When I first watched Metropolis I already knew I was watching something special. Sometimes we discover a movie that you know does not come along often and it stays with you for many years to come. It was directed by Rintaro the man behind the acclaimed Galaxy Express 999 films and Kamui no Ken with a screenplay by Katsuhiro Otomo the creator and director of Akira. The film is loosely adapted from the manga of the same name by the legendary Osamu Tezuka creator of Astro Boy and Black Jack. With all of these towering names attached to the project it really comes as no surprise that the film is as impressive as it is. And yet I find this movie does not always get the attention I think it deserves. I think it is something more people should take into consideration. If you do what you will receive is truly an experience to behold. In the city of Metropolis the wealthy live in opulence at the expense of the robotic and human laborers. Tensions are building within the city amidst the celebration of the newly completed Ziggurat a skyscraper said to extend mankinds power across the world. The humans that have been denied the privilege of living within its upper levels are growing more hostile towards the robots they believe robbed them of work and the rich who profit off of their suffering. During all of this a boy named Kenichi and his private detective uncle Shunsaku Ban arrive to investigate and arrest the mad Dr. Laughton said to be involved with organ trafficking. While following his trail eventually they come across the doctors laboratory which has been set ablaze with a mysterious newly activated robot named Tima amidst the rubble. Kenichi and Tima become separated from his uncle and wander deeper into the heart of the city discovering its secrets along the way. For what purpose was Tima built? Why was the Ziggurat really constructed? Will the disenfranchised take back control from the elite? Will humans and robots reach a place of understanding? The answers to all of this and more lie within Metropolis. According to Rintaro it was never Tezukas intention to adapt Metropolis. The two had worked together on several projects and Tezuka felt anything that he wrote before Astro Boy lacked the skill level that he felt made them worth adapting. In spite of this Rintaro took it upon himself to adapt this work for himself many years after Tezukas passing. His goal was to communicate his spirit and indeed I feel he succeeded. While the manga is significantly different from the film this is not a strike against it. What Rintaro and Otomo did was create ways to heighten the experience and give the story more substance. The themes of classism are very reminiscent of Fritz Langs iconic 1927 silent film of the same title at the same time the themes of human and robot relations feel carried over from Astro Boy. By inserting these themes and creating new sub plots the story feels richer. When it comes to the visual style it is nothing short of superb. The designs by Yasuhiro Nakura have that nice vintage style while not being too far in that direction where it would feel jarring to a more modern viewer. Classic members of the Tezuka star system like Kenichi Rock Holmes Duke Red and Shunsaku Ban all look fantastic while still being in line with the designs that made them famous. By choosing to work within that style instead of sacrificing it in favor of what would have been popular at the time the film ended up with a very distinct look that I feel has aged better than most aesthetics found in early 2000s anime. The use of CGI in the backgrounds evokes this feeling of division between the different levels in Metropolis. The lower levels feel mechanical and cold while the upper levels are vibrant and lush. And when it comes to the character animation they move so fluidly and when placed against these detailed backgrounds we get some truly stunning scenes. The score by jazz musician Toshiyuki Honda gives the movie a strong energy and helped create some of the most memorable scenes within the entire film. All of these elements come together to create such a beautiful package. Overall Metropolis is a lovely movie. It manages to communicate an old masters vision while still giving the team involved room to breathe and make their own contributions. It offers some thought provoking questions and themes while also acting as an incredibly entertaining piece. There are some movies where they become too weighed down by their messages and lose sight of keeping the viewer engaged but not here. Every moment every scene I was completely invested in what was happening. I have seen this film several times and each time it is just as thrilling and mesmerizing as that day many years ago when I first picked it up. Its a film that I consider to be timeless and one of the great pieces of anime to come from the 2000s. I cannot recommend it to people enough.