Should have been tightened up at the end

Rating: Null/10 (21 August 2001)

A great film that could have been among the best films ever made, Akira is hampered by it's drawn-out conclusion. Both beautiful to look at and listen to (referring to the new sound dub on the Pioneer DVD), Akira also engages the mind and emotions. Then its climax goes on for about 17 minutes, boring and confusing the audience. For an hour and a half, I was spellbound, but the draggy climax turned me off. And the very very end is one big "HUH??!!". But maybe I'm just too stupid to get it.
Some points: The Pioneer DVD doesn't appear to be a new cut. The American voice actors on the new dub are good but not great. The sound however is phenomenal. And music is far better than the usual edgy-cartoon-heavy-metal associated with the genre. Also someone commented that you need to watch the subtitled version in order to see the movie as the makers intended. Hogwash I say! The makers of the film intended for you to watch the film, not read it. The Japanese version is dubbed too ya know (since cartoons can't talk yet). I have no problem watching cartoons dubbed. And this is a strong dub. I flipped to the Japanese soundtrack and subtitles and found myself reading the confusing dialogue and missing out on the spectacle. it's a matter of preference. Some folks are purists I suppose.
Last point, the book is always better than the movie, except for "Jaws". It goes without saying that a book/manga can go into more plot detail and character development than a 2 hour film. That said, I found lots of places they should have actually reduced the plot of the 2000 page manga even further, to be more appropriate to a 2 hour film. Such as: "TIGHTEN UP THE ENDING!"
I'm done - thanks (8/10 - the first 3/4 is that incredible)