20th Century Boys: Chapter 1
Label: 4Digital Asia
Release date: 4th May 2009
Certificate: 15
Discs: 2.
Running time: 142 mins (approx) + extras
Video: 16.9 anamorphic
Sound: Japanese 2.0, Japanese 5.1
Subtitles: English.
RRP: £19.99
Summary
In the hot, lazy summer of 1973, a group of Elementary school-kids spend their time building secret bases in the Japanese countryside and playing at defeating imaginary super-villains intent on destroying the world and recording their fantastical victories in their “Book of Prophecies”. But time moves on and employment, growing families and ever increasing responsibilities cause the friends to drift apart until almost thirty years later when the mysterious death of one of their number draws them back together. It seems his death may be connected to a mysterious cult rapidly growing in popularity and influence throughout the country. When the friends start to unveil a mass conspiracy to create global hysteria through worldwide terrorism they’re shocked to discover that all these horrifying events are being played out exactly as they’d recorded in their Book of Prophecies decades before. If their “prophecy” really is to plan out exactly as written then the stroke of midnight on Dec 31st 2000 will not only bring about the end of the millennium, but will also trigger a cataclysmic event so severe it could well mean the end of the world. This lone group of childhood friends the only ones who can even hope stop these events and save the world, but as they’re the only ones who know about the Book of Prophecies this means that their enemy, the mastermind behind these heinous acts, must also be one of their own.
Comments
The largest, most extravagant and certainly most expensive cinematic undertaking in the history of Japan finally gets its UK DVD release on May 4th. Naoki Urasawa’s epic tale spanning over five decades, two generations, almost every continent and which, in its original manga incarnation filled 24 volumes, was thought to be virtually un-filmable due to its sheer size and scope. When it was announced in the Japanese press that not only was the un-filmable about to be filmed, but also that it was to have a six billion yen budget spread over three movies, a cast of over three hundred actors and be rewritten for the screen by the original author; the reaction was staggering to say the least, rivalling that of Western audiences to the likes of Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. When 20th Century Boys: Chapter 1 hit the screens, long-term fans and casual audiences alike, not just in Japan but worldwide, were amazed by both the richness of the world created by Mr Urasawa (who also created the award winning epic manga Monster and re-imagined the late Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy in Pluto) and the meticulous care and passion with which it’s been transferred from the printed page to the big screen. 20th Century Boys has succeeded where many other big screen adaptations have failed in that, not only is it both accessible and highly enjoyable for those who’ve never even heard of the original manga, it’s been presented in such a way that the die-hard fans will get something new out of each these movies even though they know in advance where the plot’s going. If amazing action, intelligent intrigue and masterful suspense is your thing then I can’t recommend this movie enough.
Extras:
Plenty, in fact there’s so many that they’ve had to put them on a second disc. There’s a Documentary about the Japanese Premiere, a Paris Premiere Featurette, Cast Interviews, UK & Japanese Trailers and to top it off it all comes in a nice case with a 24 Page Book to go with the movie.
20th Century Boys: Chapter 1 is available from 4th May from all good retailers including Amazon
SCI-FI-LONDON are proud to announce that we are holding the UK premiere of 20th Century Boys: Chapter 2 on Monday 4th May 2009, along with a screening of Chapter 1 beforehand. Check here for details. To coincide not only with this momentous occasion, but also with the release of 20th Century Boys: Chapter 1 on DVD we’re giving away 3 copies of the DVD. To be in the draw just click on the link below. Competition ends 21 May 2009.