Metropolis (DVD)
Directed by: Rintaro
Written by: Katsuhiro Otomo (screenplay), Osamu Tezuka (manga)
Featuring The Voices Of: Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi, Kouki Okada, Jamieson Price

As an anime movie, Metropolis is a little different from what you might be used to. It is a bit more accessible than your typical anime, and stylistically it sets itself apart in a number of different ways.

The main reason why it has gotten so much attention, and the reason why it has been given such a cool double-disc DVD release, is because there are some big names involved. Metropolis is based on a series of graphic novels that were done by Osamu Tezuka, hailed by many as the godfather of Manga, and best known as the creator of Astro-Boy. The project was originally the idea of Rintaro (director of the critically-acclaimed anime “X”) but when he approached Tezuka about doing an animated feature, he was originally turned down. Years later, after Tezuka’s death, Rintaro met with Katsuhiro Otomo, the man behind the legendary Akira, who was interested in doing Metropolis as an anime, and they were eventually given the green light. The results speak for themselves for the most part.

One thing that I am not sure about is exactly how much of the original comic (and, in turn, this film) was based on the silent 1927 Fritz Lang film of the same name. I’ve never seen Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, but there would appear to be some similarities, as both movies deal with a futuristic society that has obvious class divisions.

Metropolis is a high-tech city that stands as a symbol of human accomplishment and its citizens believe themselves to belong to a highly advanced civilization. Robots are quite common and have long since been integrated with human society, but they do not have the same rights as humans. The city is divided into a number of different physical levels, and the higher your position in society, the higher the level you inhabit. Duke Red is an evil politician who plans to take control of Metropolis, and it is vaguely mentioned that he once had a daughter who died at a young age. He secretly commissions a mad scientist named Dr. Lawton to build a robot girl for him, whom he plans to have sit on the throne of Metropolis for him. Duke Red also has an adopted son named Rock, who is jealous of this artificial girl, and wants to do everything in his power to destroy her. At the same time, a detective and his young nephew Kenichi arrive in Metropolis from out of town to investigate Dr. Lawton and his suspected criminal activities. When Rock sabotages Dr. Lawton’s laboratory, the artificial girl (named Tima), is activated and escapes into the lower levels of the city with Kenichi. From there it is a race between a number of different groups to track down Tima and Kenichi before anyone else.

The first thing you will notice that seems strange is the choice of music in Metropolis. A lot of it is old big band music and Dixieland Jazz that gives the movie an odd atmosphere. The juxtaposition of older music with a futuristic setting seems to give the film a timeless feel. In addition, the climactic ending of Metropolis (sufficiently overwhelming and chaotic by anime standards) is set to the tune of Ray Charles’ “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. This is obviously quite reminiscent of the ending of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.

The movie’s main issue is one that turns up time and again in anime films: it involves robots and how they interact with human society, and whether or not they can experience human emotions like love. I was reminded many times of the recent Spielberg/Kubrick film A.I.; much like David in A.I., Tima acts like a young human child. She forms a friendship with Kenichi, from whom she learns about human traits and habits. However, Tima is unaware of the fact that she herself is a robot, and she is unaware of the reason why she was created. The result is a surprisingly moving story.

It is not as hard to follow as some anime films I have seen, but there are some questions that are never answered. It is the kind of film that will definitely benefit from multiple viewings. The political struggle and the “revolution” are not laid out very clearly in this movie, however, it is evident that the film’s creators did not want them to be a focal point. Also, although the film appears at times to be addressing some complex issues, it really doesn’t accomplish much more than a fairy tale.

Visually, there is no question that this movie is a treat to watch. I am not a huge fan of some of the character designs (the detective in particular reminded me of something from Tintin, and some of the robots looked too cheesy and cartoony when compared with the high-tech look of the other machinery) however, I liked the fact that the film had a distinctive look, and set itself apart from all the other stereotypical animes out there.

The backgrounds were done almost completely with computer graphics, while the characters and the foregrounds were done through traditional means. In other films, this integration of the two styles often results in clumsy and distracting images, but not here.Tthis is probably the best merging of the two styles that I’ve seen. There is so much detail in the scenery that it’s overwhelming.

The DVD allows you to watch Metropolis with subtitles or in various dubbed languages. The English dubbed voices sound pretty reasonable, so there is no real advantage to watching it with the original Japanese soundtrack and English subtitles unless you are a purist. The DVD packaging is really nicely done, with a cardboard double fold out sleeve. There is second mini-disc with extras on it (keep in mind, you may not be able to play this mini-disc if you have one of those DVD-ROMs where you slide the discs in), and it includes interviews and a featurette that are pretty interesting to watch. The filmmakers recount the origins of the film, and some of the ground-breaking techniques they used in animating it.

While Metropolis may not have reached its full potential, story-wise, it’s still one of the better anime films I have seen. It’s not as violent or as confusing as Akira or Ghost In The Shell, which makes it a lot more accessible and generally more enjoyable to watch. It’s not a kid’s movie, but by all means I think kids would enjoy it. Metropolis is truly a fantastic journey, one that could only be pulled off through the magic of animation. It’s worth checking out, even if you don’t consider yourself a fan of anime. — Sean