Metropolis

[Don Brown]

You know it's summer in Japan when the explosions on a movie soundtrack 
aren't as loud as the air conditioning.  It sounds like there's a 747 
making extra-long preparations for take-off in the ceiling.
Anyway, ears adjust to the barrage after a while, and I in the end I was 
able to make out most of what was going on in "Metropolis", a new anime 
from director Rintaro and screenwriter Otomo Katsuhiro, based on a story by 
Tezuka Osamu.  It's quite a stunning film, when you appreciate the time and 
craftsmanship that has gone into producing it.  The rendering of the city 
is painstakingly immaculate, perhaps best described as a cross between the 
imagined worlds of Fritz Lang, Astro Boy and "Akira".  The influences at 
work here are recognisable but well matched, and combine to create a work 
with its own intrinsic value.  Each frame is filled with so much 
information that it'll surely wear out the pause button on every otaku's 
DVD player when it's released for the home market.  The mix of traditional 
and CG animation here is exemplary, although it contrasts strongly with the 
depiction of the characters.  Visually they are true to Tezuka Osamu's 
distinctive style, and their nostalgic design works to enhance the 
retro-futuristic look of the film, but to an extent it also emphasises the 
fact that most of the work here has gone into creating the labyrinthine 
cityscape rather than memorable characterisation.  That's not to say it's a 
failure in this aspect, as the screenplay does have a certain depth to it.  
Otomo works a fair bit of social commentary into the story, which follows a 
sentient android's search for identity in a society where robots are slaves 
to the human populace.  We see how this has disenfranchised a large section 
of the population and created an underclass who live at the lowest level of 
the city where light barely penetrates, consequently giving rise to an 
undercurrent of hate towards the docile, servile robots.  On the other hand 
we see the opulent upper levels of this literally stratified society, 
distanced from the murk below by its shining skyscrapers and window-grazing 
blimps.  At times the two-dimensional characters were seemingly being swept 
along by the plot rather than acting as antagonists in their own right, but 
the magnitude of the storyline and the awe-inspiring visual detail are not 
to be discounted.  At almost two hours long the movie has something of an 
epic feel to it, topped off by the grandstanding finish, where Otomo once 
again displays his habit of ending his movies by blowing everything up.  
Despite an impressive trailer that began playing in theatres several months 
ago, the film seems to have opened with little fanfare here and ultimately 
should cause more of a ripple overseas.  Which is what I believe the film 
deserves - it is quite breathtaking, and stakes a further claim for anime 
as a legitimate, adult genre.  
Don Brown
_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.