What if a made-up book of prophecies you wrote with some friends as a child suddenly started becoming a reality twenty years later? Even worse, what if these prophecies spoke of the end of the world? While it sounds crazy, that’s just the premise for the film 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End, the first chapter in a planned trilogy. So how does this first film fare? Read on.

Based off the hit manga written by Naoki Urasawa (of Monster and Yawara! fame), Beginning of the End tells the story of Kenji Endo and his childhood friends. Like any child, Kenji and his rag-tag crew of friends are an imaginative bunch and as kids, they decided to write their own “Book of Prophecy” one day. Scribbled down in a simple sketch pad, these seemingly innocent set of prophecies foretell the end of the world with deadly virus attacks, terrorist bombings, and even a giant robot attack (because no japanese disaster is complete without one robot attack). Fast forward some twenty-five years and a mid-thirties Kenji is now managing a convenience store and caring for his absent sister’s baby Kanna, having given up on his dream of being a rock star.

Kenji’s normal life soon begins to crumble around him when he learns of the disappearance of an entire family in his neighborhood as well as the suicide of one of his childhood friends, Donkey. Refusing to believe that his friend would kill himself, Kenji does some Nancy Drew work and learns that a mysterious cult, led by a man known only as Friend, may be responsible. The plot thickens when Kenji discovers the cult’s symbol is the same one he and his friends created in the past. Meanwhile, a recent deadly virus attacking the world may be only a prelude to a series of prophesied attacks they themselves created. Who is the man behind the mask - Friend? How does he know about the Book of Prophecy? And how is he related to Kenji and his childhood friends?

There are many questions that are brought up in this film and while some are answered, many remain a mystery, left for the two sequels. Don’t let that stop you from seeing this film though, as 20th Century Boys is an all around excellent film with fantastic production values, an engaging story, a charming cast, and enough intrigue to keep you watching until the end. Most of all, it’s fun and isn’t that what movies should be?

I’m not going to lie, I’m a touch critic when it comes to movies. Having attended film school, worked in an indie video store (think High Fidelity only with movies), and seen way too many films too mention, it takes a lot to impress me sometimes. It doesn’t help that we’re bombarded constantly with remakes, hollywood flops, generic action movies and more. In the end, a genuinely good movie can be hard to find sometimes. Thankfully, 20th Century Boys 1 is one of those diamonds in the rough and it successfully sets the groundwork for what looks to be a fantastic trilogy. While there are some minor quibbles, one of which is a general lack of action, this is something that will assuredly be rectified in the sequels. Like many trilogies before it, much of this film’s time is spent in developing and establishing its cast. So for those looking for a new trilogy fix, as the days of Lord of the Rings are long gone, rejoice. 20th Century Boys looks to be as epic as they come with enough twists and turns to keep fans hooked to the very end.

20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End releases today on DVD courtesy of Viz Pictures and can be purchased here.