Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Starring: Toshiaki Karasawa, Etsushi Toyokawa, Takako Tokiwa
Release year: 2008
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English
SYNOPSIS:
Growing older is pretty rough and Kenji is finding out just how hard it can be as life starts wearing down on him. On top of trying to make ends meet running a convenience store he has to care for the niece that his missing sister left in his care. Memories of youth make it easier, until those memories come back to haunt him. Kenji and his old friends are slowly being drawn into a mysterious conspiracy that could threaten the world. Who is the mysterious “Friend” and how does he tie into Kenji’s youth? Why are there disappearances and deaths tied into Ochanomizu University? Their memories hold the keys to the puzzle, but time and age have clouded their minds. The strange occurrences and the reach of the “Friend” conspiracy grow by the day. It will all culminate on New Year’s Eve 2000. Will Kenji and the others be able to put together the puzzle and save the world?
RATING: ?/10
USER RATING:
REVIEW:
"...It’s one of the more anticipated films of the year, one of Japan’s biggest budget offerings of the year, and one that’s caused me some stress with a pair of underwhelming trailers. It’s Yukihioko Tsutsumi’s adaptation of popular manga 20th Century Boys..
...Childhood dreams become doomsday nightmares in the entertaining if not entirely satisfying Nipponese sci-fi thriller "20th Century Boys." Based on co-scripter Naoki Urasawa's manga, which sold over 20 million copies, pic is the first installment in a projected trilogy about a boy's apocalyptic comicbook being taken as inspiration, prophecy and instruction manual for a deadly cult. Pic has done socko biz, generating more than ¥3.4 billion ($35.9 million) since its August release; first sequel is skedded to open in January. Western success will be confined to mainstream-minded Asian-themed fests, but fanboy ancillary beckons...
...Script appears to severely compress its original source material. Opening 20 minutes introduce a dozen characters and skip among three dominant time zones (late 1960s/early 1970s, eve of the millennium and 2015). Fortunately, once the script settles down (the futuristic strand is almost abandoned and the '60s/'70s employed only for expository embellishment of the 1999 drama), the film's middle section is strong and sustains interest even as it baffles. Yarn ultimately raises more questions than it answers but, through sheer momentum, maintains an ongoing sense of menace and intrigue despite dalliances with absurdity.
Extra tension is generated by the fear the script will end on a cliffhanger. Pic delivers an impressive but unrevelatory climax, then wastes no time making its teaser pitch for auds to suit up for the sequel, which will predominantly feature Kenji's grown-up niece in 2015.
Prolific helmer Yukihiko Tsutsumi ("Memories of Tomorrow," "Happily Ever After") deftly moves from mystery to melodrama to action as the script demands. Thesps hit their marks, but while each character is a recognizable type, none of them score as three-dimensional personalities.
Considering pic's sci-fi ambitions, the production design is surprisingly modest, offering only a light sprinkling of special effects. A sequence depicting a convenience store blazing to the ground is notable, as is the CGI on some exploding Japanese landmarks, but overall, the effects will be regarded as small potatoes by those accustomed to Roland Emmerich-style excess. All tech credits are pro... "
Source: Variety
PREVIEW:
RELATED LINKS:
MU:
DISC 1: Part 01 - Part 02 - Part 03 - SUB
DISC 2: Part 01 - Part 02 - Part 03 - SUB
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