The Giant of Metropolis (1961)

So much average

Good concept, poorly executed.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Got to give this ultra low budget, horrendously dubbed Italian Sword and Sandal clunker credit for trying something different.Adds a heavy dosage of Science- Fiction to the mix.The baddie resembles Bela Lugosi, the hero a less handsome Charlton Heston and the " Giant" to me at least resembled Harry H Corbett's werewolf from " Carry On Screaming" even though this was made three years before that.The climatic destruction of Atlantis takes place in near darkness, to hide the cheap cardboard sets and lack of them.Pretty bad, but i almost felt sorry for them, they did the best they could.

I've now sat through THE GIANT OF METROPOLIS, from Italian director Umberto Scarpelli, twice and it's only getting more difficult to watch. I was able to find some laughable material the first time through with its hilarious archaic message, but the melodrama and snail pacing made it a painful 90 minutes when I tried to sit through it again. It's part sword and sandal epic/part science fiction cautionary tale and 100% endurance trial for this viewer. THE GIANT OF METROPOLIS is the tale of Obro (Gordon Mitchell), a muscle-bound barbarian from a distant land who has travelled with his father, brothers, and townsfolk to deliver a dire warning to Yotar (Roldano Lupi), king of Metropolis. Yotar is a diabolical scientist whose experiments spit in the very face of death, if you can be bothered to understand what those experiments are. Regardless, Obro's father dies before reaching Metropolis and the townsfolk abandon Obro and his brothers to continue their journey alone. When his brothers are killed in a…lightning tornado attack (?)…Obro is left to face Yotar alone. Imprisoned, tortured, and thrown into gladiatorial combat, Obro struggles to press on and continues to warn Yotar of the consequences for a life of science and the gall to challenge nature. Obro proves his strength in challenge after challenge as Metropolis edges toward annihilation, and he soon discovers sympathetic minds where he least expects it. But will Obro and his new allies succeed in time to save the people of Metropolis? No, he won't because, as explained in the opening text scrawl, Metropolis is Atlantis. And we all know how that ended up…Yeah, that's right. Metropolis is Atlantis and this movie is set 20,000 years ago. In case there's any hope remaining for Obro to succeed in his quest, the opening scrawl contains the following omen:"When scientists of Metropolis attempted to penetrate the secret of death, nature rebelled, causing universal destruction…"So really, you don't have to go any further than the first five minutes of the film. It gives you the ending right there. I'm unsure why Atlantis is referred to as Metropolis. It might be an Italian-English translation error or Metropolis might be the capital/largest city in the land of Atlantis. I don't know and it's never explained. And what is Yotar's weird science that leads to the destruction of Metropolis/Atlantis? Piecing it together is half the fun. I got the impression that he was transferring the brain of his elderly father into the body of his young son, Elmos. Then he would transfer his son's brain into the body of an older guy, I guess. I'm really not sure. I know his ultimate goal was immortality (for his father and his son, I guess…but not himself?) and his science incorporated astrology because the screenwriters just don't understand science. Or it could be because there were six separate people with screen writing credits on this thing. It's confusing and, as a result, dull because I don't know what we're working toward.I suppose none of that is important though because the central message to walk away from THE GIANT OF METROPOLIS with is "science is evil". This movie is so preachy, it's almost anti-intellectual propaganda. And, if you really look at the movie through a skewed lens, it's essentially condoning terrorism. Let's break it down: Yotar and his society are science-oriented. Obro comes from a simple society that worships nature and an unspecified, omnipotent force. Obro arrives to preach the evils of science and the pursuit of knowledge, and he threatens total destruction if he is not heeded. Yotar, understandably, disagrees and proceeds to put Obro through a series of tests because he's not seen strength of this magnitude before in any one man (Ok, admittedly, imprisonment and forced combat weren't Yotar's most sympathetic choices). Obro escapes and proceeds to engage in guerilla attacks against Yotar's people, at one point even dropping in to slaughter a funeral procession. I'm painting in broad strokes here but that's because, halfway through this film, I'd zoned out and the finer details skated right past me.Some highlights to be found in THE GIANT OF METROPOLIS are Gordon Mitchell's broad theatrical performance (especially when miming battles against a beam of light), Obro's battles against a hairy cave troll and a swarm of flesh-ripping pygmies, the strange interpretive dance number (with plenty o' thrusting), and, honestly, the production design. It's incredibly minimalistic but I liked the wide, spacious chambers with sparse columns, carvings, and statues. I also enjoyed the costume design and the use of miniatures to create Metropolis. And, of course, there's the final 7 minute or so sequence where Metropolis meets his end. Plenty of stock footage and wave-pool action going on, making for a glorious end to a sluggish film.

In the year 20,000 B.C. brave and heroic strongman Obro (brawny behemoth Gordon Mitchell) leads an expedition to find the city of Metropolis. When Obro discovers the fabled city he runs afoul of a cold pragmatic race of scientifically advanced beings who are lead by the cruel and wicked tyrant King Yotar (deliciously played with lip-smacking relish by Roldano Lupi). Yotar attempts to break Obro's will by subjecting him to a series of brutal tests and tries to conquer mortality in order to prevent his sickly son from dying. Meanwhile the other oppressed residents grow weary of Yotar's harsh reign and plan to revolt. Director Umberto Scarpelli ensures that the busy and colorful narrative moves along at a steady, snappy clip throughout. The fight scenes are rough, strenuous and thrilling: Obro pits his considerable might against both a hairy hulking caveman and a bunch of vicious cannibal pygmies. Sultry brunette Bella Cortez as the doubting, but compassionate Princess Mecede and delectably lissome redhead Liana Orfei as the fed-up Queen Texen supply scrumptious eye candy. Armando Trovajoli's robust, thunderous score, Oberdan Troiani's sharp widescreen cinematography and the nifty fog-shrouded elaborate sets are all up to par. A destructive last reel flood caused by a fierce storm concludes things on a stirring and satisfying note. Good, lively fantasy fun.

Get out the popcorn, junior mints and sodas for this Italian-made grindhouse spectacular. It's ripe with just about every conceivable fetishistic delight that you could get away with at a Saturday matinee or drive-in double feature. There's sword-and-sandal thrills, sci-fi funk, lots of male and female pulchritude, and a wildly sado-masochistic tone that really carries it over the top (as these things go). Only the tightest of asses couldn't enjoy this kind of late-night exploitation sleaze, so check it out and have a groovy movie party! See the terrors, the tortures, the tantalizing lust and all the other sleazy stuff that makes a lost empire cool!