What is the iRankMovies score for Metropolis?

Name: Metropolis
Director: Fritz Lang
Genre: drama, science-fiction
Released: 1927
Duration: 2 h 28 min
Rating: 8.2

Metropolis has an iRankMovies score of 89/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

Metropolis (1927)

There can be no understanding between the hands and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator.

Release:1927

Runtime:2h 28m

Country:Germany

Director:Fritz Lang

Language:German

Genre

DramaScience Fiction

See the best drama movies →

Keywords

futureMetropolisClass SocietyMan Vs MachineUnderground WorldTower Of BabelBased On Novel Or BookInventor

iRank89

Metropolis rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.2/10· 200K votes

Rotten Tomatoes97%

Metacritic98%

TMDb8.087/10· 3K votes

With 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.2/10 on IMDb and 98/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Metropolis

In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.

Cast of Metropolis

Gustav Fröhlich
as Freder Fredersen
Brigitte Helm
as Maria / The Machine Man
Alfred Abel
as Johann 'Joh' Fredersen
Rudolf Klein-Rogge
as C.A. Rotwang
Theodor Loos
as Josaphat
Fritz Rasp
as The Thin Man
E
Erwin Biswanger
as No. 11811 - Georgy
Heinrich George
as Grot
Fritz Alberti
as Creative Human - Man Who Convinces Babel (uncredited)
G
Grete Berger
as Working Woman (uncredited)
O
Olly Boeheim
as Working Woman (uncredited)
H
Heinrich Gotho
as Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)

Metropolis facts

Budget: $5.3M
Box office: $1.4M

Our take on Metropolis

Fritz Lang's 1927 silent epic built the template for science fiction itself: a towering future city split between gilded elites above and exhausted workers below, with a famous robot-double igniting revolt. Visually staggering and politically charged, its imagery echoes through a century of dystopian cinema. If its grand vision and class allegory gripped you, modern dystopias like Ex Machina and Cloud Atlas chase the same questions about humanity, machines and a divided world.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Visionary production design imagines futuristic city with imaginative architectural scope spectacularly
•Social commentary on class conflict remains relevant examining economic inequality themes
•Pioneering special effects demonstrate innovative techniques advancing silent era cinema substantially

What the audience disliked

•Dated acting conventions and intertitle exposition feel antiquated by contemporary standards
•Episodic narrative structure occasionally loses focus between elaborate production set pieces