Metropolis Reviews and Ratings


  • R0L0D3X
    July 5, 2009
    R0L0D3X
    This movie, was VERY weird, but i liked it.
  • sanjurosamurai
    July 3, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    often considered cinema's first great masterpiece, its a shame that some of the scenes from this fritz lang classic are lost to us forever. i feel that the film only preserves so well despite its missing pieces because it is a silent film and can be filled in with text screens, ...( read more)because i was still engaged in the story from start to finish. the only real critique of the film is that some of the actions of the characters didnt fit the story that well, but overall this film is highly effective in its scale as it tells a great science fiction story for its era. an impressive film that any true film fan should see.
  • stevenfry25
    June 30, 2009
    stevenfry25
    rip of off Tezuka's Metroplis
  • columbiatch
    June 28, 2009
    columbiatch
    Kind of a like a Michael Bay blockbuster, except more technically impressive (for its time). The sets are the stars rather than the actors, which give some incredibly histronic performances even for a silent. No matter how much I was impressed by the visuals and the avant garde p...( read more)arts of the film (probably the closest we can get of an Art of Vision remake by Michael Bay) I can't quite get past the nonsensical mess of a plot even though a lot of the film is missing, and the naive ideology of the film. And I hated the Heart-is-the-Mediator-between-Brain-and-Hand bullshit and that ridiculous ending. The band 3epkano did a great job though just like last year with Sunrise, so overall it was a very enjoyable experience.
  • amonra183
    June 27, 2009
    amonra183
    This is what i call art!!!
  • Germantangos
    June 27, 2009
    Germantangos
    Fritz Lang's silent sci-fi film is a significant point in cinema. A Must See for any movie enthusiast.
  • xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    June 25, 2009
    xXxXHorrorFanxXxX

    In the extraordinary Gothic skyscrapers of a corporate city-state, the Metropolis of the title. Society has been divided into two rigid groups: one of planners or thinkers, who live in luxury on the surface of Earth, and another of workers who live underground

    ...( read more)toiling to sustain the lives of the privileged up above. The city is run by Johann 'Joh' Fredersen (Alfred Abel). The evangelical figure Maria (Brigitte Helm) takes up the cause of the workers. She advises the desperate workers not to start a revolution, and instead wait for the arrival of "The Mediator", who, she says, will unite the two halves of society. The son of Fredersen, Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), becomes infatuated with Maria, and follows her down into the working underworld. In the underworld, he experiences firsthand the toiling lifestyle of the workers, and observes the casual attitude of their employers (he is disgusted after seeing an explosion at the "M-Machine", when the employers bring in new workers to keep the machine running before taking care of the men wounded or killed in the accident). Shocked at the workers' living conditions, he joins her cause.Meanwhile his father Fredersen consults with the scientist Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), an old companion and rival. Fredersen learns that the papers found with dead workers are plans of the catacombs and witnesses a speech by Maria. He also learns that Rotwang has built a robotic gynoid. Rotwang wants to give the robot the appearance of Hel, his former lover who left him for Fredersen and died giving birth to Freder. Fredersen persuades him to give the robot Maria's appearance, as he wants to use the robot to tighten his control over the workers. Rotwang complies out of ulterior motives: he knows of Freder's and Maria's love and wants to use the robot to deprive Fredersen of his son. The real Maria is imprisoned in Rotwang's house in Metropolis, while the robot Maria is first showcast as an exotic dancer in the upper city's Yoshiwara nightclub, fomenting discord among the rich young men of Metropolis. After descending to the worker's city, the robot Maria encourages the workers into a full-scale rebellion, and they destroy the "Heart Machine", the power station of the city. Neither Freder nor Grot, the foreman of the Heart Machine, can stop them. As the machine is destroyed, the city's reservoirs overflow, flooding the workers' underground city and seemingly drowning the children, who were left behind in the riot. In fact, Freder and Maria have saved them in a heroic rescue, without the workers' knowledge. When the workers realize the damage they have done and that their children are lost, they attack the upper city. Under the leadership of Grot, they chase the human Maria, whom they hold responsible for their riot. As they break into the city's entertainment district, they run into the Yoshiwara crowd and capture the robot Maria, while the human Maria manages to escape. The workers burn the captured Maria at the stake; Freder, believing this to be the human Maria, despairs but then he and the workers realize that the burned Maria is in fact a robot. Meanwhile, the human Maria is chased by Rotwang along the battlements of the city's cathedral. Freder chases after Rotwang, resulting in a climactic scene in which Joh Fredersen watches in terror as his son struggles with Rotwang on the cathedral's roof. Rotwang falls to his death, and Maria and Freder return to the street, where Freder unites Fredersen and Grot, fulfilling his role as the "Mediator".
  • lazywomanfromouterspace
    June 13, 2009
    lazywomanfromouterspace
    Fritz Lang was a visionary and a genius, is hard to believe how that man could have that futuristic vision of the 21th century in 1927. who don't like silent movies won't apreciate this movie. is a little slow but s great!
  • ohagankieran
    May 28, 2009
    ohagankieran
    Fritz Lang's groundbreaking landmark remains one of the biggest mysteries in the world of cinema. How can a movie that'll soon turn 80 years old still look so disturbingly futuristic?? The screenplay by Thea Von Harbou is still very haunting and courageously assails social issues...( read more) that are of all ages. The world has been divided into two main categories: thinkers & workers! If you belong to the first category, you can lead a life of luxury above ground but if you're a worker, your life isn't worth a penny, and you're doomed to perilous labor underground. The further expansions and intrigues in the screenplay are too astonishing to spoil, so I strongly advise that you check out the film yourself. It's essential viewing, anyway! "Metropolis" is a very demanding film-experience and definitely not always entertaining. But, as it is often the case with silent-cinema classics, the respect and admiration you'll develop during watching it will widely excel the enjoyment-aspect. Fritz' brutal visual style still looks innovative and few directors since were able to re-create a similarly nightmarish composition of horizontal and vertical lines. Many supposedly 'restored' versions have been released over the years (in 1984 and 2002, for example) but the 1926-version is still the finest in my opinion, even though that one already isn't as detailed and punctual as Lang intended it. "Metropolis" perhaps is THE most important and influential movie ever made. "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Star Wars" and "Blade Runner" owe their existence (or at least their power) to it.
  • HorrorMovieCinema
    May 24, 2009
    HorrorMovieCinema
    This movie is set in 2026 and had great speacial effects for 1927 movie and great Sci-Fi movie and in the future, and humans are divided into two groups: the thinkers, who make plans (but don't know how anything works), and the workers, who achieve goals (but don't have the visi...( read more)on). Completely separate, neither group is complete, but together they make a whole. One man from the "thinkers" dares visit the underground where the workers toil, and is astonished by what he sees.

    Freder- It was their hands that built this city of ours, Father. But where do the hands belong in your scheme?
    Joh Frederson- In their proper place, the depths.

    Maria- There can be no understanding between the hand and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator.

    Maria:-"We shall build a tower that will reach to the stars!" Having conceived Babel, yet unable to build it themselves, they had thousands to build it for them. But those who toiled knew nothing of the dreams of those who planned. And the minds that planned the Tower of Babel cared nothing for the workers who built it. The hymns of praise of the few became the curses of the many - BABEL! BABEL! BABEL! - Between the mind that plans and the hands that build there must be a Mediator, and this must be the heart.
  • MajorWhitlock
    May 24, 2009
    MajorWhitlock
    Surprisingly good for a early silent era film!
  • sketch4eva1
    May 23, 2009
    sketch4eva1
    Amazing film for it's time. Metropolis partly inspired me to get into SFX.
  • redmud13
    May 18, 2009
    redmud13
    This is one of my favs of all time.
  • drstrangeno24
    May 3, 2009
    drstrangeno24
    Beautifully staged, with a good message.
  • FieryPelikula
    April 27, 2009
    FieryPelikula
    This visual feast is one of the best silent films ever made. A groundbreaking film that has bravely brought the issues of the future and present it in the past. A compelling film that will forever be remembered as the father of stunning visual effects!
  • fujhay
    April 20, 2009
    fujhay
    another movie I saw as a kid. what can I say latch key block buster curious kid. especially when I was going threw my rock and roll experimental music stage.

    silent film with rock and roll classic back ground music.
  • dyfortuin
    April 17, 2009
    dyfortuin
    I had expectations about this film, but it turned out to be that my expectations were lower than my judgment of the movie after having seen it with great admiration and awe. The acting performance was I find excellent, with expressions on the faces that you seldomly see in movies...( read more) today; they raise question and they have the ability of reaching into the conscience or inconscience. The story is a classical one, with two groups that posess different qualities and to be first antagonized, then coming to the conclusion that without each other, they won't be able to reach their goals. But, there is still one other thing that has to be accepted will the wished effects be obtained: the one group the workers that have lived in the underground (litterally under the ground) and the thinkers that have lived above the ground, are subsequently the hands and the brains or the minds. The factor that makes the system complete, is the heart. And that seems to be the son of the leader of the upper world, Joh Fredersen, who had come to the workers and had sympathized with them because of their labour and sacrifiction. So he is the ultimate one, the heart, if you will, that makes the system complete. Fantastic cinematography, great story, legendary acting performances. A masterpiece!
  • sagosa
    April 7, 2009
    sagosa
    Vean la version alemana, por que la gringa esta editada para quitar pensamientos comunistas, y carece de sentido (deberian demandarlos por eso)
  • SDTERP
    April 5, 2009
    SDTERP
    The famous, Fritz Lang masterpiece. The 2002 Kino edition is the most complete version of this movie I am aware of. The film has been truncated and much of it lost, but this version has been digitally remastered and reconstructed in the correct order with cards implanted where ...( read more)original film is still missing to fill in the viewer. The film shows video phones at a time before television was known, the first depiction of a robot in a film and a classic tale of the schism between utopia and dystopia.
  • comeinandjointhariot
    April 3, 2009
    comeinandjointhariot
    with something like seven different (all official) edits of this film its hard to know exactly what you're reviewing. The edit I watched having NO ROBOTS AT ALL. Imagine my disappointment. despite that it was still enjoyable, and with a message that is still important today.
  • r44mercer
    March 29, 2009
    r44mercer
    I had a craving to watch Metropolis ever since I saw the different movie posters in my graphic design book. I had never heard of it previously, but after a little research, I found out it was a definite staple in cinema history. To be a silent film, I really enjoyed it. The st...( read more)oryline was really good and the acting, though a bit over-the-edge, complemented it well. The only unenjoyable part was the score - it didn't quite fit. Overall, the movie was a great watch.
  • Tetsuo8
    March 27, 2009
    Tetsuo8
    i like the design of the whole film
  • sspidermann
    March 26, 2009
    sspidermann
    Good from what I remember
  • emiliotejera
    March 24, 2009
    emiliotejera
    Although it is a difficult movie to follow, as it´s a silent movie, the visual work is fantastic, and the story is scarely modern, in a distopic and unpleasant future that is closest to the present times that we would like. This is one of the movies -if I were a director- that I ...( read more)would like to make a new version, to take the best of the original and improve it even more.
  • ahhh1989
    March 21, 2009
    ahhh1989
    The world of this film never leaves my thoughts when I think of Science fiction.
  • sculptbrown
    March 15, 2009
    sculptbrown
    Amazing, visually stunning and actually still a little scarey, the robot is so real, you could be mistaken for thinking she's better than the many who've followed in her footsteps. I saw this film in College and I didn't expect to like it, but its much better than most films of i...( read more)ts age!! Top class!
  • kzhope
    March 14, 2009
    kzhope
    Obra maestra del cine mudo.
    Metrópolis nos presenta una ciudad distópica donde la sociedad "perfecta" está sustentada en la explotación de la clase obrera, la cual vive en una ciudad subterránea.
    Se ha mal interpretado mucho la idea principal de la película "El corazón debe de se...( read more)r mediador entre la mano y el cerebro", ya que la interpretación más justa es que el corazón (entendido por humanidad o sentido común y no como emociones) debe ser el rector entre las clases sociales, por lo que éstas no deben de ser destruidas, deben ser reconciliadas.

    Un logro técnico en TODOS los aspectos con una dirección impecable y actuaciones superiores a las de otras películas mudas, esta película posee una estética sumamente notable y una producción evidentemente generosa.

    Más allá del inmenso logro que representa está película en el sentido técnico, la tesis final resulta de lo más interesante: la guerra entre las clases lleva a la destrucción de la sociedad, solo un trabajo conjunto logra la justicia para todos.

    Una leyenda del cine y un ícono de la corriente expresionista.

    *****
  • denebkaitos
    March 12, 2009
    denebkaitos
    This is a must see for the Cypberpunk fan.
  • jclark751
    March 12, 2009
    jclark751
    Fritz Lang's depiction of the future based on if things continued to keep going on the way they were during his time. Great classic sci-fi film, and a vision far beyond its time.
  • andreavarga
    March 11, 2009
    andreavarga
    Amazing for its innovations, the first science fiction movie ever, you can see its traces in every sci-fi movie up to today.
  • forkincheek
    March 6, 2009
    forkincheek
    I can easily see why George Lucus got so obseesed with this movie when he was writing the Star Wars trilogy. It's a GREAT movie, the first sci fi movie ever made, infact. And that leading lady! She was just plain brilliant. Even if not all of the scenes survived to present date, ...( read more)I would still highly recomend this to movie maniacs like me. It's inspired so many different filmmakers, it's fun to spot things that other, more recent, movies used. :)
  • ifeels1ck
    February 19, 2009
    ifeels1ck
    Fritz Lang's timeless epic and a beloved gem in the cinema of science fiction.
  • fluffulike1
    February 17, 2009
    fluffulike1
    The beginning of true Sci-Fi that paved the way for all the rest!
  • adfill7
    February 13, 2009
    adfill7
    It was okay, I guess. I definitely respect it for its ingenuity at the time and the place it has in cinema history. But the plot is kind of scattered and the movie kind of falls apart in the last few scenes.
  • ember22
    February 7, 2009
    ember22
    alluc - veoh + playonclick
  • Yeolita
    February 7, 2009
    Yeolita
    One to own! A love or leave it film- I had mixed feelings: love theme and presentation; storyline and development not too great-In depth Review Coming Soon :-D
  • JasonDennis91786
    January 30, 2009
    JasonDennis91786
    incredible visuals for the time, but everything else about the movie is very dated. lots of cliched action scenes and plot twists. there were some interesting allusions that i couldn't put anything very deep onto. maybe if i saw it again. strikes me as more of a blockbuster type ...( read more)film than an arthouse type film, if i am able to accurately extrapolate that far back.
  • xXxHarleyxQuinnxXx
    January 25, 2009
    xXxHarleyxQuinnxXx
    ok I adore silent films but i jsut COULD NOT GET TROUGH THIS ONE! idk what it was, it was just so,,,, SLOW! and usually idont find silent classics tha way. i felt like there was something i wasnt getting,.....
    all in all-?????
  • malacaynomuerto
    January 25, 2009
    malacaynomuerto
    gran clásico de la ciencia ficción precursora de mucho de lo que se hoy en día
  • burlydinko
    January 24, 2009
    burlydinko
    I'm not really a huge fan of the silent film genre... Too technically behind for my taste. But I make an exception for this one. Metropolis was so far ahead of it's time with the timeless tale of class distinction and some ancient but charming special effects...
  • wokosaurus
    January 17, 2009
    wokosaurus
    A silent classic that influenced the look of so many films to come later. So stylish.
  • alexroy69
    January 14, 2009
    alexroy69
    Après la période de crise économique qui sévissait toujours lors de la création des Nibelungen, le marks reprend de la valeur en Allemagne, ce qui donne un second souffle à son industrie cinématographique. Parallèlement, Thea von Harbou publie, d'abord dans un journal, puis sous ...( read more)forme de livre, un roman qui deviendra la base de son prochain scénario, et donc de la prochaine réalisation de son mari: Metropolis. Le livre raconte l'histoire d'un jeune homme qui, dans une ville futuriste dominée par son père, qu'une classe ouvrière travaillant sous terre fait fonctionner, se soulève contre les injustices sociales après avoir fait la rencontre d'une belle étrangère aux propos pacifiques. Mais les choses tournent au vinaigre lorsque son père fait appel à un scientifique fou pour donner à un androïde la forme de cette femme afin de semer la discorde dans la société des travailleurs.

    Avant de commencer le tournage, Lang voyage aux États-Unis avec le producteur Eric Pommer et y puise une foule d'idées pour les décors et l'ambiance de son prochain film. C'est pourquoi la ville étouffante de Metropolis, avec ses grattes-ciels compacts et son immense "Nouvelle Tour de Babel", parait étrangement crédible pour le spectateur moderne. Fritz Lang apparait alors comme un véritable visionnaire, érigeant sous nos yeux ébahis l'ébauche, certes exagérée mais aussi effroyablement réaliste, d'un monde qui est finalement bien près du nôtre, dans toute son excessive démesure. Le thème de la vision est d'ailleurs fort important dans Metropolis, qui les déploie en grande pompe. D'abord la vision du Moloch, véritable calvaire pour la horde de figurants sous-payés, forcés de patienter presque nus dans un hangar mal chauffé, sous les aboiements d'un Lang toujours insatisfait, puis celle de la tour de Babel, qui vient montrer toute la contradiction ridicule de ce nouvel édifice qui est son homonyme, puis les hallucinations de Freder qui prédisent une mort imminente pour la citée de son père.

    Pour donner vie à ses visions, Lang emploie au total 35 000 figurants, et le film, qui devait coûter 1,5 million de marks, en coûte finalement six... La UFA joue le tout pour le tout, mais le succès est moindre, et les producteurs retirent rapidement le film des salles pour le présenter dans une version écourtée et déroutante qui le rendra tout simplement banal, voire inintéressant et même difficile à comprendre. Il faut bien l'avouer, l'intrigue est loin d'être la force de Metropolis, et cette nouvelle version commercialisée aux États-Unis, remontée pour rappeler encore davantage l'histoire de Frankenstein, confond encore davantage le spectateur qui n'y voit qu'un étrange film un peu décousu. Si Metropolis est aujourd'hui un film légendaire, c'est peut-être davantage à cause de son influence sur des oeuvres subséquentes que pour ses qualités narratives propres. L'histoire, de manière générale, n'est jamais tout à fait à la hauteur de son visuel à couper le souffle et de sa réalisation inventive. La "morale" sociale qu'on nous impose dans non pas un, mais quatre intertitres fatigue également un peu. Mais la beauté de sa facture et le foisonnement des idées qui composent Metropolis lui assurent une place de premier rang dans l'histoire du cinéma.
  • DoctorXQuinzel
    January 12, 2009
    DoctorXQuinzel
    Every Sci-fi fan should watch this film. It's really good. Unlike some Silent films which can drag this film never does.
  • moonlitesonata2
    December 27, 2008
    moonlitesonata2
    All time sci fi classic
  • maferc27
    December 27, 2008
    maferc27
    I loved this film! It´s incredible how much you can do with mirrors and scale models! I love the movements of the extras and the masses! A great film!
  • gmale9000
    December 26, 2008
    gmale9000
    Damn interesing film. Look at the year! My god!
  • HuskersNC949597
    December 22, 2008
    HuskersNC949597
    Parallel to our own society, woe to us all, we're basically screwed.

Summary

Metropolis Summary