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Akira poster

Movies that feel likeAkira (1988)

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.

If you loved Akira, the closest films we have are Ghost in the Shell (1995), Logan's Run (1976) and RoboCop (1987). All three share Akira's cerebral and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is District B13 (2004).

πŸ… 88% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Katsuhiro Otomocerebralkineticbleak
10 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video Β· Apple TV Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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If Akira hit the spot, these will too

Ghost in the Shell poster
Ghost in the Shell
1995 Β· dir. Mamoru Oshii
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9action Β· animation Β· science fiction

One thread runs through both: dystopia

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.

Logan's Run poster
Logan's Run
1976 Β· dir. Michael Anderson
πŸ… 58%β˜… 6.8action Β· science fiction

Both are built on the same subject: dystopia

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

In the 23rd century, inhabitants of a domed city freely experience all of life's pleasures β€” but no one is allowed to live past 30. Citizens can try for a chance at being "renewed" in a civic ceremony on their 30th birthday. Escape is the only other option.

RoboCop poster
RoboCop
1987 Β· dir. Paul Verhoeven
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.6action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Both keep coming back to the same thing: experiment

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than Akira does

In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.

Escape from New York poster
Escape from New York
1981 Β· dir. John Carpenter
πŸ… 70%β˜… 7.1action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Common ground: street gang

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back.

They Live poster
They Live
1988 Β· dir. John Carpenter
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.2science fiction Β· action Β· thrillerPrime Video

Both land ideas and momentum at once

A lone drifter stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.

Dredd poster
Dredd
2012 Β· dir. Pete Travis
πŸ… 80%β˜… 7.1action Β· science fiction

Bleak science fiction, and it commits to that

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

In the future, America is a dystopian wasteland. The latest scourge is Ma-Ma, a prostitute-turned-drug pusher with a dangerous new drug and aims to take over the city. The only possibility of stopping her is an elite group of urban police called Judges, who combine the duties of judge, jury and executioner to deliver a brutal brand of swift justice. But even the top-ranking Judge, Dredd, discovers that taking down Ma-Ma isn’t as easy as it seems in this explosive adaptation of the hugely popular comic series.

Mad Max 2 poster
Mad Max 2
1981 Β· dir. George Miller
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.6action Β· thriller Β· science fiction

Action with a pulse of ideas, in both cases

Max Rockatansky returns as the heroic loner who drives the dusty roads of a postapocalyptic Australian Outback in an unending search for gasoline. Arrayed against him and the other scraggly defendants of a fuel-depot encampment are the bizarre warriors commanded by the charismatic Lord Humungus, a violent leader whose scruples are as barren as the surrounding landscape.

The Running Man poster
The Running Man
1987 Β· dir. Paul Michael Glaser
πŸ… 59%β˜… 6.6action Β· thriller Β· science fictionParamount+Starz

Both lean on momentum more than on animation

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where β€œrunners” attempt to evade β€œstalkers” and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free.

District B13 poster
District B13
2004 Β· dir. Pierre Morel
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.1action Β· thriller Β· science fictionPrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: street gang

Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.

I, Robot poster
I, Robot
2004 Β· dir. Alex Proyas
β˜… 7.1action Β· science fictionApple TV+

Bleak science fiction in both cases

In 2035, where robots are commonplace and abide by the three laws of robotics, a technophobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may be in danger.

The Matrix poster
The Matrix
1999 Β· dir. Lana Wachowski
πŸ… 83%β˜… 8.7action Β· science fictionRent or buy

Common ground: saving the world

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

The War of the Worlds poster
The War of the Worlds
1953 Β· dir. Byron Haskin
β˜… 7science fiction Β· action

Action built on ideas, twice over

The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, until they discover it is the first of many transport devices from Mars bringing an army of invaders invincible to any man-made weapon, even the atomic bomb.

In the mood for more cerebral?

all cerebral movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Akira’s defining feeling.