Metropolis

Fritz Lang’s expressionist, dystopian vision is one of the first science fiction feature films, and is arguably the most influential.

Fritz Lang’s expressionist, dystopian vision is one of the first science fiction feature films, and is arguably the most influential. In a stunningly designed high-rise future, society is segregated into a subterranean worker class and their above-ground oppressors, but a mad scientist has designed a robot that threatens to inspire a revolution.

Countless filmmakers have been inspired by Lang’s audacious futuristic vision and the film’s incredible production design, while the film’s iconic fembot has inspired numerous musicians and fashion designers, from Beyoncé to Jeff Mills and Karl Lagerfeld. Metropolis is presented here in its most complete 147-minute version, featuring the inserted previously missing reels that were discovered in Argentina in 2008. Ranked joint 67th in the 2022 Sight and Sound Great Films of All Time poll.