Metropolis (2001)
movies, cyberpunk
Watched a 2001 animated cyberpunk movie called Metropolis. A masterpiece or just short of it, felt like reconnecting with some better, easier, simpler past, where the cyberpunk we imagined wasn’t here, now, and awful. Based on Metropolis manga by Osamu Tezuka and, slightly, on Fritz Lang film (1927) by same title.
About the Movie: Rich and powerful plutocratic city of Metropolis, where robots, once viewed as humanity’s helpers, laborers, became their replacement, creating a deep rift in class divide. Those unable to find work ended up living in the lowest, most dangerous levels of the shiny on the surface city, whilst the wealthiest dreamed of new conquests. One such, Duke Red, celebrates the construction of The Ziggurat, telling the public this here is their absolute protection, their absolute safety. In truth, the massive military slash scientific complex is an atomic superweapon that’ll help him conquer the world. But for that he needs one last piece. Tima. A highly advanced android, modeled after his dead daughter. She will be the core of the weapon, its central control unit, completing Duke Red’s dream, his daughter, on top of the world, all-powerful. Except, far from everyone wants to see another robot get a place of substance, a place of power…
My Opinion: There’ll be spoilers here, keep it in mind. As noted above, I remember the original poster of this movie from my childhood. Back then there was no way to go watch it, not from where I was, at least. And later I simply forgot it existed, until recently, whilst on a quest for old, favorite movies that have inspired the books in the making, and cyberpunk genre topics. Must say, Metropolis was nothing like what I could’ve ever possibly imagined. Old style animation, with visually almost too cartoonish design choices that nearly fail to indicate this is going to be a dark, grown-up theme. But it doesn’t take long to captivate.
We get this story of a detective and his nephew coming to Metropolis in search of rogue scientist, Dr. Laughton, who, in fact, was hired by Duke Red to create him Tima, an immortal android girl to replace his dead daughter. Laughton is wanted for organ trafficking, but, it seems, his “crimes” of creating more androids were more severe, as Duke Red’s adopted son, upon discovering his works on Tima, kills him and burns his lab down before the detective reaches the old man. The boy, Rock, is part of a paramilitary vigilante organization called Marduks. They hunt rogue robots of all kinds, but it is here that we realize: to Rock this is far more personal. He tries to do a good job to impress his father, who, meantime, hates that the boy even calls him that. So, upon finding this child substitute, Rock feels threatened, and when he finds out Tima survived, aided farther by detective’s nephew, Kenichi, he sets out on a relentless pursuit after them.
During the pursuit, an armed revolution begins in Metropolis, people are tired, fed up. Duke calls for martial law to suppress it, but a degree of damage has been done. Still, during the mess Duke Red discovers Tima, and so, all seems well. He brings her home, and then, to the top of Ziggurat, where her throne slash dock awaits. All story lines reach their climax here. Every character still alive – make their last stance, including Tima. We watch it all arch and crash into the ground in absolute destruction being unleashed. And, as society crumbles in a very unexpected, dark way, a glimmer of hope shines through. For it wasn’t society that fell after all. Merely its corrupt leadership.
The movie is incredibly good. Aside from the great visuals, the story provides such a classic view of human hubris, this darkly cyberpunk tale of high tech forcing various forms of low life, it’s mesmerizing. Highly recommend to anyone invested in the genre. Or even just to those tired of greedy talking heads. Give it a shot.