Rintaro (director)
Eureka (studio)
PG (certificate)
110min (length)
16 January 2017 (released)
17 January 2017
This 2001 Manga-anime, loosely based on Osamu Tezuka’s classic 1949 comic of the same name, has got to rank among the most brilliant animations features ever and it shouldn’t come as a surprise bearing the project’s 5-year production in mind! A clever and complex re-working of Fritz Lang’s silent classic, anime director Rintaro and writer Katsuhiro Otomu also introduced a new character called ‘Rock’ into the story who is not featured in the Tezuka comic.
In the futuristic city of Metropolis humans and robots co-exist, with the robots reduced to carrying out unpleasant work at the city’s lower Zone levels. Just like in the real world and the current unemployment climate where guest-workers and immigrants from foreign countries are being blamed for ‘taking away jobs’ so the unemployed citizens of Metropolis are blaming the robots for taking their rightful jobs away. With the dispute going on, self-styled ruler Duke Red is in charge of the construction of Ziggurat, a gigantic skyscraper akin to the Tower of Babel. According to Duke Red the tower will enable mankind to extend its powers far across the planet. During the opening ceremony a ‘lone wolf’ robot disrupts the festivities and is shot by Red’s adopted son Rock who distrusts robots. Meanwhile, the leader of a vigilante group called The Marduk Party calls for equal rights between humans and robots. Deep in the bowels of Metropolis a mad scientist called Dr. Laughton is almost finished with building his creation – an über-robot which is modelled on Red’s deceased daughter Tima. The idea is that Tima is supposed to function as a control unit for a destructive weapon inside the Ziggurat and thus eliminate mankind, with the robots taking over.
When Rock finds out about Tima he tries everything to destroy ‘her’ despite the fact that Tima is initially unsure as to whether she’s human or robot. Around the same time private eye Shunsaku Ban and his young nephew Ken-ichi arrive in Metropolis with the intend of arresting Dr. Laughton for illegal organ trafficking… little do they know of what’s in store for them! As Rock shoots Dr. Laughton and sets the lab on fire Ken-ichi rescues Tima, believing she is human. Both like each other instantly but the budding friendship is short-lived thank to Rock’s continues efforts to destroy Tima and other robots. Meanwhile, the Marduks keep on championing for equal rights between man and machine whereas the unemployed human labourers plan a huge revolt against the Duke Red. Soon all order has collapsed and is replaced by violence Manga-style with twist at every corner…
The (animated) special effects are simply jaw-dropping and of course, the film sends out a big message at the end. This tale of humans without a heart and some robots who feel is an absolute ‘must’ for any Manga fan while it’s bound to delight anyone interested in animation. Another plus is Hitoshi Yamaguchi’s jazz-driven score.
This Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray comes with an array of bonus material.