Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35659 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-07-22
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English, Hindi
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A stunning piece of Japanese animation, Metropolis (2001) gets much of its visual look as well as its storyline less from the Fritz Lang classic than from Osamu Tezuka's comic book adaptation of it. In a style a reminiscent of Little Nemo and TinTin, Lang's dystopian fantasy is tweaked into the story of the doomed robot girl Tima and her love for Kenichi, nephew of a visiting Japanese detective. The city's ruler, Duke Red, needs her to complete his super-weapon, the Ziggurat, and has built her to resemble his dead daughter; the Duke's adopted son Rock is jealous and possessive of his father; and Tima's builder Laughton has agendas of his own. There are chases, riots, conflagrations and duels in the snow; unusually for Japanese animation the backgrounds are as inventively characterised as the characters who move through them. Screenwriter Katsuhiro Otomo and director Rintaro have deservedly moved from cult status to the mainstream on the strength of this film, which merits the epic tag so often attached to less interesting animations. --Roz Kaveney

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 5
English
English
Japanese
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Japanese
DTS English
Dolby Digital 5.1
DTS
Trailers
Animax Special The Making Of Metropolis
Filmmaker Interviews
Two Animation Comparisons
Photo Gallery
History Of Metropolis Comic Book
Filmographies
Dutch\English\Hindi

Synopsis
This animated Japanese film from Rin Taro (X) and Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA), based on the 1949 Magna comic book by Osamu Tezuka, takes place in the futuristic city of Metropolis. A struggle between the robots and the human population of the city, who once coexisted peacefully, has now exploded into a violent revolution. An investigation conducted by private detective Shunsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi leads to an outlaw scientist named Dr. Laughton. The scientist was hired by the ruler of Metropolis, Duke Red, to create a superhuman robot-girl, Tima, to succeed him as the next ruler of Metropolis. However, Duke Red's jealous bastard son, the Rock of Marduk, cannot stand the idea of a robot taking the throne and he sets out to destroy Tima. What ensues is a frantic race as Kenichi and Tima flee the Rock through the underground tunnels, dilapidated alleys, and skyscraping towers (called the Ziggurat) of Metropolis, aided by a nurturing trash-collecting robot, Fifi.
Combining classic cartoon drawing with modern computer animation techniques, METROPOLIS plays on the sharp contrast between flat, round characters, and deep, undulating, digital backgrounds. A blimp-submarine vessel roves through Metropolis, sometimes propelled through a watery medium, other times gliding on a monorail or floating through mid-air. The detail of the city's decor is breathtaking, from the moldings and colorful facades of the momentous buildings to the shiny marble floors and leather furnishings of some of the city's sleek interiors. A New Orleans jazz soundtrack adds an element of playful mystique to the film, though the blaring rendition of 'I Can't Stop Loving You' that plays as the towers come crashing to the ground in the hellish apocalyptic finale only enhances the shocking, warlike chill that permeates the film.

Customer Reviews

Metropolis DVD
Having only just rekindled my interest in anime I decided to buy Metropolis, due to Katsuhiro Otomo's involvement. I loved AKIRA for its character design, beautiful detailed city scapes and cool plot (if a little confusing to most) and I still think it stands as one the greatest animated films to date.
Metropolis is just a sublime piece of film. It may take 10 minutes for the viewer to get used to the big contrast you notice between the 40's (taken from Osamu Tezuka’s original manga Metropolis) style cell animated characters fused into the ultra modern backdrops using CGI for the most part, after that period it just gets better and better. The inspiring score sets the mood perfectly with 20's swing music, the odd splash of jazz and the song 'I can't stop loving you' at the climactic conclusion is just a heart braking sequence.
The characters are brought to life with fluid animation to rival Disney and pretty good voice acting, which all gives you a great affiliation with the characters. Watching the extra's you can see the care and attention that has gone into this project from Otomo’s screenplay and Rintaro’s direction, who was a big fan of Metropolis creator Tezuka and admits this could not have been made if he were still alive.
Metropolis is a classic piece of modern anime, watch it, love it, and watch it again!

She Robot? The Sadest Robot Film You Will Ever See
I first saw this film with friends one day after we were at the rental shop trying to figure out what to get. I think we were first drawn to this because of the original 1927 film by Fritz Lang which this is loosely based.

Moving to the present day, I now own the DVD and the soundtrack and love every minute of this film. Its beauty is only overwhelmed by its shear ingenious and plot twists.

The story unfolds in the three levelled world of metropolis, set in a future Japan where world superpowers still battle out for supremacy. In the development for an ultimate weapon an artificial intelligence is needed to control it, enter Tima.

Tima is the pinnacle of design, practically indistinguishable from a human she becomes lost in the sub levels below metropolis after her masters jealous son becomes enraged. Here she is discovered by Kenichi the young nephew of a private investigator new to the city. Together they escape her master's ploy to recapture her until fate catches up with them.

There are so many great things about this film, and so few bad it is hard to recommend it more highly.

The CG is outstanding and sees some of the best from the Japanese Anime world come together to craft this masterpiece. From the director Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999) and written by the legend that is Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) this film began life in the best hands.

The Soundtrack is also sublime, seemingly presenting you with a world set in a future version of the 1930's, a mix of anime styles with a bit of Ray Charles "I Can't Stop Loving You", thrown in for good measure.

As I mentioned in the title of this review this is the saddest robot film you will ever see, think Blade Runner meets the comics of Tintin and you will step a little closer to understanding the world this film is based.

As an aside I would also suggest watching the film in its original Japanese language version with the subtitles on, it is far more compelling heard in its original format than with the English dubbing on.

Metropolis... its a bit gorgeous!
Having only just rekindled my interest in anime I decided to buy Metropolis, due to Katsuhiro Otomo's involvement. I loved AKIRA for its character design, beautiful detailed city scapes and cool plot (if a little confusing to most) and I still think it stands as one the greatest animated films to date.
Metropolis is just a sublime piece of film. It may take 10 minutes for the viewer to get used to the big contrast you notice between the 40's (taken from Osamu Tezuka’s original manga Metropolis) style cell animated characters fused into the ultra modern backdrops using CGI for the most part, after that period it just gets better and better. The inspiring score sets the mood perfectly with 20's swing music, the odd splash of jazz and the song 'I can't stop loving you' at the climactic conclusion is just a heart braking sequence.
The characters are brought to life with fluid animation to rival Disney and pretty good voice acting, which all gives you a great affiliation with the characters. Watching the extra's you can see the care and attention that has gone into this project from Otomo’s screenplay and Rintaro’s direction, who was a big fan of Metropolis creator Tezuka and admits this could not have been made if he were still alive.
Metropolis is a classic piece of modern anime, watch it, love it, and watch it again!