#122: Metropolis
Part of the Top 150 Films series
Though not the first epic or science-fiction film, Metropolis would be the template on which all such future films would be compared against. Set in a futuristic dystopia, it follows the attempts of Freder, the wealthy son of the city’s ruler, and Maria, a poor worker, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. It’s arguably too long and philosophically fuzzy, but what allows Metropolis to rise to such giddying heights is the sheer scale of its tremendous execution. The sets and Art Deco production design are wildly impressive nearly 100 years since its première; the visual effects are stunning; the action is pulse-quickening. It only gets better as it goes along, with a momentum that no film with a 153-minute running time should have. An epic of titanic proportions, Metropolis would sink under its own excesses if the foundations were not as strong as they are.
