Well I just got done watching the Dragonball movie and it sucked! Really bad!
OK, lets go back to the days when I was in the 4th grade! This was when I was introduced to "Dragonball Z", the sequel to the original cartoon just titled "Dragonball"! I was hooked, I loved every minute of the show, but who could blame me? The animation was good, the writing was a little weird but good, the characters developments really sucked you in and were intresting. It was just straight up action and how wrong can you get with that!
This how is what inspired me to draw, I would draw all the characters on any piece paper I could find. Weather I was in school or at home, I was always drawing DBZ. I eventually got my friends at school sucked into this aswell and pretty much started a Dragonball Z fan clube, we would all go to one of my friend house and watch it all togeather and after an episode was over we would discuss what would happen next and make up stories for the characters to resolve. The best thing of it was me and my friends were the only ones who knew about the show. Yeah, at the time no one never even heard of it before and that was the best part of the show.
Now when the show started to catch thats when all the merchandising came in. Stuff like toys, clothing, accessories and of course video games, lots and lots of video games! Yeah, they went way over board with that!
Sometime or another there was talks about a live action movie based on Dragonball Z, but it never came to be and it became a fantasy to fans for a long time.
Unfortunately sometime last year or was it two years ago, I don't know. 20th Century Fox bought the rights to making a live action films based on "Dragonball".
The film stared Justin Chatwin as Goku, Yun-Fat Chow(Master Roshi), Emmy Rossum(Bulma), Jamie Chung(Chi Chi), Joon Park(Yamcha) and James Marsters as Lord Piccolo!
Are story begins with are hero, Goku training with his grandfather, Gohan(played by Randall Duk Kim). The scene's OK, but that doesn't last long until one little moment in it that really, really didn't need to be in it! I guess it was suppose to funny or somthing like that, but I don't get it! In middle of training Goku flips a CGI bug right into Gohan's mouth and plays a infamous "gulping sound effect"! I was like, "oh great, another 3 Ninjas movie!" So immediately I realize that this movie is going to treat me more like a child then an adult.
After training, Gohan tells Goku he must get ready for school, but Goku doesn't want to go to school today, the older bos pick on him! Really? Are you serious? He goes to school and also has trouble fitting in? Yeah, I totally remember that in the cartoon!
Oh yeah, for those who haven't seen this yet and is still haunted by the infamous qoute that Goku says in the trailer, "I'm not ready for this!" Well don't worry about it, cause it's no where in sight of this movie. Actually Goku really cocky in this. He's way too confident.
One thing I really still can't believe he said was when he was bitchin about school and ask his Grandpa if he could teach him "how to pick up girls"! I could not believe my ears! Did he really say that? He shouldn't even know what a girl is let alone wanting to "pick them up"!
So when you see him... at.. school, he is picked on by the school jocks! I bit you are wondering. Why is Goku letting these asshole push him around? Shouldn't he be kicking some ass? Well Goku has promise his grandpa that he wouldn't reveal super strength to anyone, so he lets everyone think he's the biggest pussy in the school.
Meanwhile on other hand of Goku's social life, Goku day dreams about Chi Chi. Cause of course Goku has the hots for her. So they reversed the roles, in the cartoon Chi Chi is the one who has the hots for Goku and Goku is the one who is clueless.
Latter Goku reveals his power to Chi Chi, but much to Goku's surprise Chi Chi knows all about the power of "chi" and invites Goku to her party that she's having latter tonight. Goku immediately says yes in a awkward way and so we skip ahead to his home, where we see him getting ready for the party. One moment of this scene shows Goku actually coming his hair and it goes back into place. This scene is actually fine since it's actually a kown fact that in the cartoon they mention Goku and his race, the Saiyans can't change their hair. They don't show it in the show, so they really didn't need to put that in the movie, but it was nice to show that they are awear of the actual show.
Meanwhile, we find out that it's Goku's Birthday and Gohan has prepared a birthday dinner, but Goku has other plans and leaves his Grandfather alone.
Latter at the pary, Goku is about to enter Chi Chi's house, but oh no, the school bullies are and they want Goku gone.
They tell Goku to get lost and when Goku is about to leave, he snaps and tells them no.
The jocks don't like this one bit and tries to start a fight with our hero, but since Goku promised his grandpa that he wouldn't fight. So what dose he do? He dodges every hit the jocks throw at him and is some how lucky enough to have them beat each other up and some reason it's all in slow motion. Why? I guess it's because it's really hard for them to film Goku fight so they have no choce but to slow it down, I don't know.
OK, I well admit that this scene is pretty cool to watch just to see those assholes get their asses handed to them. I know it's a very big cliche in these kinds of movie, but I just never get tired of that.
After the bullies are defeated, Goku wins the girl and does nothing, literally! I'm not joking, they do nothing! They just stand by a wall and awkwardly glance at each other.
Meanwhile where there much better parts of the movie is going on, Gohan is waiting patiently for Goku's return, but suddenly he's attacked by Mai, an evil shape shifting worrier(played by Eriko Tamura) who is looking for the magical Dragonballs and she want Gohan's 4 star ball, but he has already given it to Goku and for some reason has taken it with him. Also joining Mai on the hunt is her leader, Lord Piccolo and what an enterence he makes! Seriously, what is up with that enterence? He dosen't make one effert to make the first apearance to Gohan dramatic! He walks in and turns a corner, very casualty! This isn't the first time we see him, he first shows himself a few number of times searching for the Dragonballs so he can get his revenge on the Earth for locking him up thousands of years ago.
Meanwhile back at the party, where their STILL doing NOTHING! Goku senses there's somthing wrong with grandfather, but I really think he was making all that BS about senses things up and he really wanted to get out of that awkward pool of nothing.
When Goku makes it home he finds it in ruins and his grandpa's dead body, but right before he died he tells Goku to find Master Roshi and tell him about Piccolo before the eclipse in 3 days or the world well be doomed!
Shortly after that, Goku meets up with Bulma, who is searching for her father's Dragonball that was stolen by Mai aswell. WAIT! In the cartoon, Bulma knew every thing that is needed to know abot the Dragonballs and originally wanted them so she can get a boyfriend not get one back for her dad! What the fuck?
Well as soon as she has leaned the ture story about the Dragonballs she has some how come up with a well orginized plan to find them and Master Roshi, but it was Goku's idea to join forces anyway. Oh come on, Goku's not the kind of guy to come up with plans! Are you fucking kidding me?
Also is it me or is this movie going way too fast into it? Cause Goku and Bulma just met and now are acting like that they knew eath other for years!
I don't know, lets move one.
Oh yes, there's a scene after wards that really does captures the likeness of Goku. Bulma and Goku are in a city looking for Master Roshi with some kind of digital computer thats found on the streets kinda like a phone booth. Well anyway, right out of nowhere Goku is eating some kind of chicken leg that really huge! Now thats are Goku, he should be eating all the time, but sadly this is the only scene like this!
Well they finally find Master Roshi's place and it's what you expecting, NO FUCKING BEACH HOUSE! So what we get is a ruin down apartment looking place from the 70's and it's surrounded with what it appears to be a construction sight cause instead of an ocean, it's a giant hole!
Are heros finally meet Master Roshi, but if you ask me he looks more like an asian George Lopez! He looks nothing like the cartoon's! He doesn't even wear the traditional sunglasses, though he dose wear one pear of sunglasses that are all black in the desert scene.
So Goku tells Roshi about what has happen. So they pack up and continue the journey!
Actually the surprising character in the movie is, Yamcha. Obviously it's not his voice, but the voice actually sounds alot like the cartoon's, it's probably done by the same guy, but thats still awesome! The only grips I have is that guy who plays him is so damn ugly and he says "bro" like every time he ends a sentience! It's fucking annoying!
So like all the other strangers they meet, Yamcha our heros and they continue the journey!
Along the way, the gang runs into Chi Chi again while she's training for the world's tournament, but thats just a pointless plot. All it's there for is an excuse for Chi Chi to get in the action and fight in a girl on girl brawl with Mai!
Another scene in the movie that pisses me off is where Goku is being trained by Master Roshi to do the "kamehameha wave", but Goku has troble getting it right. THATS BULLSHIT! Goku got it right in seconds in the cartoon! Why is he having trouble now? So Roshi tells him to try and light candles with the kamehameha wave. WHAT!? Thats would just blow it up, but apparently you can light a candle without burning itup cause Roshi and soon after Goku dose it! Whatever!
After a romantic scene with Goku and Chi Chi, our heros find Piccolo and Mai, by flying in the shittest car that CGI has every created!
After a change in wardrobe into the famous orange outfit that Goku's famous for wearing, he tells Piccolo that he'll defeat, "Oozaru" the monster that work with Piccolo long ago but disappeared shortly after Piccolo's imprisonment!
BUT, Piccolo reveals that Oozaru is Goku and was sent to Earth to help Piccolo conquer Earth!
WAIT JUST A SECOND! First of all, Goku was originally named Kakarot and sent to Earth by the Saiyans to destory it, NOT help Piccolo! Piccolo wouldnt even want help from anyone let alone Goku! Also Piccolo didn't anthing about Saiyans, he didn't even know who he was! OK, whatever!
Well after Piccolo revealed Goku's secret, the eclipse begins and Goku transforms into Oozaru, a Giant ape! Thats it, pretty much a giant ape. He would have chi energy coming out of his mouth, but they didn't put that in!
Well I'm not going to reveal the ending, but I well say this, it really did surprise me! I mean it, I really didn't think they was going for this kind of ending, but I do wish they would of done it exactly the way the cartoon ended and also tweaked it a bit cause they made look like climax was going to be amazing and they went with THAT!
Well that was my review for "Dragonball Evolution", I really didn't want to go in the theater as a DBZ fan, I wanted to watch as a movie fan in genaral, but as yu can read out of my review it didn't go that way!
Also I was the only soul in that intire movie theater, yeah I was the only person to see that movie! Thats a great sign for this picture!
The probleme with is that, the cartoon was more for all ages and they made this movie more for kids then anyone and that pisses me off! Sure there's bad language like "Damn", "Hell" and occasional "Oh sssshhhhii....", but thats reall all!
This is a good film for your kids and not for adults, all it does it piss you off, if your a fan that it, but you gotta remember the cartoon was intended for kids in the first place, look at the original cartoon of Dragonball!
I give the film 1 "DRAGONBALL" out 5, or in this case 7! I give 1 just because it's a Dragonball movie!
As for the remake of Dragonball Z, oh exuse me, "Dragonball Kai"! I really think it's a waste of time, sure their making it look monern, but could you at least change the story a bit and not give us the exact same thing down the original drawing style! I'm sorry, I know there's fan that are excited about this, but come on!
WHATS THE FUCKING POINT?! No thanks, I'm sticking to the original shows!