Metascore
98 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. 100
    Does what many great films do, creating a time, place and characters so striking that they become part of our arsenal of images for imagining the world.
  2. Trashy and glorious, the restored Metropolis is a pop epic for the ages.
  3. Metropolis has a place in world history as well as in the annals of fantasy. Adolf Hitler was said to have loved it, and Lang eventually fled Germany for Hollywood when the Third Reich wanted him to run its movie industry. Few movies of any era offer so much varied food for thought, cinematically and politically. Its new restoration is a major motion-picture event.
  4. 100
    What you come to see are the strokes of a visual master. You will not be disappointed.
  5. It took the German restorers four years to ready this print using dupe negatives and old prints found in archives around the world. Their work speaks for itself. Each frame of this classic is drop-dead stunning, the more so now that the movie no longer hiccups its way across the screen.
  6. An awesome cinema spectacle.
  7. Seeing it is a time-bending experience, a way of visiting the past and glimpsing the past's idea of the future. A masterpiece of art direction, the movie has influenced our vision of the future ever since, with its imposing white monoliths and starched facades.
  8. 100
    It leaves you dazed and sated. Compared to the fast food "eye candy" surrounding it these days, Metropolis is a gourmet 20-course meal.
  9. You've seen the rest; now see the best.
  10. 90
    The greatest of all pulp fantasies.
  11. Metropolis retains its power to overwhelm, trouble and move because it is connected to the deep anxieties of modern life as if by a high-voltage cable.
  12. Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    90
    Departing from a masterful manipulation of space, Lang transforms the futuristic city of the title into a field of dreams centered on death and sexuality.
  13. Reviewed by: Dale Thomajan
    80
    What ultimately saves the film from both silliness and ponderousness is not its simplistic social message, not its now-stale theme, nor its disappointing characterizations, but rather the dazzling cinematic (and theatrical) bag of tricks which Lang and company employed to keep things moving.
  14. Reviewed by: Ron Wells
    80
    After half a century, does the story hold up? Eh, pretty much. In the end, the story doesn't really matter that much as this is really a vehicle for the amazing visuals.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 56 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Negative: 3 out of 23
  1. 10
    The single most influential film in history. Modern sci-fi would not even exist if it wasnt for this masterpiece. The worlds look amazing and completely unique. Camera work and editing is creative and 1 of a kind. Brigitte Helm could have one of the best female performances of all time, her facial expressions as the machine are insane. One of the best films of all time no contest. If you say otherwise your mentally incapable of viewing film. People said this movie is "to formulaic". THATS BECAUSE IT CREATED THE FORMULA! It was 1927 for goodness sake. The first of it's kind. I watched it again now in 2011 and it still creates emotional impact on the viewer. Not only one of the best films of all time, one of the greatest pieces of art of all time. Full Review »
  2. It's definitely the best silent film ever crafted, and arguably one of the best movies of all time. Silent films usually try to avoid complex plot and multiple storylines because of the limitations of the medium, but Fritz Lang succeeds in connecting all of the loose ends in his monumental vision to produce one of the greatest stories to grace the silver screen. Full Review »
  3. One of the most influential movies ever made,and a must-see.Unfortunately,while the film is visually stunning,it's a bit weak in the story department, which keeps me from giving it a 10. Full Review »