Review of Akira

Akira has been lamented as a work of pure genius and one of the most important works in the medium. It has also been criticized for its supposedly overly complex plot and gratuitous violence. It has been called revolutionary. It has been called disgusting. It has been called beautiful. It has been called overrated. I am just one man, so I can't give you all the answers, but I can tell you one thing. I really fucking love this movie. I've seen it, in total, three times. Each time brings a new level of understanding to the film. The plot is very complex and will probably takeyou at least two viewings to truly grasp what transpired over it's two hour runtime.

It's set in Tokyo, after a catastrophic event leveled the city thirty one years earlier. It's been rebuilt into a dystopia ran by corrupt politicians. The streets are a war zone, as terrorists and protesters launch attacks daily. The city is destroying itself from the inside out. Not only that, but the government has been conducting experiments in an attempt to control extremely powerful psychic beings, who caused the damn destruction of the city in the first place. All of this, mixed in with a group of teenagers in the wrong place at the wrong time, creates a very complex and multi-faceted plot.

I've heard the manga is very long and a lot of it had to be condensed into one film, and you can see a bit of strain here and there. Some plot lines aren't as fleshed out as others, some characters who seem to hold importance only make brief appearances. Despite all of this, the film really excels with its philosophical and intellectual themes and at its core, a story of two friends torn apart by the circumstances that be.

There are quite a bit of characters in the film, from the military Colonel who only wants to save his city, to the mad scientist intent on learning the "secrets of the universe". Due to the limited running time, a lot of characters are only thing archetypes and don't get much development. This is a shame, but it doesn't really detract from the overall experience.

Besides the Colonel (who is a very awesome character, if you ask me), only two other characters really have depth. That would be Kaneda and Tetsuo, two life-long friends who are forced to turn against each other. Tetsuo in particular, as his character is morphed into something completely different from when the film starts. It's intriguing to watch as their relationship changes over the course of the film.

Artistically, Akira is a marvel, especially for its time. The sheer detail in the sprawling, mangled cityscapes is particularly beautiful. Every shot has exquisite detail; it's crazy thinking about how much work went into this film. The film's look matches the dystopian setting perfectly. While the art is great, it's the animation that really excels. Every motion is extremely fluid and blends together realistically. The lip movements are perfectly synced to the voices as well (which is kind of rare, in my experience).

The only detractors are the rather bland character designs. Several of the characters (especially the teenagers) have similar looking faces and it can sometimes be hard to tell them apart. It's a small problem, but I felt like it was worth mentioning nonetheless.

The soundtrack is a booming behemoth of a creature. Industrial beats and ravaged, breathy chants blend together well, complementing the grotesque mood of the film. The sound effects are good as well, it captures the whirring of the motorcycles and the explosive action sequences well.

The first two times I watched the film, I selected the English audio track. For the most recent viewing, I decided to use the Japanese audio track. While the English was pretty good overall, the film benefits from its native language. I felt like I understood the film better with the subtitles, honestly. Hey, though, it's up to you on which audio track you want to listen to.

As for my personal enjoyment, I find this film to be incredibly entertaining. I hear the word "boring" getting thrown around a lot with this film, and I completely disagree. It has visually stunning actions sequences, a complex plot with many themes, good character interaction, and an ending that is still being interpreted to this day. Is it perfect? No, of course not. The plot can seem a little strained at times, and some characters are underdeveloped. You know what though? I honestly do not care. The film enraptured me from start to finish.

And you've gotta admit, Kaneda's bike is badass.