Among the Metropolises - The Complete Season 1 - DVD

Content: Rome, New York, Berlin, London - Everyone knows these cities and their landmarks. In addition to the millions who live here, the great metropolises are also visited year after year by countless tourists who explore all the streets, all the attractions and all the buildings marked by their history. As a result, there is hardly a secret left to be coaxed out of such metropolises - at least that's how it seems on the surface. The History Channel proves with a docu-series that especially in big cities there are still many places that are unknown not only to tourists but also to many locals, places that lie beneath the metropolises.

The 13 episodes of the first season take the viewer under the streets of Edinburgh, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Budapest, New York, London, Naples, Boston, Philadelphia, Bucharest, Cappadocia and Portland. In addition to a short excursion into the history of each city, the focus is primarily on places that are completely unknown even to most of the inhabitants there. The series delves into a vast cave system that stretches beneath Budapest, goes in search of relics from Roman times in London, reveals what secret facility is hidden beneath Grant Central Station in New York, shows what dark history is revealed beneath the smart facade of Portland or what traces of Hitler's reign of terror can still be found beneath the streets of Berlin. Some really interesting and fascinating places are presented, which one would like to visit oneself. It's quite exciting how much even a city like London, New York or Paris that has been highlighted in countless films, documentaries or travel guides still has to offer beneath the familiar surface.

However, as interesting as the cities visited here and their subterranean worlds are, the series does have to contend with two major problems that might bother some viewers to such an extent that they could quickly lose interest in what is in itself an exciting idea for the series. The first problem is the hosts, Eric Geller and Don Wildman, who replaces Geller after seven episodes. Geller, in particular, is always running through the cities with meaning-laden steps and virtually shouting his moderations into the camera. When he's in some place talking to interviewees, he presents even the smallest details with a sometimes completely inappropriate enthusiasm, leaving the viewer little chance to get an impression of the surroundings. Wildman is a little more restrained in this regard, but his interview technique isn't exactly highly professional either. It's not uncommon for docu-series to overdramatize something through moderation, quick cuts, or certain camera pans. Just think of the adventures of the Ice Road Truckers. But like there, it wouldn't be necessary to build up a contrived dramaturgy, since the locations themselves have enough interesting and mysterious things to offer. That's where things like the completely over-the-top moderations just seem annoying in the long run, unfortunately.

The second problem is that some speculation is presented as fact here, which puts the credibility of the series as a whole into question a bit. Sure, some of the historical aspects covered here are well researched and can be substantiated. But other things, especially those enthusiastically presented by the presenters, are nothing more than conjecture, which may sound exciting and mysterious, but are just nothing more than conjecture.

Besides that, however, the series cannot be denied a certain entertainment and show value. The basic concept of the series is strong enough to at least partially overlook the weak points of the implementation. However, a somewhat more matter-of-fact and not quite so put-upon presentation would have done the final result good. Therefore, applies here: only with deductions worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: As with other documentary series, the image quality in the animation sequences is on a very good level, in the sequences that were filmed primarily in dark corridors or vaults under the earth, small blurs and noise can be made out again and again. But overall, both the picture and the stereo sound, which is dominated by the interviews and voice-over commentary as well as some sound effects, are perfectly adequate for a docu-series like this. Good!

Extras: On the fourth DVD are about twenty minutes of additional scenes from various episodes. Among these bonus moments are some really interesting scenes, which makes the whole thing absolutely worth watching for viewers who enjoyed the series.

Conclusion: The first season of Among the Metropolises reveals not only the great strength of the interesting concept, but also the weaknesses of the production. Who hopes for a rather factual, historically sound and competently moderated documentary series, will probably be disappointed. But if you are only interested in discovering unknown, exciting places in cities such as Berlin, London, New York or Paris, you can definitely enjoy this technically neatly realized DVD box set.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp