A landmark film that introduced much of the Western world to modern anime, AKIRA is a marvel of modern animation. Based on Katsuhiro Otomo's 2,000 page manga, AKIRA begins on July... more
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Production Year: 2005 - Action/Adventure - Director: Doug Liman - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington, Keith David, Chris Weitz
Production Year: 2000 - Action/Adventure - Director: Joseph McGinty - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray, Kelly Lynch, Tim Curry, Sam Rockwell, Crispin Glover
Subtitle Language: Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish
Hearing Impaired Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Interactive Motion Menus, Make Your Own Akira Trailer, Scene Access, Production Report, Making Of Akira Feature, Stills Gallery, Hyperlink, Multiple Choice Quiz
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese
Animated: Animated
DVD Description
A landmark film that introduced much of the Western world to modern anime, 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 recognising 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.
Professional reviews
Review: "...A phenomenal work of animation with all the hallmarks of an instant cult classic..." (New York Times, p.C12, 19/10/1990)
...Anime rates higher than Disney any day. Akira was one of the first anime to reach the mainstream western audience. The theme is alternative and science-fiction-related, which was something that the western market lacked at the time.
The Akira movie has actually been cut and edited from the original 1988 comics. There are a few alterations in the story, but still a great anime.
If you are not in touch which anime and don't know where to start then start with Akira. The animation is good and action packed. Personally I prefer the subtitled version, the dubbed version's voices don't always 'fit' the characters....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Fabulous and detailed visuals, brilliant setting, pioneering ideas, great action sequences, £7.99 Disadvantages: Original version has unclear picture, storyline issues, no match for Princess Mononoke, violence
...If you asked a member of the public to name a single film they would most associate with the anime genre, then chances are it would be Akira. Animatrix has come and gone, Spirited Away has won itself a well-deserved Oscar, but its unlikely there will ever be another anime that will match the global impact of Akira - a film that remains religiously popular amongst the anime community almost twenty years on thanks to its unique style and ability to break the general prejudice outside of Japan that animation is merely a child's pursuit; its only a shame that subsequent releases haven't built upon it more.
In 1987, Katsuhiro Ôtomo completed the film adaptation of his own epic manga, which comprised of several thousand pages. The Ultimate Edition DVD - consisting of the original and remastered editions of the film - would take a further 16...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Excellent animation, soundtrack Disadvantages: With translation you always feel like you're missing something
...Akira was the first ever anime film I bought, that is to say I had already seen some without buying, so I wouldn't consider myself inexperienced. It's true that the hype surrounding this film in the anime world is massive, maybe too big for the film to match up to.
However from the jarring opening sequence I was hooked, I watched it twice in a day and again the next day, it truely, in terms of films' limited impact on viewers, blew me away. I think it tells a simple story of a teenager who, angered by his feeling of inferiority, when given psychic and physical powers, uses his powers to become a monster; Tetsuo then shows remorse as he realises he can't reverse the effects and forgive his friend.
However through all my viewings I have been waiting, and indeed I still am, for something to show me what vital message this film has...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
helpful 21.05.2007
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