Forum - View topicQuestion: What if METROPOLIS is a hit?
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4471 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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Metropolis won't be a mainstream hit like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon because it's a) animated, b) not a comedy, c) not (primarily) computer animation & d) not tied in with any TV show, but what if it outperforms Tristar's expectations, doing Akira-like business at the box office? Big for the art house circuit, I mean. Has Tristar shot itself in the foot by announcing the DVD for March, which means it's unlikely to play in too many more theatres than those already announced? Or, if it does well, would TriStar will delay the DVD release so that they can open it a bit wider in theatres?
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Tenchi
Posts: 4471 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie-1111058/reviews.php
Oh yeah, the Tomatometer rating for Metropolis at RottenTomatoes.com is 93%, with 13 positive, and just one negative (from the New York Post http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1111058/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=1&rid=281634 ; though the review seems like a positive review to me; all the uncredited reviewer laments is the dubbing. Wasn't there a negative review of it on this site, though? I can't seem to find it anywhere.) |
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GATSU
Posts: 15314 |
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Sony will probably release the dvd while simultaneously expanding the release of the film. They did that with Memento.
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Neilworms
 Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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Whoever the reviewer is at the New York Post, really is a terrible reviewer. If he was on epinions.com I'd give that review a not helpful, because it says nothing about the original movie. All the review does is complain about the dub (which is valid, but not worth an entire review, particularly of a non mainstream movie). I have no problem with the fact that he didn't like it (he gave it two stars) but what was the reason?
Also, wasn't this supposed to be given a subtitled release in theatres. I believe I read a few critics who were praising that fact. (These might have been before the release)?? Am I wrong???? It may be that this guy never saw the movie, how are we to know? If someone could get an e-mail, I really want to complain to the author, or the NYP about the shoddy journalism in that article. |
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Animan
Posts: 65 |
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"Also, wasn't this supposed to be given a subtitled release in theatres. I believe I read a few critics who were praising that fact."
Metropolis has been released in both sub and dub form in various parts of the country. Notice that Roger Ebert has also a reviewed a dub version. "If someone could get an e-mail, I really want to complain to the author, or the NYP about the shoddy journalism in that article." Ahhhh leave 'em alone. He ain't done nothin' to you--he's just doin his job. |
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Tenchi
Posts: 4471 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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I'm guessing, from the short length of the review and the fact that no reviewer was credited, that this was originally from a capsule review section, wherein several movies receive single paragraph reviews, as, in a city like New York, there would be too many movies playing simultaneously for each movie to receive a proper review. (Why Metropolis received such prominent coverage in the Times, but only a capsule review in the Post probably just reflects the tastes of the writers and editors.) As for him/her focusing on the bad dub, for many people a bad dub can ruin a movie, so that no matter how good or bad the film otherwise was, all they'll remember was the dub. |
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Atomsk
 Posts: 11 |
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Slightly OT, but does anyone know where I can find the high-resolution trailer for Metropolis? I remember seeing an 18MB version somewhere but now the best I can find is the 6.5MB one, thanks.
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GATSU
Posts: 15314 |
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If you thought the NY Post's negative review of Metropolis was bad, you should check out ANN's! First of all, the guy compares the anime to the manga, which considering its age, is probably out of print in most import shops. Even if it was more available, there are probably very few U.S. fans who can read Japanese anyway. And then he complains about how it lacks the vision of the manga, when Rin Taro worked closely with Tezuka for a long time, and should know better than anyone what Tezuka would've wanted.
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GATSU
Posts: 15314 |
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If you thought the NY Post's negative review of Metropolis was bad, you should check out ANN's! First of all, the guy compares the anime to the manga, which considering its age, is probably out of print in most import shops. Even if it was more available, there are probably very few U.S. fans who can read Japanese anyway. And then he complains about how it lacks the vision of the manga, when Rin Taro worked closely with Tezuka for a long time, and should know better than anyone what Tezuka would've wanted.
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GATSU
Posts: 15314 |
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Oops. It got taken down. :roll:
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cookie
Former ANN Editor in Chief
 Posts: 2460 Location: Do not contact me for support. |
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You mean this one? animenewsnetwork.com/review/Metropolis/Metropolis.php It's still up, I assure you. The primary differences between our review and the other reviews is that ours was done by a Japanese person, with a Japanese viewpoint. All of the other reviews posted have been of American viewpoints. It's been said, quite correctly, that while Japanese fandom can trace its roots to Astroboy and Gundam... the strongest "historical" forces in American fandom were Speed Racer, Starblazers, and Robotech. There's a strong difference in philosophy, as well as historical awareness, and that is brought out by our review. I think this sentence shows the differences best: "The movie version was directed by RIN Taro, who used to direct Astro Boy at Tezuka's Mushi Production and is best known for anime feature Galaxy Express 999." (Emphasis own) Galaxy Express? You mention Rin Taro to 100 random (knowledgeable) fans, and I doubt most would say Galaxy Express (of which he was the director), particularly since he did work on X and Gunnm. This shows our reviewer was an older fan, one who was more aware of the history surrounding anime itself. I think you need to consider the review in that light, as well. And before you say it.. Yes, we're quite aware of the grammatical mistakes. :p |
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GATSU
Posts: 15314 |
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"The primary differences between our review and the other reviews is that ours was done by a Japanese person, with a Japanese viewpoint. All of the other reviews posted have been of American viewpoints."
The Japanese also helped make A.I. a smash, and the DC a failure. People can make mistakes, no matter who they are. "It's been said, quite correctly, that while Japanese fandom can trace its roots to Astroboy and Gundam..." First off, Gundam wouldn't be around if it weren't for Mazinger Z. From what I read, it didn't even do that well until it was re-released in movie form. Second of all, both countries saw Astroboy and Leo. It's just that Japan was able to see more of Tezuka than we were, but he definitely had an impact on our pop culture as well. Anyway, I have a feeling Tezuka was more popular here, because at least he didn't have to make hentai to survive in the U.S., because no one wanted to adapt his manga into anime until he died! "the strongest "historical" forces in American fandom were Speed Racer, Starblazers, and Robotech." Well Gundam Wing and Pokemon were popular in both countries, so we're not that different. "There's a strong difference in philosophy, as well as historical awareness, and that is brought out by our review" I like how he calls the film a ripoff of Laputa, but doesn't realize Nadia was originally an idea conceived by Miyazaki. He's truly "historically aware". =p "This shows our reviewer was an older fan, one who was more aware of the history surrounding anime itself. I think you need to consider the review in that light, as well." Look, just because he knows a few facts and figures newbies might not doesn't make his review any more fair. Let me point out what I found annoying in particular: "the warm relation between Tima and Ken'ichi (Recall E.T. and Elliot !) is not fully developed." Well first of all, if you're on the run from an overprotective "son" with a gun, you don't exactly have time to be intimate. "But her shock and sadness does not come home to you because the process by which she grew up as a human girl was not depicted thoroughly enough. You find it difficult to identify with Ken'ichi and Tima." This coming from the country that invented dating sims. Whatever. "Why is Lord Red attached to Tima so much? It is suggested that he lost her daughter in the past and Tima is modeled after her, but that is explained only by Dr. Lorton's dialogue and the pictures on Lord Red's desk, in which you see he and a little girl smiling happily. It is a bit too unkind to the audience." Yes, Tima is so stiff, and Lord Red's motivations are so unclear, unlike the relationship between Shinji's Dad and Rei in Evangelion. =p "While the background art was excellent, it is too unclear as to where each place, site and building is and how they are related. For example, it is difficult to realize the underground world was composed of three levels, Zone One (downtown and poor quarters) , Zone Two (energy plant) , and Zone Three (disposal plant of waste) without seeing the theater program." I'm sure you probably remember all the UPC codes for the Gundam model kits too. =p "Recall Miyazaki's Lupin the Third : The Castle of Cagliostro, in which the hero Lupin parades in a gigantic, labyrinthine, European castle, yet Miyazaki skillfully tells you where each site is situated and related from the view of Lupin; this is missing from Metropolis." Um, just remember Cagliostro bombed in Japan when it first came out, because it wasn't true to the Lupin mold, since Miyazaki kiddified it. "I wish Rin and Otomo had probed into this theme more thoroughly. The lack of description of the power struggles in the Metropolis political world is quite dissapointing. In a word, Otomo's script is poor." If you want more details on power struggles, play a Koei game. This is a movie that's supposed to summarize a manga! |
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GATSU
Posts: 15314 |
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In conclusion, I don't feel his review is necessarily a reflection of Japanese fandom. It's still too elitist and restrictive to show any respect for the efforts of Rin Taro and Otomo. They didn't even have to work on this project, but they spent a lot of time creating Metropolis, because of the respect they had for Tezuka. Not to mention they deserve credit for doing something experimental in anime, while most studios are just trying to create Pokemon or Evangelion clones.
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Animan
Posts: 65 |
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"In conclusion, I don't feel his review is necessarily a reflection of Japanese fandom."
I thought the LA Times review confirmed some eliments of the ANN review. And despite what the New York Times critic had said, I heard from a friend in Japan that Metropolis didn't do that well in Japan. How did Metropolis do at home? |
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Neilworms
Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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I didn't care for the review in ANN, but at least it gave arguments as to why the author didn't like it (even if they were kind of off the wall). As long as it wasn't something like, "I didn't like the androids or the Big Cities" and the entire review was written about that, then I would not consider it a worthwhile review.
As for the major influences on anime history. I've read several places including the Anime Encyclopedia and a translated interview with Miyazaki on Nausicaa.net(http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/aboutanime.html that Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato (Star Blazers) had a profound effect on the anime industry. Miyazaki said that it started the current boom in anime (the interview was written in 1988). Based on what I've read it's popularity paved the way for the majority of giant robot shows to change from sentai, to post-Gundam. It was really one of the first anime not to be aimed at children. Miyazaki/Takahata were also major players in Japanese anime. They directed over half of the episodes of the original Lupin III TV series. Lupin was the first anime aimed at an adult audience, and part of it's success may have come from the talent involved in the first series. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind was so successful that it promoted other companies to seek out talented filmmakers who could make other movies of that caliber. IMO if it wasn't for Nausicaä other big, risky movies like Wings of Honneamise and Akira may never have been funded (particulary Honneamise). Not to mention Nausicaä was listed as everybodies favorite anime in (I believe it was Newtype) an anime magizane in Japan for over 10 years. Akira even though it failed in Japan, was very successful in America. The growing fandom here (a lot of it was due to Akira) caused the Japanese to fund projects (such as Ghost in the Shell and Memories) that would have a lot of appeal to not only the Japanese audience but the american. Their was about 6 years (from 1988 to 1995)when production of anime films went way down. International success of anime is what has caused the most recient boom in Theatrical projects, of which Metropolis is a part of. So in a way we effected anime's current direction in Japan. |
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