Akira

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Akira

R

In Theaters Sep 4

2h 4m

Sci-Fi

Anime

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Popcornmeter

91%

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58 Reviews

90%

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100,000+ Ratings

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifests. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

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In Theaters Sep 4

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Critics Consensus

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

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Katsuhiro Ohtomo

Director

Mitsuo Iwata

Shôtarô Kaneda

Nozomu Sasaki

Tetsuo Shima

Mami Koyama

Kei

Tessho Genda

Ryûsaku

Hiroshi Otake

Nezu

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Apr 20

4/5

This is ideologically bleak, incessantly violent and astonishing.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

01/25/2021

A

The opening motorbike chase is still thrilling, but the dedication to the backgrounds as well as crowds of people filling the screen, explosions happening in the distance, and a jaw-dropping sense of scope make Akira the classic that it is.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

10/08/2020

4/5

Akira's strangeness is very startling and sometimes bewildering. But there is a thanatonic rapture to its vision of a whole world ending and being reborn as something else.

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Kayleigh Donaldson

Pajiba

May 12

The astonishing level of detail you’re overwhelmed with, right down to each individually painted skyscraper window, immerses you in the neon hellscape of Neo-Tokyo... This is a film that feels alive.

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Andrew Murray

The Upcoming

Apr 15

5/5

There are several reasons why Akira is frequently considered to be a masterpiece. Not only is it visually spectacular, but it’s uncompromising in its vision.

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Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Sep 17

4/5

It's a classic for a reason! This seminal anime film is filled with incredible visuals, dense themes, and (it turns out) a bunch of content missing from the comics. It's exciting, but occasionally overwhelming.

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Joshua

10/17/2022

Neo Tokyo really blew up

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Dimitris T

@RT36270210 5d

A revolutionary film for Japanese cinema, anime culture and themes of technology, biology and psionics that should concern us in the 2020s as much as they concerned the world in the 80s and 90s.

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SomethingElemental T

@RT44776589 Jul 30

One of my all-time favs. I am partial to the older anime. There just seemed to be so much more substance and effort put into the quality of the movie.

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Wendel L

@BRZRKR Jul 26

Direção: Bom Animação: Bom Roteiro: Ruim Visual: Bom Soundtrack: OK

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Enzo Fabrizio A

@RT31102923 Jun 13

Para mi es perfecta esta en mi top de animes -Muy buena historia -Buen dibujado

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Sultan A

@RT18690263 May 31

Great character great visuals great soundtracks and very cinematic cyberpunk anime movie 👍

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Akira: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifests. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

Director: Katsuhiro Ohtomo
Producer: Shunzo Kato, Ryôhei Suzuki
Screenwriter: Izou Hashimoto, Katsuhiro Ohtomo
Distributor: Streamline Pictures
Production Co: Akira Committee Company, Ltd.
Rating: R (Graphic Violence|Brief Nudity)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 1989, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 4, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 12, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $390.0K
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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