Typical but groundbreaking dystopia japanime.

Rating: Null/10 (21 September 2004)

In between The Terminator (1984) and T2 (1991) and some 11 years preceding The Matrix; this movie was a groundbreaking feat which should be congratulated for it's light year vision. The cinematography blends Blade Runner-esque wide shots of a thriving neon lit future city with some themes of urban degradation and violence that can be compared to the likes of such movies as Menace 2 Society; The Lost Boys or; more unusually; The Running Man. Why this movie appeals to typical anime conventionalist's is because of it's inspiration from the mix of Samurai and John Ford Westerns of the 50's and 60's in terms of violence and black humour and compelling; claustrophobic music score. Look at more recent but fundamentally similar movies such as Battle Royale (1 for it is far superior than requiem) The Matrix anime project. Akira Kurosawa; Kinji Fukasaku; Sergio Leone; Martin Scorcese; Tarantino; Oliver Stone. Controversy should go hand in hand with these major players throughout the history of movies; but akira is not controversial. The violence may be graphic but should it is perpetrated by very young antagonists and protagonists who realize their worth in a world (which we should gratefully never have to experience) and their own attempts to survive in the more harsher reality. That'll do for now.