The year is 2019 in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Cyberpunk biker Tetsuo gets involved with a top-secret military research group trying to restore an ancient force (Akira) to save their world and has begun to develop special powers. The police and the army attempt to contain Tetsuo, but his transformation gathers speed rapidly...
This stunning vision of a dystopian, futuristic city deserves honourable comparison with Blade Runner and Metropolis.
Community Reviews
by Anon on 11th October 2005
When I saw this film for the first time I was shocked by how ahead of its time it was. Made in the mid-eighties, Akira is an animation masterpiece and still stand outs... Read on
When I saw this film for the first time I was shocked by how ahead of its time it was. Made in the mid-eighties, Akira is an animation masterpiece and still stand outs as a manga classic.
The story is very gritty and post-modern as it chronicles a post-apocalyptic Tokyo practically on the verge of collapse as social order breaks down on a grand scale and the government struggles to maintain control over its citizens.
The design of this film is outstanding and everything ranigng from the costume designs for the characters to the animation is top-notch.
Katsuhiro Otomo, the director, managed to pull of a masterstroke by creating a movie that has you hooked from beginning to end and this classic is truly unlike anything I have ever seen before. The film also deals with some rather profound issues, such as the effect humans have on their immediate environment and how governments often end up alienating the people they are supposed to be protecting by enforcing their own laws and inhibiting freedon of expression.
The main characters in the film are an excellent bunch of maladjusted rebels, who cruise the neon-lit streets of neo-Tokyo on their high-powered motorcycles as they wage war against rival gangs and seek to control the streets. What makes the action in this film even more spectacular is the fact it is complemented by a pumping soundtrack.
I felt that this was definitely the directors best film and I know that whenenver I think of renting an excellent animation, Akira will always come to mind.
Another interesting feature of this film is the way it reminded me of Ridley Scott's seminal movie Blade Runner. Both movies are set in the future but depict a world that is quite believeable and not that far removed from the age we live in. The design aspects of the film are also quite similar, as both films are full of visual anachronsims and instantly recognizeable relics of the twentieth-century such as old-fashioned cars and buildings.
This is definitely a film that has made it into my top 20.
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by Anon on 12th June 1999
When I saw this film for the first time I was shocked by how ahead of its time it was. Made in the mid-eighties, Akira is an animation masterpiece and still stand outs... Read on
When I saw this film for the first time I was shocked by how ahead of its time it was. Made in the mid-eighties, Akira is an animation masterpiece and still stand outs as a manga classic.
The story is very gritty and post-modern as it chronicles a post-apocalyptic Tokyo practically on the verge of collapse as social order breaks down on a grand scale and the government struggles to maintain control over its citizens.
The design of this film is outstanding and everything ranigng from the costume designs for the characters to the animation is top-notch.
Katsuhiro Otomo, the director, managed to pull of a masterstroke by creating a movie that has you hooked from beginning to end and this classic is truly unlike anything I have ever seen before. The film also deals with some rather profound issues, such as the effect humans have on their immediate environment and how governments often end up alienating the people they are supposed to be protecting by enforcing their own laws and inhibiting freedon of expression.
The main characters in the film are an excellent bunch of maladjusted rebels, who cruise the neon-lit streets of neo-Tokyo on their high-powered motorcycles as they wage war against rival gangs and seek to control the streets. What makes the action in this film even more spectacular is the fact it is complemented by a pumping soundtrack.
I felt that this was definitely the directors best film and I know that whenenver I think of renting an excellent animation, Akira will always come to mind.
Another interesting feature of this film is the way it reminded me of Ridley Scott's seminal movie Blade Runner. Both movies are set in the future but depict a world that is quite believeable and not that far removed from the age we live in. The design aspects of the film are also quite similar, as both films are full of visual anachronsims and instantly recognizeable relics of the twentieth-century such as old-fashioned cars and buildings.
This is definitely a film that has made it into my top 20.
Hide
