run-of-the-mill anime. The script actually touches many topics explored by earlier dystopian sci-fi, but it hasn't got anything new or particularly interesting to say. The film tries to be deeper than it actually is, so when the hyper-dramatic finale is over, the viewer can only respect the creators visual imagination, not their intellect.
Another flaw in the script, based on an original comic by Osamu Tezaki and penned by manga and anime legend Katsuhiro Otomo, is that it borrows too much from other science fiction. The setting is straight from the original Metropolis, the basic concept pays a strong resemblance to Blade Runner, and the ending echos Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita, Otomo's own Akira, as well as Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. There's nothing wrong in paying homage to one's sources of inspiration, but enough is enough.
Still, I can't deny liking the film. Metropolis is a feast for the eyes, not for the brains, but who needs brains anyway?