In 1927, Austrian director Fritz Lang released the SF drama "Metropolis", movie that Hitler and Goebbels liked so much that they offered him status of a honorary Aryan, despite his Jewish origin. For its time, this film is a marvel of cinema and it's really hard to believe it's so old. It is considered one of the greatest films of all time and has had a great influence on the future of the genre. The city of Metropolis in DC Universe was named after this film, and design of C-3PO from the "Star Wars" is based on this robot. There are also futuristic cities from "Blade Runner" and "Dark City", Tim Barton's Gotham, as well as many crazy scientists who strongly resemble this from "Metropolis". After the premiere, the film was butchered by shortening and for decades it was thought that about a quarter of the film was forever lost. In 2008, a damaged but complete copy of the original film was found in Argentina, which was combined with a shortened version and the film was reconstructed in its original form. The story is a futuristic version of the biblical "Tower of Babylon", placed in 2026. The film was extremely high-budget for its time, and some of the special effects invented for this film are still in use. Nevertheless, in its time, this movie was failure and it almost bankrupt the studio. "Too bad that so much really artistic work is wasted on this manufactured story" - Variety. "A technical marvel with feet of clay, a picture as soulless as the manufactured woman of its story" - The New York Times. H.G. Wells called it the silliest movie he had ever seen, with a sort of malignant stupidity. "Metropolis, in its forms and shapes, is already as a possibility a third of a century out of date." I personally liked everything except the fact that the movie is extremely slow. Not slow in terms of lack of action and idle, but leaves the impression of slow motion. After about an hour I set the player to speed x1.5 and the movie suddenly became much better. Although scenes of chasing that way look much like Tom & Jerry cartoons, everything else looks more natural than in its original speed.8/10

Tonight I saw the near-complete restored version of this film, roughly two hours and twenty five minutes. If you are seeing this movie for entertainment, I will warn you that while this is very very well done in acting and everything, there is more to it than the story it tells. There are biblical references, and a moral--a moral which must have time taken to think of it properly.As about ten minutes of "Metropolis" are presumed lost, portions of the story are missing--including one scene where the inventor Rotwang and Fredersen fight in Rotwang's attic. However, much of the story is here, and how is ten minutes of a movie of this length gonna affect the narrative? It doesn't. True, bits and pieces of the footage are a bit less restored--sometimes being grainy and blurry. I'm assuming these parts are more recently discovered and their restoration has not been as dedicated. As it is, however, it is powerful, complex, lavish and a true masterpiece.If you don't want it spoiled, skip the following paragraph. The story--a magnificent telling of an evil inventor, an angry mob, a prophetess, and a rebellion. Freder, the son of the creator of the whole metropolis, is destined to inherit the whole works after his father. Soon, however, he is mixed up with Maria--a prophetess who ministers the orphans of the city. Through a spy, the father, Joh Fredersen, learns of Maria and his son's fascination with her, and commands Rotwang, the inventor, to turn his robot into an exact image of Maria. Little does he know what he is doing to the city. For the robotic Maria proves to be a wicked leader who leads the workers who keep the city alive in a revolt. They destroy the machines and flood the city before realizing what they are doing. The real Maria however is helping the orphans of the city escape the flood. Freder, in the show-down of the film, then gets into a fight with Rotwang and succeeds in killing him.But there is more to it than that.Every good movie, silent era or otherwise, has a moral. While "Metropolis" has amazing imagery, such as beautiful sets and all that jazz, it has a moral too, which states "The head and hands cannot be connected without the heart". What does this mean? That to think and act you must put love into your actions? To enjoy the movie and discard the moral is a mistake. It is something that must be pondered.

Oh! I loved this movie so much that I don't even know where to start! The fact that Metropolis was produced on the 20's didn't give me high hopes at first. However, the perfect coordination of an in-depth meaning and photography, soundtrack and motion, and most important of all, the impacting expression of strong emotions towards the crude reality of capitalism, left me more speechless than the movie itself! It is totally worth watching and do not mind the length--it will not matter if you get enrolled by the message. Should we leave capitalism do its "magic" where surplus is squeezed on a few hands thanks to the undermined labor? Should be break the system and ask for revolution? Or should we find a mediator, a heart, between head and hands? We are still nine years away from 2026. Now it is on us to compare how different is Metropolis' version of the system from our current social and economic inequality and maybe that way, we can find the correct answer to all of these questions.

Metropolis is almost 90 years old to this day. Fritz Lang gave what is arguably the most important film of the silent era with Metropolis. It was the first ever science-fiction feature film when it was made in 1927, and what's also notable is that the film remained partially lost for many years. Thanks to Kino International and film-archivists who discovered a 16mm print in Argentina, combining it with Australian and New Zealand prints of the movie (among other pre-existing positives from Germany, etc.), Metropolis was 95% restored to its original state.Now, Metropolis: The Restored Cut is a masterpiece of classic cinema that is bold, gorgeous, and very to-the-point with its man-in-the-machine subtext and premise. Its story of classicism is timeless and the set pieces, ranging from the city itself to the reveal of the maschinenmensch (machine-human) this film has many memorable moments. Its stylized landscape shows off the many beauties of German Expressionism in its purest form, and it complements the story being told.Without this film, there would be no Blade Runner, no 2001: A Space Odyssey, no Star Wars, and definitely no Terminator films. Metropolis is the genesis of modern science fiction cinema, plain and simple. It has been miraculously preserved through the ages since its release and will continue to influence future generations decades from now.Metropolis is a rich, memorable and honest science fiction film that expresses ideas of one's place in modern society perfectly; and that a little perspective is all it takes to make great changes happen.Please watch this film when you can. The science fiction genre's inheritance of this film's influence should be reason enough to give it a go.