Metropolis (Japanese: メトロポリス, Hepburn: Metoroporisu) is a 2001 Japanese animated cyberpunk drama film loosely based upon Osamu Tezuka's 1949 manga of the same name. The film was directed by Rintaro, written by Katsuhiro Otomo, and produced by Madhouse, with conceptual support from Tezuka Productions.
Plot In the plutocratic city of Metropolis, humans co-exist with robot laborers designed to build and maintain the city. However, its impoverished human citizens discriminate against robots, blaming them for their unemployment and being forced to live in the squalid lower levels of Metropolis. Duke Red, Metropolis's wealthiest citizen, celebrates the completion of a massive military/scientific complex, the "Ziggurat". His adopted son, Rock, leads a paramilitary organization known as the Marduks, tasked with destroying malfunctioning and rogue robots - including those that escaped from their designated zones in the lower city. Meanwhile, Japanese detective Shunsaku Ban and his young nephew, Kenichi Shikishima, have traveled to Metropolis to apprehend rogue scientist Dr. Laughton, wanted for organ trafficking and animal rights violations. Unbeknownst to Shunsaku, Red hired Laughton to secretly build a highly advanced android, modeled and named after his deceased daughter Tima. He intends to have her become the central control unit for a powerful nuclear superweapon hidden at the top of the Ziggurat, which he will use to conquer the world. Rock learns of Tima's existence, and jealously shoots Laughton and sets his laboratory ablaze. Discovering the burning lab, Shunsaku locates the dying Laughton, who directs Shunsaku to a notebook containing his research. Meanwhile, Kenichi stumbles upon the newly activated Tima. The two fall into the sewers and are separated from Shunsaku. As they search for a way back to the surface, the pair grow close as Kenichi protects Tima and her humanity evolves, both unaware that she is a robot. Learning that Tima is alive, Rock and his subordinates hunt the pair. Kenichi and Tima encounter a resistance movement of disgruntled humans, who stage an armed revolution against Metropolis's leaders and robot workers. Unhappy with the Duke's influence, the nation's president and Metropolis's mayor conspire with the revolutionaries to seize power. However, the president's top military commander, General Kusai Skunk, betrays them to Red and has them assassinated. Red imposes martial law and ends the revolution. The kids reunite with Shunsaku, but Rock finds them and attempts to kill Tima. Red intervenes, disowning Rock and discharging him from the Marduks before taking Tima and Kenichi away. Determined to kill her and regain his father's affection, Rock kidnaps Tima, but Shunsaku incapacitates him and rescues her. Following instructions from Laughton's notebook, Shunsaku has her tap into the Ziggurat's computer mainframe and they discover Kenichi being held in the Ziggurat. Red and the Marduks capture them and bring everyone to the top of the Ziggurat, where Red reveals Tima's true purpose and introduces her "throne", the control system for the superweapon. Disguised as a maid, Rock shoots Tima in the chest, exposing her internal circuitry before being wounded by Red's men. Horrified by her true identity, Tima goes insane, causing her implanted programming to take control. She physically integrates with the throne and begins ordering robots around the world to destroy humanity as punishment for abusing them. Robots all across Metropolis assault the Ziggurat; while the others flee, Kenichi reaches Tima and eventually separates her from the throne. Still possessed by her hostile programming, Tima tries to kill Kenichi. Rock triggers an overload in the superweapon, killing himself and Red in a massive explosion. As the Ziggurat collapses and spreads destruction to the rest of Metropolis, Tima's programming deactivates and she falls, suspended by a cable on her arm. Kenichi tries to pull her up; Tima's memories of Kenichi resurface and she asks him "Who am I?", before her hand slips and she falls to the ruins far below. In the aftermath, survivors emerge from the ruins, and Kenichi discovers robots have salvaged some of Tima's parts. While Shunsaku departs Metropolis, Kenichi chooses to remain behind. A photograph shown during the end credits reveals that Kenichi eventually rebuilds Tima and opens a robot workshop bearing their names.
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