Akira (1988) 4K Review

Akira (1988) 4K Review

Relive one of the most influential Sci-Fi stories ever told, 35 years after it introduced UK audiences to the cinematic spectacle and powerful stories of anime. Anime Limited are excited to announce that Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk epic AKIRA is exploding back onto cinema screens, including IMAX, from Friday 17th April.

Rebuilt from the ashes of World War III, Neo-Tokyo is a breathtaking, neon-lit metropolis where lawlessness and corruption run rampant. Racing through its streets are Kaneda and Tetsuo, two delinquents and members of a biker gang. When they crash into a secret government plot and Tetsuo is experimented on, the result is an explosive, mesmerising masterpiece of animation that would change cinema forever.

Premiering in Japan in 1988, AKIRA was released to global audiences in the years that followed, arriving in the UK & Ireland in 1991. The film was a cultural moment that introduced audiences around the world to anime, with The Washington Post declaring AKIRA “a visceral example of the future of animation” – an assessment proven true by anime’s rise as a global box office force that rivals even Hollywood blockbusters. AKIRA has endured as one of the most influential films ever made, from homages recreating iconic scenes and imagery across pop culture, to the film’s celebrated place as “a vital cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre” (British Film Institute), with renowned film critic Robbie Collin acknowledging “plenty of superb recent blockbusters, including The Matrix, The Dark Knight, Minority Report, Dark City and Inception, are all in its debt”.

Iconic and game-changing, AKIRA is the definitive anime masterpiece! Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. AKIRA’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for future generations of ground-breaking movies.

July, 1988— World War III breaks loose. Then, in 2019, in megalopolis Tokyo…

As the leader of a group of young robust delinquents, Kaneda spent his nights tearing through the urban wastes, racing his motorbike against rival groups. One night while riding with his gang, his friend Tetsuo suddenly encounters a strange boy― the product of human experimentation— and is injured in the ensuing crash. Shortly thereafter, a military squadron appears on the scene to take the boy and Tetsuo away to an army research facility. Determined to free Tetsuo from capture, Kaneda sneaks into the army research lab. However, a regimen of extreme experimental procedures has awakened a new power in his friend, and now he is consumed by madness…

In an era when global cinema is instantly accessible at the click of a button, it is easy to forget a time when films such as AKIRA were frustratingly out of reach. For many UK viewers in the early 1990s, exposure to international cinema required commitment—and, often, expense. My own introduction came in 1991 via a purchased VHS copy, three years after its original Japanese release. At the time, mainstream outlets such as Blockbuster and local cinemas remained largely indifferent to subtitled or foreign-language films, favouring British and American productions. Anything outside that narrow scope was treated as niche, elusive, and often prohibitively expensive.

Encountering AKIRA under those circumstances proved transformative. It was unlike anything I had seen before: a bold, kinetic vision that challenged both aesthetic and narrative expectations. I enthusiastically recommended it to friends—most of whom, wary of subtitles, declined—and championed it as essential viewing. Its impact on my personal cinematic journey was profound, opening the door to a wider world of international filmmaking beyond the confines of local programming. In its wake, I sought out works such as MAN BITES DOG and SPOORLOOS, embracing a broader, more adventurous film culture.

Interestingly, AKIRA did not ignite a lasting passion for anime as a whole. While I explored other titles—LEGEND OF THE OVERFIEND among them—few matched its initial impact. Only PERFECT BLUE approached its level of artistic resonance. Revisiting AKIRA today, its strengths remain evident, though its flaws are more pronounced. The Blade Runner-esque sprawl of Neo-Tokyo still impresses, and its visceral intensity retains a certain power. However, some elements have aged less gracefully: the tonal shifts can feel uneven, certain character portrayals—particularly the shriller performances—are grating, and the humour does not always translate effectively.

Narratively, the film occasionally buckles under the weight of its source material, having been adapted from an expansive 2,000-page graphic novel. The result is a story that can feel overstuffed and, at times, disjointed. Compared to the tighter, more psychologically focused PERFECT BLUE, AKIRA lacks cohesion, with multiple plot threads competing for attention rather than converging seamlessly.

Yet its cultural and cinematic significance is undeniable. Its influence can be clearly traced in later works, most notably THE MATRIX by the Wachowskis, and it played a crucial role in bringing anime to a global audience beyond cult circles. While its two-hour runtime occasionally feels indulgent, the film is buoyed by its imaginative ambition—blending telekinetic spectacle with unsettling body horror to striking effect.

At its best, AKIRA remains electrifying. When its disparate elements align, it delivers moments of extraordinary visual invention, from its iconic urban destruction to surreal sequences involving monstrous, childlike apparitions. These flashes of brilliance ensure its legacy endures, even if the film feels, in retrospect, somewhat uneven.

Watch the trailer HERE

AKIRA releases in IMAX and cinemas in both Japanese with English subtitles, and English dubbed versions, from Friday 17th April.

©1988 MASH・ROOM / AKIRA COMMITTEE All Rights Reserved.