YMMV / Metropolis (2001)

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • When Pero tries to speak to Atlas about the violent nature of humans. Is he speaking out of a genuine desire to avoid bloodshed, or is he simply obeying his programming and doing what he can to ensure that the ruling class continue their decadence at the expense of Atlas and his people?
  • Is Atlas a revolutionary who cares about the people around him and genuinely sees the risk that Duke Red and his robots pose? Or is he a subconscious bigot who just wants something to lash out at just to spite Duke Red, even though they're just as much victims as he is of his oppression?
  • Instead of having the robots rise up from their mistreatment, Tima is only simulating that motive. Rather than having the robots break free of slavery she herself is enslaving them to do her bidding and when she sets the various structures to overload she is uncaring of the robots being killed by the surges.
  • The picture shown at the ending shows that Kenichi has managed to build Tima and keeps a repair shop with her. However, there is something on it that has been interpreted by some in a much tragic light, so stop reading if you prefer the happy ending. The picture features Tima standing semi-hidden in the shopwindow, looking like a showcase of some kind, while Kenichi is much clearly shown alive and well outside. From this image, it's perfectly possible to infer Kenichi actually failed to give Tima life back, echoing how the builders of the Tower of Babel failed at their quest to reach godhood, and is now merely keeping her name and her uselessly gathered body as heartbroken keepsakes.
• Awesome Art: Whatever you think of the increasingly dated CGI, the traditional animation still holds up very well.
• Awesome Music: Toshiyuki Honda's jazzy and orchestral score works beautifully in the Dieselpunk environment of the film.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Rock shooting Shunsaku after he tells him he's better than that. Though him previously blowing off Fifi's head may count due to how sympathetic that character was.
  • Atlas shooting Pero dead takes away any sympathy and claim to the moral high ground that he had.
• Narm: There might be a few too many dramatic stings in the music as Kenichi pulls Tima out of the Ziggurat's throne. Also, Tima's fingers fidgeting around just before she grabs Kenichi's throat a few scenes later.
• Narm Charm: The use of Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" as the theme at the height of the film's climax is a bit base-breaking. To some, it doesn't work at all (with some cinemas bursting into laughter when the song started playing), for others it's such a strong Soundtrack Dissonance move akin to "Komm Süsser Tod" that ends up being oddly effective, especially if one considers how the lyrics of the song, which describe Ray refusing to move on and choosing to live in a fantasy where he'll continue his romance rejecting reality, can be applied to Duke Red and Rock's actions being pushed over their refusal of letting go of someone they love (and Kenichi too, if you interpret that he failed to rebuild Tima in the post-credits photo).

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