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Movies / On DVD / Akira
Akira

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Akira (1988)

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Reviews Counted:33

Fresh:29

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: Akira is distractingly bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy helped set the standard for modern anime.

Runtime: 3 hrs 40 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: A landmark film that introduced much of the Western world to modern animé, AKIRA is a marvel of modern animation. Based on Katsuhiro Otomo's 2,000 page manga, AKIRA begins on July 16, 1988, when... A landmark film that introduced much of the Western world to modern animé, AKIRA is a marvel of modern animation. Based on Katsuhiro Otomo's 2,000 page manga, AKIRA begins on July 16, 1988, when what was believed to be an atomic bomb was dropped on Tokyo, completely destroying the city and marking the beginning of WWIII. Thirty-one years later, Neo-Tokyo has sprung from the ruins of the old city and is experiencing a prolonged period of civil unrest caused by student uprisings, political instability, and, most destructively, biker gangs. One of the members of these biker gangs, Tetsuo, is detained by the military after a near accident with a strange young boy. After recognizing innate psychic ability in him, the military begins using Tetsuo as a test subject to channel Akira, a source of unimaginable power and the cause of the explosion that destroyed the original Tokyo. However, the military's plan backfires, and instead of locating the source of Akira's power, Tetsuo becomes a medium for it. Endowed with incredible psychic powers that make every one of his destructive impulses a reality, Tetsuo begins to go on a rampage that threatens to completely annihilate Neo Tokyo. Combining a complex science-fiction universe with intricately detailed animation and phantasmagoric images, AKIRA is a stunning visual experience and a disturbing vision of the future. [More]

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Producer: Katsuhiro Otomo
Screenwriter: Izo Hashimoto
Producer: Ryohei Suzuki, Shunzo Kato, Sawako Noma

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Release:

Jul 24, 2001

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Reviews for Akira

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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The movie, even at 124 minutes, has the densely packed sweep and go-for-it pep of a pop epic.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
09/07/08
Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Un film qui plaira autant aux fans du genre manga qu'à ses détracteurs.

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
08/20/08
Jean-François Vandeuren
Jean-François Vandeuren
Panorama

Rightfully considered one of the greatest accomplishments in sci-fi storytelling.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/10/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Simply put, no Akira, no Matrix. It's that important.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 1 Comment
03/10/08
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine

Still one of the best techno science fiction thrillers of all time

comment Comment
08/09/07
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

Grade-school violence freaks may find a few kicks here, but even they may have trouble coping with this ugly movie's ending about eight separate times.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 8 Comments
04/16/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There is a moral here about mankind's lust for power, but it never clearly emerges from the spectacle of destruction and violence.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 4 Comments
04/16/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A lavish animation extravaganza produced at a cost of $8 million, this futuristic exploration is a followup by author-director Katsuhiro Otomo to his tremendously popular comic books.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/16/07
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Not necessarily the first nor the best anime, but certainly the one that introduced most Americans to the genre.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 1 Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

An impressive achievement, often suggesting a weird expressionist blend of 2001, The Warriors, Blade Runner and Forbidden Planet.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
08/12/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
05/20/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A furious spectacle of lush colors and dynamic movement.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
05/03/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

While Akira's blood splattering is over the top for me, I did enjoy the surreal, and the interesting complicated departure from the often-oversimplified good vs. evil.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment 8 Comments
04/06/05
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

A phenomenal work of animation with all the hallmarks of an instant cult classic.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

No review available.

comment Comment
02/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
01/18/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

I never understood the appeal. The animation is jumpy and flat. The story makes absolutely no sense.

comment 4 Comments
07/14/03
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/02/03
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Akira

September 08, 2009: Children of Men Screenwriters Working on Akira Script Opens in new window
Despite rumors of its demise, the live-action "Akira" is apparently still in development -- and screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are about to turn in their script. More...

June 15, 2009: Plug Pulled on Live-Action Akira? Opens in new window
Been looking forward to the live-action "Akira" adaptation? Well, you can stop now -- according to Bloody Disgusting's sources, director Ruairi Robinson is off the project and... More...

February 23, 2009: RT on DVD: Final Futurama Flick, Pirates II, and Akira on Blu-ray
This week we recommend the fourth and final Futurama movie (Into the Wild Green Yonder), but only for diehard Planet Express devotees; otherwise, your new release options are... More...

November 07, 2008: Akira Script Review Surfaces Opens in new window
Eager to learn how Warner Bros. plans on turning Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira" into a pair of live-action movies? Latino Review has your first look at Gary Whitta's script. More...

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