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The 25 best science fiction movies of all time

What are the best movies about mysterious planets, visitors from other worlds, and the future on our very own Earth? Check out our picks!

20. 'Akira'

"Akira," Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime action film, follows teenage psychic biker Tetsuo Shima (Nozomu Sasaki) and his bōsōzoku gang as they maraud around the streets of a dystopian Neo-Tokyo. This is a dark world. Japan has been decimated by World War III. Tokyo (our Tokyo) is a ruin, its replacement built on landfill in the bay. The city, a dark but beautifully rendered cyberpunk dystopia, is home to mysterious government plots, wizened psychic children, revolutionary rebels, and lots of explosions.

"Akira" is a landmark in Japanese animation and is widely hailed as one of the greatest animated movies ever made. Guardian writer Phil Hoad writes that at the time of its release, "Led by 'Akira,' anime expanded the idea of what animation could be: violent, abrasive, radically stylised, thoughtful, and above all, adult."

A live-action adaptation of the story has long been rumored, and director Jaume Collet-Sera spoke with ComingSoon.net earlier this year about the movie, which he has signed on to helm. "You have to be respectful of the source material," he said. "Otomo adapted his own work from a manga into an anime and both things are completely different and genius. The only way to do a live version of 'Akira' is to take the spirit and adapt it. It will be as different as the anime was from the manga."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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