When watching very old movies, I sometimes like to use the expression that I try to watch them in a way where I’m trying to “appreciate, rather than enjoy.” Metropolis is one of those kinds of movies. It had been lauded as one of the greatest movies of all time, and certainly one of the best movies of the silent era, and it’s easy to see why. It was one of the first of its kind: a feature-length sci-fi movie that has been the inspiration for many sci-fi directors going forward. I bring up the “appreciate, rather than enjoy” saying because while Metropolis is an extremely impressive movie, it’s also one that I’d really only recommend to film buffs. It’s absolutely wild to see some of the imagery in the movie, but only if you’re into this kind of thing. I’m always interested in film’s roots, so Metropolis was right up my alley, but I can also acknowledge that it’s not an easy movie to watch.

I will say that the plot isn’t the main selling point to Metropolis, but I’ll talk about it briefly anyway. Essentially, the movie takes place in this futuristic kind of city called Metropolis. It’s one of those cities where there’s a huge class divide between the rich and the poor. The ruling class lives in luxury and don’t seem to have any struggles, while the working class toil away in harsh conditions underground in order to keep the city running. One day, a man named Freder, who is the son of Metropolis’s ruler Joh Fredersen, is exposed to some of the people struggling in the working class, and he becomes enamored by them. He witnesses their harsh conditions for himself and realizes that things could go horribly if there isn’t a bond between the rich and the poor. He sets out to be the mediator between the two, all the while an evil scientist is hatching a plan to lead the poor into a rebellion and destroy the city.

It’s an interesting story about class struggle to be sure, but in all honesty it’s the visuals that you’re going to want to see the movie for, not the story. Again, it’s not like the story is bad, it’s just that it’s a story that’s been done far better in other stories, and so it’s not the thing that makes this movie memorable. What does make the movie memorable is the imagery. It’s so impressive to me that this was one of the first big sci-fi movies out there, because it really had no precedent for its style, and yet it was able to craft a unique feel so well. The city itself looks really cool, and the robot that this movie is most associated with still looks very realistic. Director Fritz Lang also crafted some really wild hallucinations and dream sequences in the movie. A lot of them have religious subtext to them, so the movie draws on Christian stories like the Tower of Babel and the Whore of Babylon and intertwines them with the movie’s themes and characters. It’s really well done, and makes for a wild ride.

For how good Metropolis is, though, it’s unfortunately not a very accessible movie for modern audiences. I think the biggest barrier is the runtime. For one thing, the movie had a lot of lost footage for the longest time, and so there exist many versions of the movie, many of which are far from complete. This can make it a bit difficult to hunt down, but I’ll make it a bit easier for those who are interested. Over time, a lot of the footage for the movie has been found, and so at this point there’s only about 5 minutes that’s still missing. This is pretty substantial, because the original runtime was 153 minutes, so now we have 148 minutes restored. For a long time, most versions were less than 2 hours long, so this is probably as good as we’re gonna get now. A few years ago, a “complete” version of Metropolis (the 148 minute one) was released, and so if you’re interested in watching the movie, this is the best way to. Luckily, this version of the movie is somehow on YouTube for free, so it’s there if you want to watch it.

Even when you find the “right” version of the movie, I can still acknowledge that the runtime is very long. I think that a 2 and a half hour movie is really long in general, but this especially rings true for a black-and-white silent film. I think this is the biggest barrier to entry for most audiences. Hell, I like watching old movies and it was hard for me to sit all the way through. This is why I say that I can only truly recommend Metropolis to film buffs. The other big barrier to entry is that it can be hard to follow. I’m not going to lie to you, I had to read a plot summary as I was watching the movie, because there were times where I didn’t understand what was going on. I don’t necessarily think this is a fault of the movie though. Honestly, if Metropolis has one big downfall, it’s that it’s too ambitious, which isn’t inherently a bad thing. The movie was trying to be a movie rich with metaphors and striking imagery, and this just wasn’t easy to do back in the 1920s. Without good picture quality or sound, it was basically an impossible task for Metropolis to accomplish exactly what it wanted to do, and so I sympathize with it for that. The movie was really ahead of its time, as Fritz Lang was really trying to push the medium as far as he could with what he had. I honestly think Metropolis would make for a great remake today, as I’m sure many more people would enjoy the movie if we got to see it with today’s technology and effects.

While I can acknowledge that Metropolis can be difficult for modern audiences to watch because of its long runtime, hard-to-follow plot, and general outdatedness, I still think it’s an incredible movie. The fact of the matter is that Metropolis really helped pave the way for future sci-fi movies, and it accomplishes something that I didn’t even think would have been possible in the 1920s. It’s a movie that intrigues more than it entertains, but it’s still really fascinating to watch nonetheless. I know it’s not for everyone, but I still adore it for what it is. It’s not like it’s the kind of movie I would want to watch on any random day, but I’m definitely happy to have seen it once, because it was really interesting. Give it a shot if you want to see some of sci-fi’s roots, but if it’s not for you then I understand.

4.5/5