Critic's Grade: A-

The common misconception with classic films is that they are flawless. Indeed, some are, but for every movie that achieves greatness without blemishes, there is at least one more that earns its status in cinema history with a few pimples here and there. Case in point: Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," which in addition to being the first majorly-heralded science fiction film, can also be labeled the first film to introduce the theory of style over substance.

You see, "Metropolis" is all about visuals and little else. Sure, there's a story that has the potential to be better than the marginal screenplay allows, but I've learned that in some cases, dwelling extensively on plot issues may take away from the overall experience of the movie. This is something that science fiction has become famous for: the emphasis of execution over story, of visual beauty over story intrigue. It works for some movies; for others, it serves as the final damning censure. Lang's most memorable work, however, falls into both of these categories on different occasions, but hey: if Adolf Hitler liked it enough to overlook Lang's Jewish heritage, then that's definitely saying something.

The film takes us into a futuristic world where large, mammoth buildings reach for the heavens and beyond, built by the lower-class Workers, who live in subterrainean structures that exist underneath the expansive city. Presiding over the Workers are the elite Thinkers, the brains behind the brawn who make the plans and see them through. One such person, a young Thinker by the name of Freder Fredersen (Gustav Fr?hlich), seems unafflicted by the manner in which the world as he knows it operates, until he becomes witness to the atrocities of the Workers' conditions at the hands of his own father (Alfred Abel), the man in charge of the entire city. When Freder falls in love with the leader of the Workers, the beautiful Maria (Brigitte Helm), he becomes convinced that something must be done to stop the ignorance of the Thinkers and bring the two groups together.

But just as the Workers are devising a plan, so are the Thinkers, or to be more specific, a mad scientist who creates a completely operational robot who can be programmed to simulate a human being. From here, it becomes evident that Lang is obviously trying to instill a message of the dangers of advancement into his work; we see the robot, and by extension the whole of the city, not as something to be marveled over, but something to be feared. It is man's inhumanity to man that has brought about the technological evolutions of this society, and it soon becomes a question of whether or not those responsible will realize their transgressions before it becomes too late. This works well with the story's dark undercurrent of dread and despair, accompanied by a tension that swells to gigantic proportions in the film's final act, where all hell breaks loose as the Workers begin a revolt.

But in terms of impact, the story can't hold a candle to the film's extraordinary appearance. In comparison to the extravagance of the art direction by Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, and Karl Vollbrecht, not to mention the brilliant visual effects by Eugen Sch?fftan, the plot is quite meek, taking a backseat to the morbidly fascinating vistas of Metropolis. Lang once revealed that his inspiration for the city came from seeing the New York City skyline in October of 1924; to imagine how he was able to convert such an image into something much larger and grander is to realize that his creative genius was nothing short of explosive. The city of Metropolis, as we see it in the film, is oppressive, brooding, and overbearing, but at the same time mesmerizing, immersive, and gorgeous to behold. Even in this day of modern filmmaking practices, the film's visuals have not lost their ability to extract one's breath now and again.

In retrospect, it's not that the story for "Metropolis" is lacking in clarity in terms of its themes, but it is overshadowed by the execution in more than one instance, and however you approach this depends on your interests. Personally, I look at the film as an exercise in excess that manages to sneak its way under our skin with a constant barrage of creepy, at-times frightening images that have quite a grip, even by today's standards. Back when the film was released, no one could have guessed that a similar series of events would befall much of Europe at the hands of the Nazi regime. When considering the film's theme of man's inhumanity to man, it could be theorized that perhaps Hitler's ideals weren't entirely his own. One can only wonder.

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