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Metropolis (Rintaro - 2001 - anime)

Started by Chedney Honks, April 11, 2021, 07:31:53 PM

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Chedney Honks



I watched this film fifteen or so years ago and it was one of the first Blu-rays I bought when I started replacing my old collection around six months ago. I love Tezuka's art style and character designs, I really enjoy the soundtrack and there are some beautiful sequences, but I find the narrative and characters very boring. I must have tried to watch it a dozen times now and I've still not got past half an hour.

On the one hand, I'm conscious that playing more games recently has fucked my attention span, but on the other, it seems to be an unengaging film with too much introduced at each turn, unlikeable characters and uncertain stakes.

Should I persist?

I have very little memory of the film from the first time around as I was probably very warmed up from bai jiu and in the midst of a wintry movie marathon.

Blumf

The story is a bit of a mess, adding robots into the workers vs owners dynamic muddies the whole thing. Really feels like the writer doesn't have much new to say, or at least can't nail it down in his own mind.

A real shame as, like you say, everything else in the production is lovely.

Chedney Honks

Interesting you mention the writing because the screenplay is by Otomo, of Akira fame, which is one of my favourite films (and stories, full stop). Here, there seems to be far more time spent on world building than on the moment-to-moment action. It means that the stakes are always off screen. I can understand how that would be more effective on subsequent viewings, but there's not enough of a hook to get me through this first one.

Osmium

Never rated it when I saw it years back. Not that I can remember anything about it other than that now. I think I was watching through Otomo's filmography at the time so watched that and Roujin Z as well. It was better than Steamboy, I suppose.

Blumf

Quote from: Chedney Honks on April 11, 2021, 09:16:25 PM
Interesting you mention the writing because the screenplay is by Otomo, of Akira fame

Yep, an undeniable classic in both manga and anime form. But then he's done this and Steamboy, both of which look like they should be amazing - Ghibli multiplied by steam/diesel-punk - but ended up dull, completely unengaging.

samadriel

Metropolis and Steamboy completely erased my confidence in Ootomo. Such boring films!  I bought a bootleg of the Metropolis soundtrack for a coupla bucks though; not brilliant, but quite good.