The famed “Akira slide” from Akira (1988) (Harneet Singh / Fourth Estate)

The cult film rereleases in 4K ahead of its 40th anniversary

BY HARNEET SINGH, STAFF WRITER

Just shy of its 40th anniversary, the cult classic “Akira” had a widespread rerelease in a new 4K remaster in early September. 

The film was known for pioneering the modern cyberpunk subgenre and has been heavily referenced in books, movies and television, most commonly with the Akira slide. As a long-time fan of the film, I was excited to see the new wave of attention it was getting. 

It was shown in IMAX and standard screens in theaters across the country. With stunning animation and worldbuilding, as well as an enthralling soundtrack, the remaster is a treat for fans and newcomers alike. 

It performed well at the box office, making about $2.6 million during its opening weekend, more than it did during its entire 1989 run in the U.S. It outperformed new releases such as A24’s “Onslaught.” 

“Akira” is set in Neo-Tokyo, a turbulent society that came to be after Tokyo was abruptly destroyed, sparking World War III. Teenagers Kaneda and his best friend Tetsuo are a part of a vigilante bike gang. Tetsuo crashes into a government lab and inadvertently collides with a psychic child being held there named Takashi while he tries to escape. He gains powers he struggles to deal with, which leads to Kaneda trying to prevent him from causing more destruction.

In terms of setting the background, the film does an excellent job of displaying the societal disarray of Neo-Tokyo and its impact on the children that live in it. It’s seen at multiple layers, with Kaneda and Tetsuo being teenagers in bike gangs, and finding themselves at the forefront of disaster — one that the government contributed to and couldn’t seem to manage, despite the force they are seen exerting in the film. The shortsightedness and irresponsibility of people who were supposed to be leaders brings the burden of fixing the problem to a younger generation who were stripped of stability. 

Narratively, the film is divisive, with some of the most popular reviews for the film on Letterboxd stating they thought it was confusing. I had a lengthy discussion with a friend who’d seen it for the first time in the rerelease who shared those sentiments, and it reminded me of everything I appreciated about it. 

While it is a bit fast-paced, I think its relentlessness in making viewers feel the weight and ever-present approach of man-made destruction is part of its brilliance. It becomes both a reflection and warning from the point of view of Japanese creatives who were born shortly after the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. 

Akira focuses not solely on the physical aftereffects of such destruction, but also the societal effects. Governments changed, beliefs changed and there was a worldwide restructuring of people’s understanding of what we were willing to do to each other. The film was also created and released toward the end of the Cold War, when anxieties of nuclear disaster were high.

I am glad the film is rereleased now. It seems more relevant than ever, and a pertinent reminder that man-made destruction won’t be stopped unless there is a society that confronts the cycle that allows it to happen. 

Tetsuo gained his destructive abilities as a child as a direct effect of the destruction of the original Tokyo, and then became that very threat. Maybe I’m an optimist, or what some would describe as delusional, but I like to think that putting an end to this cycle is possible. We are human, after all.