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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Tetsuo:
Let's run away somewhere.
Kaori: Where would we go?
Tetsuo: Anywhere. Just the farther the better, huh?
A
secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang
member into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only two kids and a
group of psionics can stop.
 It's
hard to review a movie that has become such a cult favorite, especially
one that single-handedly opened up an entire genre of movies and comic
books to a wider international audience. Loud, explosive, confusing,
overwhelming, extremely violent and borderline incoherent, Akira
carries the hallmarks of all but the most extreme forms of anime,
the animated film version of Japanese manga comic book series,
and will either wear you down or leave you crying out for more. Within
its genre, this is a cornerstone movie, the kind of film that some people
can get really upset about if you criticize it too harshly. I will refrain
from doing so, for although this kind of movie fails to move or even
engage me, the skill with which it was made and its classic status within
the anime genre. If anyone unfamiliar with the genre is looking
for a good starting point, this is definitely it. |
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Available
both for Region 1 and Region 2 as single-disc movie-only release, and
as a two-disc Special Edition. The movie-only versions are identical
for both regions, the two-disc release for Region 1 has many more extras
and large-size deluxe packaging. The two-disc Region 2 release available
from A-Film in Belgium and The Netherlands served as a basis for this
review.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx.
1.78:1. The THX-certified image looks terrific, with very little damage
to the source print and excellent definition throughout. Blacks aren't
always entirely solid, but otherwise this is a superb presentation.
A Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix of the English-dubbed soundtrack is available,
along with a two-track Dolby Surround mix of the original Japanese track.
In most cases I always go with the original language track, but in this
case I would recommend all but the most ardent anime purists to give
the English version a try, as the dubbing doesn't seem to be any worse
than the Japanese track and the voice talent used for this dubbed version
isn't half bad. Also, the sound effects and music are far superior in
the discrete 5.1 mix than they are in the Dolby Surround track.
Available
now for some time in a richly loaded two-disc set for Region 1, this
European release suffered some long delays, and finally arrived only
to be met by fans' disappointment at the number of extras included on
the Region 2 two-disc Special Edition. Many of the supplements from
the Region 1 release have been reduced to translated, truncated text
screens, making this a sadly lightweight purchase with a hefty price
tag.
Without any extras on disc 1, the centerpiece of disc 2 is the 46-minute
featurette on the making of Akira. This Japanese-produced
item has been dubbed into English (with the original voices still faintly
audible in the background), but narration is faulty and inconsistent,
and the tempo wavers a great deal. The movie's fans will still find
a great deal worth treasuring here, including rough animation tests,
lots of storyboard designs, and extensive interview footage with the
anime's creator/director Katsuhiro Otomo. But it's certainly not a documentary
up to the standards of other extras produced for DVD today.
The other extras are fairly minor and/or limited to static text screens.
A selection of production stills presents designs in various
stages of completion, taking up a few minutes and accompanied by music
from the score. Production notes offer some textual information
on the production's background, while cast and crew holds lots
of worthwhile interview material, all of which as been sadly reduced
to dull static text pages. The synopsis section provides a text-based
overview of the film's narrative, which may be welcomed by some as the
plot is so convoluted and rich in detail that one could easily get lost.
A collection of trailers, TV spots and teasers round out these
rather disappointing extras. Menu
screens include some fast-moving animation accompanied by sounds and drum
beats from the score. Navigation is straightforward.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Akira.
Click here
to return to the front page.
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