Metropolis Movie Review

I watched most of the movie with my kids. I told my son, “This is one of the first big blockbuster movies!” He then said, “it’s one of the first boring movies.” Apparently he didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. 

I’m truly blown away by the scale of Fritz Langs Metropolis. Considering this was made in the 1920s it was a major blockbuster. The visual effects, the art production, wide shots, the movements, and the story were groundbreaking in its day. The cast alone included more than 37,000 extras and took grand total of 310 shooting days to complete. The robot was way ahead of its time and influenced films like Star Wars (C3P0 was a direct descendent of this movie), The Matrix, Superman, and many others. Lang's movie was such a hit that even scoundrels like Hitler enjoyed the film and wanted to give Lang a special honor, though he was Jewish. He rejected the honor and fled to Paris not wanting anything to do with Hitler and his Nazi Regime. 

Sadly, silent films are overlooked in our day. Whether you like them or not they're always enjoyable in some fashion. My kids were bored but found many parts entertaining. But I see themes in old films constantly repeated in modern movies. This actually has some thematic elements that are similar to 2019's Parasite. 

The main idea of Metropolis is the need of a mediator. It’s stated in the opening words: "The mediator between the brains and the hands must be the heart." Freder, who’s heart is full of love, is the mediator, between two worlds. He mediates between the brains: the thinkers, the masters, the capitalists up above and the hands: the doers, the workers, the poor down below. The futuristic city of Metropolis (2026) is built literally on inequality. 

There's a lot of Biblical allusions used in Metropolis. They're used quite bluntly, with paintings, concepts, even verses directly quoted from the Bible. There's even a scene where the tower of Babel event occurs and mankind is divided in their quest for ultimate power. 

The idea of Metropolis is that for human kind to be brought back together in harmony there MUST be a mediator between those up above and those down below. This mediator must be full of love and able to reconcile the two. 

What an interesting concept...why is it interesting? It's interesting that the word mediator comes all the way from the most ancient book of the Bible, the book of Job. Here was a guy who suffered and lost everything: his money, his possessions, his home, and all his kids. He was broken, and in Job 9 he makes a wish, wishing there was a mediator between him and God to plead his case. In Job 9:33 he says, "There is no umpire between us," The goal of a mediator is to be a middle person that represents and bring two parties together. Job says There needs to be s.one to mediate between myself and God. Someone who can "lay his hand upon us both." Job is basically saying “I want s.body who will be able represent me before God who knows my affliction, who understands, but who is also equal w/ God and can put hand”
In other words he is saying: I need someone who’s God and man, fully God and fully man to be able to reconcile me to God. 

At the end of the day societies problems, mankind problems aren't solved by a program, or a code, or a law, they're solved by a mediator. Someone to come down and bring peace, and justice, and reconciliation. In Metropolis that mediator is Freder. the Bible says that the true Mediator is Jesus Christ, the God man, who came from heaven to earth and save sinners and reconcile them to God. 

1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus." 

What a fascinating connection = O