AKIRA
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
*** (out of 4 = good) 1987, not rated, 124 minutes [2 hours, 4 minutes] [animated - science fiction] Starring the voices of: Jimmy Flanders (Tetsuo), Drew Thomas (Kenada), Barbara Larsen (Kaye), produced by Ryohei Suzuki, Shunzo Kato, written by Katsuhiro Otomo, Izo Hashimoto, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.
The Japanese probably have the wildest imaginations and the greatest spirit for action and adventure. They see animation in a much different manner than we do, and "Akira" is proof positive of that. The story takes place in the far future, in post-Apocolyptic "Neo-Tokyo." Stories that take place in these settings tend to have the same atmosphere: crime out of control; corrupt government; revolutions: and/or science and technology worshipped as gods. This film takes a bit of all of these aspects and mixes them together so we get a good sense of an abstract reality and an intense reality. We meet our main characters, a motorcycle gang of high school-aged boys, but they are not villains, in fact, they are quite likable. Immediately the film jumps into a high speed action sequence, which is probably the best scene in the movie. The animators pull no punches in depicting the graphic violence that takes place, such as: decapitation; a man being shot by hundreds of rounds; blood and gore; and total mass destruction. Perhaps what's most fascinating is the graphicness to it, because we don't get to see this stuff in America. The first half is a mad romp through Neo-Tokyo, defining the setting and introducing the main characters. Kenada (Thomas), the leader of the gang, is a wisecracking delinquent but is adorable. He and his gang are searching for their friend Tetsuo (Flanders) who was taken away by the military in a previous scene. The story drops hints of some kind of background, through a military Colonel and a scientist (who looks like Albert Einstein), who bicker with politicians over the violent society they live in and why it came to be like this. There is some sort of secret government project called Akira that could change the world and give tremendous power to its beholder, and this element will later play a key role. Meanwhile, Tetsuo realizes he has special powers, and is told by other "gifted children" who they are and where they came from. Eastern ideology plays a major role in defining these powers, we might consider it pure fantasy but I'm sure the Japanese hold some validity to the concept. There's really no single plot driving the film, it's basically a dizzying journey through many characters and storylines that are loosely connected. The film is story oriented, but it is the characterization and the spectacular action sequences that make it good. Still, "Akira" is interesting because we never know what's going to happen next. Just watching the animation and the fact that it has a pretty intricate, detailed story makes it all worthwhile.
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