50 Essential Sci-Fi Films of the 21st Century (So Far)

Takeshi Koike first became known in the West thanks to his contributions to the Matrix anthology The Animatrix, but didn’t make his feature directorial debut until six years later, with Redline.

The film takes us years into the future, when the galaxy is fizzing with alien life, where dirty deals are done around every corner, and the most popular sport is racing. Rockabilly human Sweet JP (Takuya Kimura) enters the biggest, craziest race in the galaxy - the Redline - illegally held this year on Roboworld. And as if entering the most dangerous race in the galaxy wasn’t enough, Roboworld’s militant cyborgs threaten to hang anyone involved with the race if they are caught.

The plot is even more bats**t than it sounds, featuring a what’s-what of anime tropes and narrative turns, splashed liberally across 102 minutes of runtime, so there’s never a chance to catch your breath. Plus, the pulsating electronic score from James Shimoji is perfectly choreographed to each race, story beat, and character moment, grounding the feel of an epic intergalactic contest.  

Redline had a ridiculously elaborate and nigh-on unrepeatable production process, with 100,000 frames hand-drawn across a seven-year period, producing epic levels and layers of detail that other anime sci-fi features simply can’t match. The scope of design for every single frame is flabbergasting, providing a trippy and breathtaking visual experience of blood, fire, electricity, and carnage, which few live-action sci-fi movies can hold a candle to.