Akira (1988)
87 %
Reviews Counted: 31 Fresh: 27 Rotten:4 Average Rating: 7.2/10
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
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 what was believed to be an atomic bomb was dropped on Tokyo, completely destroying the city and... [More]
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Producer: Katsuhiro Otomo
Screenwriter: Izo Hashimoto
Producer: Ryohei Suzuki, Shunzo Kato, Sawako Noma
Producer: Katsuhiro Otomo
Screenwriter: Izo Hashimoto
Producer: Ryohei Suzuki, Shunzo Kato, Sawako Noma
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Rightfully considered one of the greatest accomplishments in sci-fi storytelling.
Comment
03/10/08
Top Critic
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.
04/16/07
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.
04/16/07
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.
04/16/07
Top Critic
Not necessarily the first nor the best anime, but certainly the one that introduced most Americans to the genre.
05/26/06
An impressive achievement, often suggesting a weird expressionist blend of 2001, The Warriors, Blade Runner and Forbidden Planet.
02/09/06
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.
04/06/05
A phenomenal work of animation with all the hallmarks of an instant cult classic.
08/30/04
Top Critic
It still stands as an orgy of the ocular senses, and a brain-twisting cyberpunk epic.
03/19/03
Set the modern standard of excellence for Japanese anime despite the movie's emphasis on blood and violence.
03/10/03
Related Forums
Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA gets a showing tonight as part of NYC MoMA's "Anime!!" retro!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/18/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/18/05
Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA gets a showing tonight as part of NYC MoMA's "Anime!!" retro!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/18/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/18/05
Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA gets a showing tonight as part of NYC MoMA's "Anime!!" retro!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/18/05
by: REEL_REVIEWER 8/18/05
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