Part of Midnight Movies
Desolated by an atomic blast which set off World War III, a dystopian Neo-Tokyo rises from the ashes — a wasteland plagued by violence, gangs and revolution. Kaneda and his young gang of bikers must fight to save their friend Tetsuo from a secret government laboratory where he is slowly being turned into the next weapon of mass destruction. A cult sensation which brought Japanese anime into the mainstream, AKIRA (based on a manga of the same name by director Katsuhiro Ôtomo) is an outstanding example of post-Hiroshima nuclear angst — portraying a darkly fantastic, disturbing vision of a future (or in this case, 2019!) where humanity’s fascination with its own destruction through newer bigger weapons reigns supreme.
“A phenomenal work of animation with all the hallmarks of an instant cult classic.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times “Style and substance run neck and neck in this thrilling, bold landmark film that just refuses to become dated.” —Phelim O’Neill, Guardian “[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.” —Stephen Hunter, Baltimore Sun
