Akira

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_%28film%29

I suppose I should say first that this animated movie has made me ponder its substance many hours after viewing it. It is not something to be ignored once it enters your consciousness. However, I started around 11pm on Saturday night and I was sleepy. The film didn’t have what it takes to keep me from shutting it down and going to bed before finishing, but I was strong enough to make me finish it Sunday night.

I know. Mixed review, right?

Maybe it would have kept me riveted if the atomic bomb worried at my being a bit more. Stated briefly, the film explores the idea of humans gaining godlike powers which manifest as nuclear explosions if the host is not properly aligned – inner peace I suppose. (Many of you may have seen it already. For those who haven’t and want a full synopsis, check the links above.) It’s set in post WWIII Tokyo – a punk, dystopian world. Science and the military struggle with their own concerns while humanity struggles to exist. Not being haunted by the Bomb, my psyche wasn’t feeling the tug.

This is not a beautiful Hayao Miyazaki anime with futuristic flying wonders and gentle light sifted through branches. At times the animation is relatively simplistic. Where it shines is when it is at its most disturbing. Blood dripping from mouths… a boy bloating into a muscle and wire monstrosity as big as a soccer field screaming in pain and fear… bridges buckling and flipping, sending protesters, police and religious fanatics alike to violent deaths. These scenes stay with you. No one is spared. The carnage does not care who you are – it consumes like flame.

All that aside, there were times when the physics didn’t line up. The animation of a truck on the road wasn’t convincing. Faces were dead – not lively as a moving face should be. Maybe this was ground breaking in 1988 when it came out, but the bar is higher today. I can care about a goldfish that turns into a little girl if the animation chops are brilliant. Had the animation been more rich, I’m sure Akira could have drawn me in more.