Today’s quick review: Metropolis. Detective Shunsaku Ban (Kousei Tomita) and his nephew Ken-ichi (Kei Kobayashi) travel to the futuristic city of Metropolis in search of Dr. Laughton (Junpei Takiguchi), a scientist infamous for his illegal research. Instead they find Tima (Yuka Imoto), Laughton’s latest project: an advanced robot girl who holds the key to unlocking the power of the Ziggurat, a towering skyscraper at the heart of Metropolis.
Metropolis is a Japanese animated sci-fi adventure based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka. The movie’s friendly, cartoonish animation style and upbeat tone belie a surprisingly mature story about duty and sacrifice. Metropolis features intrepid heroes, nuanced villains, a multifaceted story, a lavish setting, skillful direction, and a lively jazz soundtrack. Although something of a niche pick, Metropolis is a rare treat for the right viewer.
Metropolis has only a loose connection to the science fiction classic of the same name. The setting and themes are similar, but Tezuka takes the story in a different direction. Tezuka’s Metropolis has a sprawling plot involving a bustling utopia, political unrest, and tensions between robots and humans, not to mention Shunsaku and Ken-ichi’s investigation, Tima’s discovery of her identity, and the machinations of Duke Red (Taro Ishida).
In spite of its grand themes, Metropolis never loses sight of its humanity. Ken-ichi and Shunsaku are adventure heroes in the classic mold—persistent, brave to a fault, and entirely selfless—and their allies are just as pure. Together, they give Metropolis an excellent sense of heart and make it a refreshing, wholesome watch. The villains are just as compelling and are driven by a mixture of blunt ambition and nuanced personal conflict.
Metropolis also has craftsmanship to spare. The animation is a distinctive hybrid of early Disney-style characters, richly detailed backgrounds, and tactful CGI machinery. The art style lacks the immediate, universal appeal of Studio Ghibli, but it has a beauty of its own that grows on the audience the more of it they see. The visuals are backed by a jazz soundtrack that helps keep the tone light and attentive direction from director Rintaro.
Still, Metropolis’ peculiar style that will not appeal to everyone. The story gets caught between two extremes: sci-fi epic, laced with politics and drama, and kid-friendly adventure, brimming with optimism and innocence. The combination of the two lets the movie reach farther than either one alone, but at the cost of focus. The logic of the plot also does not hold up perfectly, and its emtional beats are not quite as impactful as they might have been.
Those who enjoy pure-hearted adventure, gorgeous animation, and thoughtful science fiction should give Metropolis a shot. Its unusual combination of light tone and serious content will limit its appeal, but its overall quality makes it well worth a try for the curious. For a family-friendly adventure with a similar tone, try The Adventures of Tintin. For a much darker take on a similar premise, try Blade Runner 2049.
7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 to 8.0 for outstanding craftsmanship.