20-seiki shônen: Honkaku kagaku bôken eiga (2008)

Director:

Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Writers:

Yasushi Fukuda (screenplay) and
Takashi Nagasaki (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 August 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

2000s | BBC News | Childhood Friend | Based On Manga | Rock

Cast

Toshiaki Karasawa	...	Kenji Endô
Etsushi Toyokawa	...	Otcho
Takako Tokiwa	...	Yukiji
Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Yoshitsune
Hidehiko Ishizuka	...	Maruo
Takashi Ukaji	...	Mon-chan
Hiroyuki Miyasako	...	Keroyon
Katsuhisa Namase	...	Donkey
Fumiyo Kohinata	...	Yamane
Kuranosuke Sasaki	...	Fukubê
Shirô Sano	...	Yan-bô / Mâ-bô
Mirai Moriyama	...	Comic Artist
Kanji Tsuda	...	Moroboshi
Takashi Fujii	...	Friendship Party Promotor
Hanako Yamada	...	Friendship Party Promotor

Also Known As:

Twentieth Century Boys (International: English title) (Japan: English title)
20-seiki shônen dai 1 shô: Owari no hajimari (Japan) (DVD title)
20th Century Boys (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (USA)
Twentieth Century Boys: Chapter One (International: English title)

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | Thai | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Cine Bazar

Movie Connections:

Followed by 20-seiki shônen: Dai 2 shô - Saigo no kibô (2009)

Soundtrack:

Bob Lennon

Below average manga inspired movie

The story is interesting to begin with, with a bunch of kids creating an "end of the world" story and then watching it made come true when they are adults. They embark on a mission to save the world, as their original story prophesied.

However, the plot is really weird. There is a virus that kills people by making their blood explode, but it seems it is not contagious, it needs to be sprayed on. A giant robot smashes through Tokyo and the police stop in front of it to shoot guns. The leader of a hypnotic cult becomes the leader of the most important party in Japan, and so on and so on.

Then, as world saviors go, the heroes are the most inept I have ever seen. The movie is very long, at 142 minutes, and it is only the first part of a three film story. The acting is pretty bad, too.

Bottom line: it seems this is a failed attempt to mix the success of the Death Note franchise (I don't know what that thing was successful either) and the comic book/manga craze that is taking over the movie world in the US and the rest of the world. There is a feel reminiscent of Watchmen in the film, but only a trace. I am not saying that it is not worth watching, but I can't say I liked it.