Akira Reviews
Baltimore Sun
[Akira] is a blast and a half, a twisted dystopian parable of violence and rock and roll, Japanese-style. It's Disney on PCP, mean, rotten, psychotic, but incredibly vivid.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
Common Sense Media
Extremely violent classic introduced anime to Westerners.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
Moments that can only be captured as animation make Akira still worth watching: gusts of wind from chopper blades, ka-tooming bursts of fiery explosions, Tetsuo's visions.
News of the World
Plenty of superb recent blockbusters, including The Matrix, The Dark Knight, Minority Report, Dark City and Inception, are all in its debt - not to mention a fair number of shockers, like Star Wars Episode II and the most recent Resident Evil atrocity.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
This is London
Put it up there with the most astonishing animated features ever made.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Guardian [UK]
Style and substance run neck and neck in this thrilling, bold landmark film that just refuses to become dated.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
Radio Times
The cityscapes are awesome, the camerawork is dizzying. If you're new to manga, prepare to be converted.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Sky Movies
Akira is pure concentrated cinematic excellence - accept no substitutes.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
Total Film
When you absolutely, positively have to get some anime in your life, accept no substitutes; 23 years on, Akira is still the genre's crowning achievement.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
Eye for Film
Like Snow White before it, Akira was a step change in what animation could show.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4.5/5
Top CriticThe movie, even at 124 minutes, has the densely packed sweep and go-for-it pep of a pop epic.
Panorama
Un film qui plaira autant aux fans du genre manga qu'à ses détracteurs.
Full Review
| Original Score: 8/10
Film4
Rightfully considered one of the greatest accomplishments in sci-fi storytelling.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
Empire Magazine
Simply put, no Akira, no Matrix. It's that important.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Film Threat
Still one of the best techno science fiction thrillers of all time
| Original Score: 4/5
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.
An impressive achievement, often suggesting a weird expressionist blend of 2001, The Warriors, Blade Runner and Forbidden Planet.
Lessons of Darkness
A furious spectacle of lush colors and dynamic movement.
Full Review
| Original Score: B+
