Dragonball Evolution: WTP?

[Kris Strife]

Finally saw the preview for it, and I knew it would be bad and cheesy... But that was just too much.

As a fan of both DB and DBZ (fully aware of their flaws thank you), watching that trailer made me die a little inside. Did they even watch the show, or did someone in Hollywood say "Heres something that we haven't exploited yet!"?

[Dispozition]

Someone in Hollywood said 'is there something we haven't exploited yet?'

I will be seeing this movie, only for the pure unintentional comedy that will result because of it though. Surely it can't be as bad as 'The Spirit' :P

[Enlong]

This is reeeealy looking bad. Goku is a high school student.
I should really just stop there, there's enough wrong about that statement.

Frankly, when I saw the trailer on the TV, I thought it was for some Push-like movie. Seriously, everything but that one clip of a dragonball was pretty much completely unrecognizable as a Dragonball adaptation.

[doliest]

When I first heard about this movie, one person stayed in my head; Mike Tyson. As for the movie, it doesn't resemble anything I ever thought of when I though of DB or DBZ, it's doing horrible things to my childhood memories, now I just have to wait for the new *Dark and Edgy* All star batman-esqe Superman movie to come out where superman beats up children in order to stop aliens from nuking earth with irish ninjas....the trailer had a bad effect on my cognitave faculties.

[Xuincherguixe]

I had high hopes for this movie... Actually no, I had pretty reasonable, and attainable hopes for this movie.

They could have all recognized that Dragon Ball is pretty stupid. No seriously, even it recognizes that fact. It's part of what made it great. Acknowledging that fact, they could have gone through it not being too serious about it.

Basically, there is no way this movie could be good. But it could at least have been the good kind of bad.

Sounds like it's going to be a train wreck though. Too bad, James Marsters as Piccolo seems like it was something that could have worked.

[Onmi]

The movie is out early In Japan and I think Hong Kong, I have seen it and I only have one thing to say from it.

"Stop Raping My CHILDHOOD!"

[doliest]

"Stop Raping My CHILDHOOD!"

Hollywood:I'm gonna f*** you til' you love me

Childhood:*Cries.*

[Kris Strife]

Hollywood:I'm gonna f*** you til' you love me

Childhood:*Cries.*

I think this is an exerpt from a script somewhere.

[doliest]

I think this is an exerpt from a script somewhere.

The MPAA handbook, actually.

[FoE]

Wait, wait, wait.

There were people who had high hopes for the Dragon Ball movie?

[Kris Strife]

Wait, wait, wait.

There were people who had high hopes for the Dragon Ball movie?

Hopes it would be true(r) to the origional. With what was done with the Matrix and Superman, we certainly have SFX tech to make it work.

I mean heck, the Speed Racer movie actually had Pops as a high school wrestling champ, which was only mentioned in like the first episode of the origional series.

[Onmi]

from: The Escapist

Let me just begin by saying this movie isn't as bad as you expected. It is far far worse. Fans of the Dragonball universe are strongly advised not to see this unless they want their childhood raped with a fist full of nails. Hell, even people who have never heard of dragon ball are discouraged to go because I think this movie can somehow give you post traumatic stress syndrome, judging by the wailing and gnashing of teeth evident in all that see it. This is literally the Arc of the Covent in movie form, in that it causes faces to melt and flesh to burn at its very sight. But enough of my babbling, lets get to exactly why this movie is such a mistake of god.

Firstly, lets look at the actual story line, if you want to call it that. It gives the impression that someone wrote the script after skimming a wikipedia article about the subject matter. Yes, your favorite characters are all there, Goku, Chichi, Bulma, yamcha, master rochi and Picillo, but they're in bizarre live action interpretations of the original characters. Goku looks like the bastard child of Frodo and Edward Cullen and has this delightful habit of going completely emo at random times. Chichi is just some generic Asian chick, bulma has a singe strand of blue hair and resembles Lara Croft a great deal more then the original character, complete with dual pistols and mindless aggression. Yamcha is just a surfer dude the find in the desert, rochi is a distressingly young asian guy with little personality and Picillo looks like a black man smeared in green paint. Now this weird warping of characters could be expectable, as the original forms in live action would be even more ridiculous. The problem is that, not only are the characters appearances wrong, but their setting and personalities are completely off as well.

In the beginning, we see Goku going through high school, being bullied, and fantasizing about chichi eating fruit. I kid you ****ing not, he literally sits there and daydreams about Chichi eating fruit. Later he helps her open her locker using what they call "Kai". Now in the original series "Kai" was the energy that the characters used to hurl balls of energy around, but in this bastardization not only do they mispronounce it as "Key" the entire time, but its been relegated to ripped off force powers. Goku literally holds his hand up like he's force pushing someone and all the lockers fly open. Seeing this display of Jedi prowess, Chichi invites Goku to a party she's having that night. Its about now you being wondering when the **** dragon ball became a high school movie. Well, Goku goes to the party, abandoning his grandpa (still alive for some reason) and trounces some bullies. While he's doing this picillo attacks grandpa and force chokes him. I'm not kidding, he literally does the straight Darth Vader force choke. Goku, sensing a disturbance in the force (that's not a witty segue, he literally senses something wrong.) and rushes back to find grandpa crushed under a house. After burying Grandpa in the backyard (seriously), bulma comes in shooting like a PMSing duke nukem. Retarded dialogue ensues and the pair decided to go after the dragon balls together. Goku however needs to find master rochi first. They find the turtle hermit in what looks like the home from Full House floating in the middle of a bay. The two end up fighting, Rochi recites a poem about the dragon balls while dancing and then promises to teach Goku air bending. You see that last sentence? Everything in that sentence is completely true, none of it is me trying to be funny. Rochi actually says he'll teach Goku air bending. More **** happens, they find yamcha, picillo uses his blood to create what look like LOTR Orks and this is when I shut this **** off.

[Dispozition]

from: The Escapist

*hilarity*

I have got to see this movie.

[Onmi]

I have got to see this movie.

At least we don't have to DEBATE the worst movie of this year. Correction we do if Twilight was released this year.

[Kris Strife]

I guess they hired the writers from the Super Mario Brothers movie...

[Cubey]

The Super Mario Bros movie was pretty fun. It had just enough references to the original games to keep going, and didn't pretend to take itself seriously at all.

Now this, this is just awful.

[Dispozition]

At least we don't have to DEBATE the worst movie of this year. Correction we do if Twilight was released this year.

The Spirit. That is all.

[Jack Squat]

At least we don't have to DEBATE the worst movie of this year. Correction we do if Twilight was released this year.

Twilight was released in December. It took the place of when the new Harry Potter was supposed to come out. I remember this because my girlfriend and I actively avoided seeing it, and she was only in town for Christmas break.

As far as Dragonball.

I knew it would be horrible. I knew that the second they said "Live Action." I never gave this movie any hope of being good, and you know? I'm probably going to see it with some of my friends. We're hoping it'll fall into the "so bad it's hilariously stupid" category. Although we may wait until summer, as I doubt even that will make me realize that I spent $8.00 to watch some horrible movie in theaters.

[Trizap]

from: The Escapist

Let me just begin by saying this movie isn't as bad as you expected. It is far far worse. Fans of the Dragonball universe are strongly advised not to see this unless they want their childhood raped with a fist full of nails. Hell, even people who have never heard of dragon ball are discouraged to go because I think this movie can somehow give you post traumatic stress syndrome, judging by the wailing and gnashing of teeth evident in all that see it. This is literally the Arc of the Covent in movie form, in that it causes faces to melt and flesh to burn at its very sight. But enough of my babbling, lets get to exactly why this movie is such a mistake of god.

Firstly, lets look at the actual story line, if you want to call it that. It gives the impression that someone wrote the script after skimming a wikipedia article about the subject matter. Yes, your favorite characters are all there, Goku, Chichi, Bulma, yamcha, master rochi and Picillo, but they're in bizarre live action interpretations of the original characters. Goku looks like the bastard child of Frodo and Edward Cullen and has this delightful habit of going completely emo at random times. Chichi is just some generic Asian chick, bulma has a singe strand of blue hair and resembles Lara Croft a great deal more then the original character, complete with dual pistols and mindless aggression. Yamcha is just a surfer dude the find in the desert, rochi is a distressingly young asian guy with little personality and Picillo looks like a black man smeared in green paint. Now this weird warping of characters could be expectable, as the original forms in live action would be even more ridiculous. The problem is that, not only are the characters appearances wrong, but their setting and personalities are completely off as well.

In the beginning, we see Goku going through high school, being bullied, and fantasizing about chichi eating fruit. I kid you ****ing not, he literally sits there and daydreams about Chichi eating fruit. Later he helps her open her locker using what they call "Kai". Now in the original series "Kai" was the energy that the characters used to hurl balls of energy around, but in this bastardization not only do they mispronounce it as "Key" the entire time, but its been relegated to ripped off force powers. Goku literally holds his hand up like he's force pushing someone and all the lockers fly open. Seeing this display of Jedi prowess, Chichi invites Goku to a party she's having that night. Its about now you being wondering when the **** dragon ball became a high school movie. Well, Goku goes to the party, abandoning his grandpa (still alive for some reason) and trounces some bullies. While he's doing this picillo attacks grandpa and force chokes him. I'm not kidding, he literally does the straight Darth Vader force choke. Goku, sensing a disturbance in the force (that's not a witty segue, he literally senses something wrong.) and rushes back to find grandpa crushed under a house. After burying Grandpa in the backyard (seriously), bulma comes in shooting like a PMSing duke nukem. Retarded dialogue ensues and the pair decided to go after the dragon balls together. Goku however needs to find master rochi first. They find the turtle hermit in what looks like the home from Full House floating in the middle of a bay. The two end up fighting, Rochi recites a poem about the dragon balls while dancing and then promises to teach Goku air bending. You see that last sentence? Everything in that sentence is completely true, none of it is me trying to be funny. Rochi actually says he'll teach Goku air bending. More **** happens, they find yamcha, picillo uses his blood to create what look like LOTR Orks and this is when I shut this **** off.

............what the hell? has hollywood finally lost its marbles?

this isn't even close......funimation should sue for copyright infringement.....

I mean.....this is just horrible..........how could anyone take probably one of the most famous anime ever and make it into this? I've only saw half of it and
sounds like someone watched dragonball then said to himself:
"hey! what if Goku was in high school, had jedi powers, and what if he could bend air like avatar!? and what if Master Roshi told him this while dancing and reciting poetry!? and what if Roshi's house was floating in the middle of a bay!? and piccolo was darth vader!? that would be awesome!!!"


......something should be done.........Twilight anime on Syfy is bad enough.......... this....... bastardized version of dragonball......is even worse.......

optimistic: it will be canceled before it will be made. or this means something maybe some new thing that will outweigh all this horribleness will grace us all and save us from the horribleness that is hollywood, who will be so dazzled by its awesome that they will realize what idiots they were and shut themselves down, paving the way towards a golden age of art and entertainment.............

Pessimistic: its a sign of the apocalypse. be happy and make the best of your life before some meteor hits and we all die.

[Onmi]

Or we take the third option.

This is how unforgivable this movie is. This is what will happen to those involved. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiZwGqhTP5I)

[Keris]

Or we take the third option.

This is how unforgivable this movie is. This is what will happen to those involved. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiZwGqhTP5I)

Go on, make it happen. It'd liven up the evening news:
"Cast and crew of new Dragonball film killed by giant robot".

[Enlong]

Wait... I thought it was pronounced "Ki".

Not that everything else in that doesn't make me go WHAT?!

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Edward:I'm gonna rape you til' you love me

Bella:*Is dazzled.*

Fangirls: *swoon*

Fix'd...

-not really, but edited for truth anyway.

[Kato]

You know... we shouldn't be too hard on it... It's possibly not a bad movie... you just have to ignore the words: Goku, Dragonballs, Bulma, Rochi, Picollo, Yamcha, Chichi... so everything connecting it to the series. Just think of it as a spoof an shounen anime and it works out well enough I guess. Just... don't try to think those are suppossed to be the same people Akira created.
Anyway, think I'll give it a try. Marstsers is playing Picollo, making this one of my favourite actors doing one of my favourite character... er, a character who is incidentally named just as one of my favourite characters. And I want to see Goku do airbending!

[Trizap]

You know... we shouldn't be too hard on it... It's possibly not a bad movie... you just have to ignore the words: Goku, Dragonballs, Bulma, Rochi, Picollo, Yamcha, Chichi... so everything connecting it to the series. Just think of it as a spoof an shounen anime and it works out well enough I guess. Just... don't try to think those are suppossed to be the same people Akira created.
Anyway, think I'll give it a try. Marstsers is playing Picollo, making this one of my favourite actors doing one of my favourite character... er, a character who is incidentally named just as one of my favourite characters. And I want to see Goku do airbending!

.................stop speaking blasphemy, corrupted heretic. Dragonball Z is too great of a legend to suffer this, I hope the film is a failure! or that the people who made it suffer the worst fate possible! DBZ does not deserve the blasphemy of this live-action film!

[Eldan]

So, what's wrong with pronouncing "Ki" like "Key", speaking as someone who has never seen Dragonball in english?

[Prime32]

So, what's wrong with pronouncing "Ki" like "Key", speaking as someone who has never seen Dragonball in english?
Ki is pronounced like "key". Escapist got it wrong.

Also:
Dragonball cast and crew die in lava!

[Eldan]

Thought so. Though, with you english speaking people, you never know what ideas you get on how to pronounce words.:smalltongue:

[chiasaur11]

I still favor giant robots.

Since then, in addition to everything else, we get giant robots.

[Arlion]

hey The Spirit wasnt THAT bad :smalltongue:.It was so bizarre that it was funny

[Dienekes]

Heh, some of you had hopes.

Rookie mistake really.

[Prime32]

Heh, some of you had hopes.

Rookie mistake really.
That trailer was just... Wha?

[Kato]

You know... we can still hope Hollywood won't make a trend out if this... after all there a lot of childhood memoriey to be raped. (Okay, whatever belongs into your childhood)
They could make a Neon Genesis Evangelion one... Or Lodoss War (Okay, then they'd probably just resynch LOTR with new names a cut out the hobbits... and make Legolas a girl.... okay, maybe they will do a new one) Oh, of course, Gundam! I nominate Shattner for Ramba Ral there. And damn them if it won't start with all the kids being in High School for the first half of the movie.

[Prime32]

Oh, of course, Gundam! I nominate Shattner for Ramba Ral there. And damn them if it won't start with all the kids being in High School for the first half of the movie.
You were saying? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZQ9vWgAYJo)

[Onmi]

You know... we can still hope Hollywood won't make a trend out if this... after all there a lot of childhood memoriey to be raped. (Okay, whatever belongs into your childhood)
They could make a Neon Genesis Evangelion one... Or Lodoss War (Okay, then they'd probably just resynch LOTR with new names a cut out the hobbits... and make Legolas a girl.... okay, maybe they will do a new one) Oh, of course, Gundam! I nominate Shattner for Ramba Ral there. And damn them if it won't start with all the kids being in High School for the first half of the movie.

There making a Eva movie, but it's being done by Weta Workshop with heavy involvement from ADV films so it has a good chance to be good.

Gundam has been done and it blew chunks.

They are also doing Cowboy Bebop staring Keanue Reeves as Spike (no i'm not joking) and they are doing Ghost In the Shell, Directed by Steven 'Let's cut out the original message and plot of this Sci-Fi setting and barley have it resemble what it was based on' Spielberg.

Yup our childhoods.

[Ascension]

There making a Eva movie, but it's being done by Weta Workshop with heavy involvement from ADV films so it has a good chance to be good.

And it's been in development hell for years. I'm betting it'll never get filmed, much less released.

[Tensu]

You know... we shouldn't be too hard on it... It's possibly not a bad movie... you just have to ignore the words: Goku, Dragonballs, Bulma, Rochi, Picollo, Yamcha, Chichi... so everything connecting it to the series. Just think of it as a spoof an shounen anime and it works out well enough I guess. Just... don't try to think those are suppossed to be the same people Akira created.
Anyway, think I'll give it a try. Marstsers is playing Picollo, making this one of my favourite actors doing one of my favourite character... er, a character who is incidentally named just as one of my favourite characters. And I want to see Goku do airbending!

Don't get me wrong, I'm no DBZ fan, at least not anymore. it was ok when I was little but... [omitted due to rambling]

...anywho, I do oppose this kind of logic, and I normally argue against it when companies like WotC use it to rape mythology, but I guess it'd be marginally hypocritical of me not to speak against it here.
the flaw in this logic is that if they are not going to adhere to the source material, why use the source material at all? the only answer is because something truly original sadly wouldn't draw as much attention and thus would not make as much money. some people are OK with the entertainment business sacking cultural identity for profit like some kind of literature vikings, but I am not. If they are not going to remain true to the source material, they should not use the source material. They should not reference it. They should not make any mention of it. Why? Because it hurts. I'm sure that somewhere out there there are people who actually think the movie that shall not be called beowulf is an accurate representation of the legend (if you're one of those people, it's not even close) and people like that are increasingly in the majority because they are not exposed to the original but rather bombarded by bastardizations. not bastardizing will cut into company's profit. To which I say tough. By seeing this movie, even because you expect it to be bad, you are sending a message to the entertainment company. You are saying you approve of what they do. you're not going to make any difference saying the movie is awful if you see the movie because their intent clearly isn't to make a good movie: it is to make money.

So I implore everyone not to see this movie. ever. Tell your friends and family to never see this movie. make sure they make as little money as possible. and maybe, just maybe, if everyone works together, we can send the right kind of message to hollywood. tell them bastardizations don't sell. Put a stop to this madness.

[Collin152]

Sorry about the raped childhoods. My apprentice is new at this, sometimes he hits the wrong target...

[Onmi]

And it's been in development hell for years. I'm betting it'll never get filmed, much less released.

Hey if it doesn't at least we got Rebuild.

Oh yeah, Asuka got a name change in the second Rebuild movie. The fanboys had a fit.

[Twin2]

Idea for college event. Twilight, Spirit, DBZ in a row screening, last person left alive is the winner.

[Ascension]

Oh yeah, Asuka got a name change in the second Rebuild movie. The fanboys had a fit.

Whoozy-whatsit?

*Googles*

*Throws fit.*

WHY?!? Why would you go and do something like that? She had a perfectly good name already!

[Onmi]

Whoozy-whatsit?

*Googles*

*Throws fit.*

WHY?!? Why would you go and do something like that? She had a perfectly good name already!

You're asking me to tell you what goes on inside Anno's head, I am a human being, although the ship she is now named after is a sister ship to the Ayanami.

Take THAT as you will (considering the characters are all named after ships/aircrafts etc.)

[Onmi]

Idea for college event. Twilight, Spirit, DBZ in a row screening, last person left alive is the winner.
Considering I have the entire of GaoGaiGar + FINAL Recorded into my brain, I could live... If I could shut my eyes and kill my hearing.

[Twin2]

Considering I have the entire of GaoGaiGar + FINAL Recorded into my brain, I could live... If I could shut my eyes and kill my hearing.

No cheating, you've got to watch it all. :smallsigh:

[Ascension]

You're asking me to tell you what goes on inside Anno's head, I am a human being, although the ship she is now named after is a sister ship to the Ayanami.

Take THAT as you will (considering the characters are all named after ships/aircrafts etc.)

Well, I suppose that does make some sense, yes. Still...

And no, I wouldn't ask anyone to tell me what goes on in that man's head. I really, really don't want to know.

[Onmi]

Well, I suppose that does make some sense, yes. Still...

And no, I wouldn't ask anyone to tell me what goes on in that man's head. I really, really don't want to know.

Probably a lot better now that he's not depressed. Still his brain is probably so confusing that he could look Cthulu in the face and just wave

[Ascension]

Probably a lot better now that he's not depressed. Still his brain is probably so confusing that he could look Cthulu in the face and just wave

I don't know, I generally find anime directors more disturbing when they aren't depressed. Case in point. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97j86qH91Nk) The dancing... The dancing... :smallbiggrin:

[Onmi]

I don't know, I generally find anime directors more disturbing when they aren't depressed. Case in point. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97j86qH91Nk) The dancing... The dancing... :smallbiggrin:

But King Gainer is a comedy, I don't see you commenting on Wings of Rean.

[Ascension]

But King Gainer is a comedy, I don't see you commenting on Wings of Rean.

I haven't seen Wings of Rean. Anyway, I'm joking.

[Onmi]

I haven't seen Wings of Rean. Anyway, I'm joking.

I know, Wings of Rean is the Manga sequel to Aura Battler Dunbine, which is horribly depressing.

So WoR of course isn't.

also fun little fact, Tomino followed the horribly depressing Ideon with Xabungle.

[Ascension]

I know, Wings of Rean is the Manga sequel to Aura Battler Dunbine, which is horribly depressing.

So WoR of course isn't.

also fun little fact, Tomino followed the horribly depressing Ideon with Xabungle.

And Zeta with ZZ. He does these sorts of things.

[Onmi]

And Zeta with ZZ. He does these sorts of things.

And Zambot 3 with Daitarn 3. But people never seem to get that's what he does.

I think he followed Dunbine with L-Gaim to... but I may be mistaken.

[Xondoure]

Everyone relax, in two years no one will even remember this horror... and then they'll make the sequel.:smalleek: OH GOD MY **************************** ******************IT BURNS ************************************.

[Rutskarn]

My experience with Dragonball Z is limited to "Over 9000".

And this trailer looks extremely wrong to me.

So apparently, Hollywood has done less research than I have.

[Yulian]

This could be one of the most inadvertently funny things ever.

Although I do wonder...why's Goku a white guy? Is it the old, really, really offensive, "Oh, white people don't like watching non-white people in lead roles." excuse again?

Piccolo looks amusingly like a cross between Graf Orlock and the criminal guy from The Mask movie when he had it on.

But...the tone is mystifying. The trailer makes out like it's some sort of semi-serious action flick. I agree that they should have totally embraced the insanity, given it a driving, electric guitar soundtrack, and just went utterly nuts.

- Yulian

[Tensu]

My experience with Dragonball Z is limited to "Over 9000".

And this trailer looks extremely wrong to me.

So apparently, Hollywood has done less research than I have.

That got a lol.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

My experience with Dragonball Z is limited to "Over 9000".

And this trailer looks extremely wrong to me.

So apparently, Hollywood has done less research than I have.

You took the words right out of my mouth (or... keyboard).

I saw the trailer in the cinema with some mates, some of whom know more about it, and we all agree it was hilariously bad. That's a 100% vote right there :smallbiggrin:.

[TheSummoner]

Its odd... I haven't cared about this show since I was... 7ish...

Yet it sickens me to see yet another "Teenager who doesn't fit in gets superpowers and saves the world" type movie put out there (my assumption from the trailer for it).

You'd think if someone wanted to make a movie about something they'd make the movie about the thing they're making the movie about...

[Xuincherguixe]

You'd think if someone wanted to make a movie about something they'd make the movie about the thing they're making the movie about...

You, obviously don't understand marketing.

That being said I'm guessing they're taking the same approach Microsoft did to Shadowrun. Ignore the source material completely and insult the fans.

[X2]

Dragonball Z was the bomb when I was kid... but this just looks crap...

[TheSummoner]

Perhaps they'll keep the part of the original where fights last 5 hours even if they take place in 5 minutes of "real" time

[Lappy9000]

from: The Escapist

HilarityThis had the (what I imagine was the) unintended effect of making me want to see this movie.

Although my brain did bleed a little when I first saw the trailer on TV (I didn't realize what it was and said "What kinda cliche'd crud is this" literally 5 seconds before the announcer said "Dragonball: Evolution"), it'd be unfair to judge it before I've seen it. I have read two early reviews; one said it was okay (kinda lame, but not too campy) the other said it was pretty bad (but the actors did an okay job despite the bad source material).

So, yeah, I'll be seeing this little abomination in theatres now :smallbiggrin:

[Tensu]

No no no! If you go see the movie even though it's bad you're just supporting this behavior! Don't give the alcoholic more booze!

[kopout]

Dragonball Z was the bomb when I was kid... but this just looks crap...

seconded some things don't translate well into live action

[Lappy9000]

No no no! If you go see the movie even though it's bad you're just supporting this behavior! Don't give the alcoholic more booze!I always hated that way of thinking in film class. It's encouraging me to judge a movie by it's trailer? What kind of lesson is that teaching our children? Someone think of the children!!! Ah, logical fallacies...


Don't get me wrong, I'm no DBZ fan, at least not anymore. it was ok when I was little but... [omitted due to rambling]

...anywho, I do oppose this kind of logic, and I normally argue against it when companies like WotC use it to rape mythology, but I guess it'd be marginally hypocritical of me not to speak against it here.
the flaw in this logic is that if they are not going to adhere to the source material, why use the source material at all? the only answer is because something truly original sadly wouldn't draw as much attention and thus would not make as much money. some people are OK with the entertainment business sacking cultural identity for profit like some kind of literature vikings, but I am not. If they are not going to remain true to the source material, they should not use the source material. They should not reference it. They should not make any mention of it. Why? Because it hurts. I'm sure that somewhere out there there are people who actually think the movie that shall not be called beowulf is an accurate representation of the legend (if you're one of those people, it's not even close) and people like that are increasingly in the majority because they are not exposed to the original but rather bombarded by bastardizations. not bastardizing will cut into company's profit. To which I say tough. By seeing this movie, even because you expect it to be bad, you are sending a message to the entertainment company. You are saying you approve of what they do. you're not going to make any difference saying the movie is awful if you see the movie because their intent clearly isn't to make a good movie: it is to make money.

So I implore everyone not to see this movie. ever. Tell your friends and family to never see this movie. make sure they make as little money as possible. and maybe, just maybe, if everyone works together, we can send the right kind of message to hollywood. tell them bastardizations don't sell. Put a stop to this madness.300 WAS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE! :p

[TheSummoner]

Well, considering the trailer is suppose to make you WANT to see the movie by showing some interesting scenes that dont give the entire plot away, why shouldn't we judge it based on that? Am I to believe the movie is any good if a sampling of the best non-spoilerfied clips from the movie are terrible?

[Lappy9000]

Well, considering the trailer is suppose to make you WANT to see the movie by showing some interesting scenes that dont give the entire plot away, why shouldn't we judge it based on that? Am I to believe the movie is any good if a sampling of the best non-spoilerfied clips from the movie are terrible?Well, the plot (aka the "Spoilerfied" stuff) is normally the reason why I go see movies. So, no, a small sampling of the plot-free version of the movie isn't a good gage to judge the movie from.

[Tensu]

I always hated that way of thinking in film class. It's encouraging me to judge a movie by it's trailer? What kind of lesson is that teaching our children? Someone think of the children!!! Ah, logical fallacies...

If movies that **** the source material make money, people will continue to make them. The movie is not true to the source material and therefore is terrible by default.


300 WAS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE! :p

...words cannot express how angry I am at you right now. At least, not any words I can say on this forum without drawing the ire of the moderators.

do not ever, EVER mention that... that... that abomination around me, even in mockery, again. It is worse than historically inacurate, it's as if we made a movie about WWII featuring the nazis as likable and justified protagonists. That wretched display of all that is wicked in modern society should burn in some hellish nether abyss.

[Lappy9000]

If movies that **** the source material make money, people will continue to make them. The movie is not true to the source material and therefore is terrible by default.....and?


300 WAS HISTORICALLY ACCURATE! :p

If ...words cannot express how angry I am at you right now. At least, not any words I can say on this forum without drawing the ire of the moderators. Normally, it is assumed that :p = :smalltongue: = Joking on an internet forum :smallannoyed:

[Tensu]

I was editing while you posted. there's a more in-depth explanation of my reaction there now.

also, don't put a clarification that you where joking in invisible text. If I hadn't noticed that at the last second, my response would have been much worse.

[Lappy9000]

I was editing while you posted. there's a more in-depth explanation of my reaction there now.Dude, I'm a history major who gets bent out of shape about historical inaccuracies. If it shows up on the History channel, I'll freak, but the movie was hardly trying to be historically accurate, and was so completely out-of the park in it's crazy wakiness that such anger doesn't seem warranted. MY TEXT SHALL BLOT OUT THE SUN!!!

[Tensu]

Dude, I'm a history major who gets bent out of shape about historical inaccuracies. If it shows up on the History channel, I'll freak, but the movie was hardly trying to be historically accurate, and was so completely out-of the park in it's crazy wakiness that such anger doesn't seem warranted. MY TEXT SHALL BLOT OUT THE SUN!!!

As I said, it wasn't the historical inaccuarcy: it was casting the spartans as heros when they where the nazis of the classical era. We should hold the wicked Spartans with nothing but contempt, esp. if glorifiying them would come at the expense of a man who the Bible says was an ok guy. The movie got thousands of people to root for conformity, violence, deception, and child killing over technology, peace, and tolerance of all religions and cultures. I'm not over-reacting, the abomination literally glorified evil.

[Lappy9000]

As I said, it wasn't the historical inaccuarcy: it was casting the spartans as heros when they where the nazis of the classical era. We should hold the wicked Spartans with nothing but contempt, esp. at the expense of a man who the Bible says was an ok guy. The movie got thousands of people to root for conformity, violence, deception, and child killing over technology, peace, and tolerance of all religions and cultures. I'm not over-reacting, the abomination literally glorified evil.Nope, no, I'm still sticking with my previous statement, thank you. We've derailed this thread enough, however.

Oh, and we brought up Godwin's Law. Show's over, folks :smallbiggrin:

[Ascension]

seconded some things don't translate well into live action

Except this could have. Remember when Matrix Revolutions came out and everybody was saying that the final fight gave them hope that a live action Dragonball Z movie could be made?

[chiasaur11]

Well, there's only so much time to watch movies, and a ton of good ones.

Why waste time with something that, from all evidence, isn't good at all?

[Tensu]

Nope, no, I'm still sticking with my previous statement, thank you.

So you're purposely sticking with a statement that in no way relates to what was being discussed? You do realize this would make you choosing to be wrong, right?


Oh, and we brought up Godwin's Law. Show's over, folks :smallbiggrin:

The only reason I used the Nazis as an example is because they are universally accepted as evil by all cultures: If I said another one, I would be potentially offending them based on the religion/country/etc. Godwin's law only works because everyone accepts the Nazis as universally evil. That, and the Nazis are actually the only... let's call it a civilization for the purpose of this example, I can think of that compare to the Spartans in wickedness. There really is no other example I could have used.

[Enlong]

Except this could have. Remember when Matrix Revolutions came out and everybody was saying that the final fight gave them hope that a live action Dragonball Z movie could be made?

Yeah, it could've been good. If only they had kept... anything... about the original.

Oh, wait! Goku got his orange outfit after a while... aaaand as much as I can tell, that's about it. None of the characters seem to be as we know them.

[Onmi]

Apparently there planing 6 or 7 sequels.

Fess up who supported it we will only bludgeon you into a comatose.

[Aotrs Commander]

Although I do wonder...why's Goku a white guy? Is it the old, really, really offensive, "Oh, white people don't like watching non-white people in lead roles." excuse again?

Presumably the same reason the entire lead cast of the live-action Last Airbender movie are all white. They'd have been hell to pay if they'd done (say) Lord of the Rings with incorrect ethnicities, but it's perfectly okay so long as you replace somebody who isn't part of the Hollywood Master Race (sic) with a white guy/girl, is it? Right... See this rocket launcher? Good...

I'd question the intelligence of the people in Hollywood, but it's quite obvious they don't have any at all, nor have they for many long years. Everything is either a remake or an adaption of something that exists in another media. EVEN THE GOOD FILMS. (LotR, all the Marvel/DC heroes, Harry Potter et al) There's nothing really creative anymore, is there?

[FatJose]

Few little problems I have with this review...

from: The Escapist

Picillo looks like a black man smeared in green paint.
I always imagined Picollo was a black guy for some reason. I mean, he's an alien but if he was human or was played by a human. Also, he's played by white guy in this movie so...yeah.


Later he (Goku) helps her open her locker using what they call "Kai". Now in the original series "Kai" was the energy that the characters used to hurl balls of energy around, but in this bastardization not only do they mispronounce it as "Key" the entire time..
No, it's always been called Ki, pronounced "Key." In some instances its been called Chi by Chinese analog characters because those are real words that are used in martial arts all the time. Ki-Japan, Chi-China
http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Ki

Anyway, I know it will be bad for one big sign.
Chow Yun Fat.
The guy clearly does not care enough about this movie and knows its a flop or the people making it didn't care or pay attention to the source. Most likely it's both.
I mean really.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2875889920/tt0190332
http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/sony_pictures_classics/curse_of_the_golden_flower/chow_yun_fat/curse7.jpg
http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/sony_pictures_classics/the_children_of_huang_shi/chow_yun_fat/children.jpg
http://l.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/walt_disney/pirates_of_the_caribbean__at_world_s_end/_group_photos/johnny_depp18.jpg
The guy does not have a problem with having a beard or looking old or being bald or all three. In fact, he seems to favor it. So why can't he actually look like Roshi?

And here's something I found kind of funny. I read somewhere the only reason Goku gets his gi at all in the movie is because the actors actually asked if they could rewrite the script so they actually get to wear things more related to the characters. If you are complaining about how they look, just know it could have been worse...somehow.

[Loch]

I will go see this film


If you threaten to castrate me.

So much of my innerbeing is hurting right now. What the helld did they do to my perfect dream like fantasy version of a Live Action Dragonball film...

[Tensu]

I read somewhere the only reason Goku gets his gi at all in the movie is because the actors actually asked if they could rewrite the script so they actually get to wear things more related to the characters. If you are complaining about how they look, just know it could have been worse...somehow.

At least somebody made a freaking stand. If only the actors could have done a little more...

I don't know why we're always trying to transfer animation into live action. That's like trying to turn ice cream into poop. Has the transition from animated (the supreme form of storytelling) to live action ever been a kind one?

[Lappy9000]

Although I do wonder...why's Goku a white guy? Is it the old, really, really offensive, "Oh, white people don't like watching non-white people in lead roles." excuse again?Well, in most Japanese animes, very few of the characters actually have asian features.

When I first saw the photos of this movie I thought that (with some clever make-up and dress) most of the actors may actually be able to pull off the look of the character. Justin Chatwin and Emmy Rossum actually kinda have the right facial structure to sort of look like the characters. Of course, none of those "clever makeup/dress" applications were applied (Bulma's hair...isn't....blue?). I had minimal hopes for the plot.

I am also curious as to why Chow Yun-Fat doesn't have a beard. Whaaa?

[shaxberd]

At least somebody made a freaking stand. If only the actors could have done a little more...

I don't know why we're always trying to transfer animation into live action. That's like trying to turn ice cream into poop. Has the transition from animated (the supreme form of storytelling) to live action ever been a kind one?

I will admit to the live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon series being a guilty pleasure. So bad it's good, in some ways, yet remaining true to the core mythology of the manga and anime, despite changes in the plot. But that was made in Japan, not Hollywood.

[Closet_Skeleton]

As I said, it wasn't the historical inaccuarcy: it was casting the spartans as heros when they where the nazis of the classical era. We should hold the wicked Spartans with nothing but contempt, esp. if glorifiying them would come at the expense of a man who the Bible says was an ok guy. The movie got thousands of people to root for conformity, violence, deception, and child killing over technology, peace, and tolerance of all religions and cultures. I'm not over-reacting, the abomination literally glorified evil.

Spartans are Nazis? You're making ideological judgements about a culture that ended over two millenia before your birth based off stuff written down by another culture. Comparing Spartans to Nazis would be correct if you're a random guy from the year 4000 and the only sources you have are Where Eagle's Dare, The Great Escape and the manifesto of the American Nazi Party.

[shaxberd]

If movies that **** the source material make money, people will continue to make them. The movie is not true to the source material and therefore is terrible by default.

I'm pretty sure it was true to the source material since the source material was the 300 comic book written by Frank Miller. The comic never made any claims towards historical accuracy and promised only a gritty tale based on the lyric poetry written about King Leonidas' last stand.

[Oslecamo]

You're making ideological judgements about a culture that ended over two millenia before your birth based off stuff written down by another culture.

Considering that the rest of the big greek cities ended up ganking on them and literally wiping them out of the map, yes, we can conclude that they weren't very popular.

EDIT:Also, ignoring what the spartans actually were for a moment, the movie still suports mindless violence over civilization. Xerxes sends a diplomat and the spartans kill him and then kill the guards, even if the later don't say anything ofensive! They're, like, chaos marines! BLOOD FOR THE DEEP WELL!

Then Leonidas sudenly shows a burst of blind religious fanaticisim by believing the oracle and not going with all his army at once, meaning even more needlness carnage!

Not to mention Leonidas has a golden chance to kill Xerxes in the middle, and lets it pass! WTF? I tought he didn't give a damn about diplomacy rules a moment ago! Of course it would be too easy to end the persian invasion right there! There must be blood to satisfy the spartan's lust for battle!

So, the movie spartans are a bunch of religious fanatic cold blooded murderers with a big thirst for violence and kill children just because their're weal, and the public considers them heros! Doesn't it disturb you ?

[Tensu]

Closet_Skeleton: I'm not judging them based on what was written about them by the Persians or Hebrews. That's how I'm judging Xerces. I'm Judging them based on what was written about them by their fellow greeks and by themselves. And all I've read has been about an individuality destroying, deception glorifying, amoral killing machine.

If you have some information to redeem the spartans, I'd be happy to read it.

Shaxberd: That... was from before we were talking about the abomination.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I'm Judging them based on what was written about them by their fellow greeks and by themselves. And all I've read has been about an individuality destroying, deception glorifying, amoral killing machine.

If you have some information to redeem the spartans, I'd be happy to read it.

If you have some information actually written by Spartans, I'll be happy to read it.

They at least had a state with checks and balances and no single dictator. While Sparta was hardly a nice place to live if you were female, there was at least something for Sparten women to do, unlike Athenian women who were essentially locked in the closet so the men could pretend they didn't exist.


So, the movie spartans are a bunch of religious fanatic cold blooded murderers with a big thirst for violence and kill children just because their're weal, and the public considers them heros! Doesn't it disturb you ?

I clearly have a high threshold for ironic and clearly unreliably narrated pieces of art.

I don't get angry about how the Adam West Batman series completely ridicules the American police forces.

[shaxberd]

Shaxberd: That... was from before we were talking about the abomination.

Ah. I was wondering about that, but I'm still not certain I see your point, even if it was regarding Dragonball. Do you mean that something isn't worth seeing if it isn't both historically accurate and true to the source material? Because that going to cut out over 95% of all the fiction that's out there. And wouldn't this also mean that the Dragonball manga sucked by default since it wasn't really true to Journey to the West?

[Tensu]

Closet_Skeleton: Most of my info comes from books that I don't own, which makes it hard to share via interweb.

Everything I read said they had a king and were staunchly opposed to democracy:smallconfused:

Shaxberd: There is a difference between being inspired by something and trying to be something. If dragonball was trying to be Journey to the west, it would have been named such. My sources have stated that dragonball's creator had simply observed that most anime was inspired by western fiction and mythology and wanted to draw inspiration from an eastern source.

[Felixaar]

If this wasn't called Dragonball, I think it would actually be a pretty exciting movie - I mean, it looks pretty good, but it's just not going to be Dragonball. So calling that is just going to dissapoint us all.

I mean, isn't Goku supposed to be... not an American teen?
Isn't Roshi supposed to be... old?

Also, the trailer needs more Yum-Cha.

[Mannryu]

Why must mostly everything we watched in our childhoods get so "violated"?
I agree with Felixaar tho, it might be a good thing if it wasn't called Dragonball. And if it wouldn't try to copy an old anime that everyone knows.

I just hope that by all the gods, they will NOT make a Dragonball Z movie!

[UltraDude]

... were any of the fight scenes any good? If so, it might warrant a rental somewhere down the line.

[Onmi]

... were any of the fight scenes any good? If so, it might warrant a rental somewhere down the line.

The final fight is Goku using the Kamehameha to vaporize picollo.

SERIOUSLY

He also uses it to heal someone, did you know you can use the Kamehameha to HEAL someone?!?

[chiasaur11]

The final fight is Goku using the Kamehameha to vaporize picollo.

SERIOUSLY

He also uses it to heal someone, did you know you can use the Kamehameha to HEAL someone?!?

Ah.

Like a healing shiv?

[Lappy9000]

Ah.

Like a healing shiv?Well, of course. What else would you use it for?:smallbiggrin:

[Enlong]

The final fight is Goku using the Kamehameha to vaporize picollo.

SERIOUSLY

He also uses it to heal someone, did you know you can use the Kamehameha to HEAL someone?!?

Maybe it's some pure-of-heart thing, or maybe he wa using to cauterize the wounds?
...yeah... not likely.
Also, that's silly. Everyone knows Goku killed Piccolo by using the Kamehameha as a propulsion device for the best punch ever.

[FoE]

LittleKuriboh had a pretty funny take on the Dragonball movie at 7:00 here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NXcSPW_dg0&feature=channel_page)

[Querzis]

Ok, how come I barely know anything about DBZ (my knowledge of it is limited to a few videogames) and I still know this is incredibly wrong? Also...Piccolo is the bad guy??? How come Piccolo is the bad guy?????

No seriously, change the name of the characters and change the design of the Dragonballs a bit and nobody would ever think this is a DBZ movie...

[Onmi]

Ok, how come I barely know anything about DBZ (my knowledge of it is limited to a few videogames) and I still know this is incredibly wrong? Also...Piccolo is the bad guy??? How come Piccolo is the bad guy?????

No seriously, change the name of the characters and change the design of the Dragonballs a bit and nobody would ever think this is a DBZ movie...

Because this is DragonBALL not Z.

Piccolo or Demon King Piccolo or Piccolo-Daimo depends on what you wanna call him. Was a villain that Goku fought as a child, he defeated the other fighters, killed Krillin, actually defeated Goku. He could SPAWN henchmen like a real demon.

At the time we didn't know of Demons or Aliens in Dragonball so we thought 'this really IS the demon king'

um... this is a good trailer for the arc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu5hVfFVTUU

EDIT: the Piccolo your thinking of is Piccolo Junior, at his death the original spat out an egg that hatched into the Anti-Hero/Villain we know, he was originally a villain who turned good in Z like we saw.

[Xuincherguixe]

Notice how at the start of Dragon Ball Z, Piccolo is talking about various villainous stuff? Like killing Goku and conquering the world and all? Yeah. He was still in transition from Dragonball.

And, as above. Different Piccolo... sort of. In a way, King Piccolo kind of reincarnated himself, as Piccolo Jr. had all his memories and all.

Dragonball is weird.

[Querzis]

I see. Gotta say, while I knew there was the normal DB before DBZ, the only thing I know from the story of the normal DB come from the fighters profiles in DBZ budokai tenkachi 2. In every video games I played the story start at DBZ. And oddly enough, I remember watching the first episode of DBZ when I was a kid and I was really confused since I had never saw DB before (I'm not even sure it we ever had the normal DB in Quebec). That being said I still feel a bit stupid since, well, Piccolo did kill Goku at the same time as Raditz so I should have known that meant he was a bad guy before. Oh well, just goes to show you that if someone who know so little about DB know that movie is wrong, it must be really wrong. Well at least Krillin is not in the movie, I like him.

Oh and just to know...is Goku still a saiyans in the live action movie?

[Onmi]

I see. Gotta say, while I knew there was the normal DB before DBZ, the only thing I know from the story of the normal DB come from the fighters profiles in DBZ budokai tenkachi 2. In every video games I played the story start at DBZ. And oddly enough, I remember watching the first episode of DBZ when I was a kid and I was really confused since I had never saw DB before (I'm not even sure it we ever had the normal DB in Quebec). That being said I still feel a bit stupid since, well, Piccolo did kill Goku at the same time as Raditz so I should have known that meant he was a bad guy before. Oh well, just goes to show you that if someone who know so little about DB know that movie is wrong, it must be really wrong. Well at least Krillin is not in the movie, I like him.

Oh and just to know...is Goku still a saiyans in the live action movie?

no clue, keep in mind in the original DB Sayains weren't even known. They only became known in Z with Raditz informing Goku. but if they are treating his Grandpa as an actual grandpa then... yeah...

they made Piccolo do a Force Choke I don't think they cared.

[Cheesegear]

I saw the movie today; And, I've got to say, that it wasn't actually, that bad. I also, must make note, that I haven't seen a Dragonball episode in at least 4 years. DB-GT finished around the time I finished high-school.

So, I've gotten older. Does anyone actually remember how phenomenally bad the original anime was? 5 minutes, lasts two weeks worth of episodes, characters continuously talk to themselves, terrible dialogue about believing in one's self. When I was little, watching guys fight was awesome. Not that I'm older, and watched a few episodes over YouTube...What the Hell was I thinking!? The original source (not counting the manga, anime only) is terrible.

Now, keeping in mind that this is Dragonball, not Z, Goku being in High School and trying to hook-in with Chi-Chi makes perfect sense. Since I have no desire to see a ten-year old Goku running around naked (which is what it would be if it was true-to-source). And to the director/caster's credit, the majority of the characters are Asian (or of Asian descent), which is more than I can say for the casting choice of the upcoming Avatar movie.

One thing I also took into account, is that this is not Dragonball. Review the movie on it's own merits (or flaws), don't compare it to the source material and say it sucks.
Because nine out of ten; copies will always be worse than the original.

I don't think the movie takes itself seriously at all. There's enough ham in it to make a sandwich. Again, it copies the source pretty well. Roshi is a perverted old man, who lives isolated in a house...With cheesy ass-grabs and 'bikini' mags around his house. As cliche as 'Ass-grabs mean this guy is perverted is. HAHAHALOLOZ', remember, that happens in the source. Yamcha (sp?) is probably the single-worst played character in the movie, but, again, look at the source; He's pretty ridiculous/douche-y to begin with.

Bulma is not a trigger-happy assassin chick (that another reviewer said she was). That's another character, who I don't even think we were even given a name for. Piccolo force-choking I can deal with. Goku being able to 'sense' his grandpa is in trouble makes sense (remember the source material kids...That happens all the time).
The Saiyamen (although, they're not named as such) make an appearance...Y'know, those green/yellow things that Vegeta/Nappa throw out? Except in the movie that look like grey/green blobs of CGI, and are dispatched rather quickly

The fights - because, seriously, it's Dragonball - are rather lackluster. And if you're expecting 20 episode minute fights, you'll be disappointed. Although, if you're into Asian Cable-Fu, with hammy 'jumps', you'll be happy. And anyone with half a brain who has read the source material knows who the bad guy turns out to be.
Hint: Who/What is Oozaru?

Few things;
They say 'Key', I've always read that 'kind of thing' to be either Ki (rhyming with 'eye', or 'bye'), or Chi (as in 'Cheesegear' :smallwink:), but, that's alright. This isn't Dragonball, this is a movie that just happens to have the same name :smallwink:
Roshi wants to teach Goku Air Bending. Yes. That's what they call it.
Piccolo has about fifteen minutes screen-time. Total. That's more than Iron Monger. But, Iron Monger's character also had screen time. Piccolo, does not.
Goku's origin, is kind of ham-fist-wedged in, near the end. And is kind of a "Oh yeah, we forgot to mention, Goku is an alien." it doesn't fit well in the story. And no, Goku does not have a tail. And, while that is true-to-source, in the kind of story that they're trying to tell, aliens from outer space don't fit. Demons and Robots were the villains in Dragonball, crazy aliens weren't part of it (Only in Z/GT were there crazy aliens).

...So, if you're a Hardcore Dragonball fan, don't see this. You'll be sorely disappointed, and want to burn down the cinema.

...If you're like me, and remember what Dragonball was really like, yeah. You'll get what you're expecting. Minus the eight-year long fights. You'll laugh at how bad it is. Because, hey, that's what it's supposed to be.

Final Declaration: It's watchable. Probably wait until it comes out on DVD or something. Or, be a dirty pirate (not that I condone that sort of thing) and get it. ...This is not Dragonball. It just has the same name as another certain popular anime/manga.

Now, go watch Forbidden Kingdom, it's infinitely better (and that's saying something, FK was still a fairly average movie), and has tried-and-true 'Martial Arts' actors Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Both are based on the same story (Journey to the West), so, it's not like you'll miss a whole lot.

Or, better; Go find and read/watch Monkey Magic and download/acquire a few episodes of Monkey. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Dispozition]

Instead of wording my own opinion, I'll just let a blog do it for me (http://tomclift.blogspot.com/2009/04/movie-review-dragonball-evolution.html). One of my friend's blogs...I saw it with him, he liked it more than I did because I actually know the dragonball universe.

Anyway, like Cheesegear said, if it wasn't dragonball, it would be better...But since it is, it is infinitely worse :<

[Cheesegear]

Oh, and since some fans have cried about Krillin (Kuririn) not being in it; In the source of the arc the movie depicts (The Piccolo arc, obviously); Krillin is dead the entire time. They use the Dragonballs they get from Piccolo to bring him back to life. So, Krillin shouldn't appear until the sequel anyway. Stop crying.

...Read your source material kids.

[kpenguin]

Where's Tien?

[Cheesegear]

Where's Tien?

He hardly appears in Dragonball much at all. And therefore isn't fit to be in the movie. Remember kids; This isn't Dragonball Z, just regular Dragonball.

[kpenguin]

He hardly appears in Dragonball much at all. And therefore isn't fit to be in the movie. Remember kids; This isn't Dragonball Z, just regular Dragonball.

But Tien did have a fairly significant role in the King Piccolo arc.

[Cheesegear]

But Tien did have a fairly significant role in the King Piccolo arc.

True. But...Yeah. I got nothing. Maybe a dude with three eyes was too hard to do. And if you've got Tien you need Chao Tzu...Meh. My overall opinion is that the movie needed
a) A better director, and better casting.
b) It needed to be longer (I know, keeping it going would've killed everyone watching), but, with great length, comes great story. Maybe 'Goku is an alien' could've been done better, instead of a one-liner. Maybe the fights could've been longer. Maybe more characters (that people actually like) could've been brought in. Who knows?
c) There was a half-arsed tournament thrown in. But we didn't see a whole lot of that.

...Maybe Rocky with Dragonball characters and SFX could be done? Focus on a tournament? Tien vs. Goku is always fun. Because that actually happens.

But, what we do know; Is that when a popular franchise makes a movie that sucks, the sequel probably wont have the same director and all the mistakes will've been sorted out from the first one.

[FatJose]

Well, I don't know about all that. Dragonball isn't Dragonball Z. The two are just different animals. There isn't hours of blathering on in DB like there is in DBZ either. Then again, Toriyama was only working on DBZ for the huge paychecks. He was going to end the series with Frieza originally, thus the copious amounts of revelations and the extreme length of that final battle. After that is when there is a noticeably larger amount of 20 episode battles with 5 minutes of actual fighting. Every new Arc, Toriyama treated like "The Final Epic Battle of All Time" so it became very tired when that was clearly not the case. When you then add the fact that long running manga/anime adaptations need to pad episodes as well so as to not overtake the manga it gets worse.

But DB? That was always about adventure and comedy over long unnecessary fights. Goku travelled from dragonball to dragonball and fought all kinds of weird opponents who didn't last for ridiculously long periods while making friends with interesting characters. The movie is Dragonball but tries way too hard to be DragonBall Z because Z is just better known in America. Though, there really isn't an excuse for High School, Sad Goku besides trying to copy the Spiderman/Peter Parker formula.

[KillianHawkeye]

1. I am a huge Dragonball/DBZ fan. I've read all the manga, seen all the episodes, and own all the short DBZ movies (which I watch in Japanese). And I have all the Budokai Tenkaichi games on my PS2.

2. I saw the movie and it's actually not too bad.


Sure, the story is a little weird in places and some things go totally unexplained (not to mention the wild divergences from the actual story of Dragonball). Sure, characters like Yamcha and Chi-Chi and Mai don't really do too much and don't get a lot of development. Sure, Goku never really worked for King Piccolo 2000 years ago (wtf?). Sure, the ending was predictable. Sure, Goku and Piccolo's final battle should have had more hand-to-hand. But it still kinda works.

The secret is: The movie isn't taking itself too seriously. And neither should you. :smalltongue::smallwink:

Remember, kids, this is an ADAPTATION of Dragonball. As such, Goku being an awkward high school kid totally makes sense (although there were still plenty of things that didn't). Chi-Chi being Goku's schoolmate, and the only one who doesn't think Goku is some kinda freak, also totally makes sense. And while they made a few changes to the nature of Goku's Saiyan heritage, it still remains similar enough to the original and works okay for how they used it in the movie (despite not really explaining it very well at all).

The movie had a pretty good amount of humor in it. Most of the fight scenes were actually pretty good (especially the earlier ones). Bulma and Roshi were both spot on characterizations. Yamcha was close, he just didn't get enough development time. Piccolo was a little different than we remember him, with completely different goals and motivations (aside from being from SPACE), but as usual James Marsters does a great job. He was all evil and menacing; too bad he didn't get enough lines.


Anyway, the point is, I went in to the theater expecting this to be another Street Fighter: the Legend of Chun-Li, and I was very happily surprised. While we know it was never going to be a GREAT movie, Dragonball still managed to succeed in all the ways the Legend of Chun-Li failed horribly. It was funny and entertaining, had some okay action and a pretty decent pacing. And unlike the Legend of Chun-Li, Dragonball: Evolution was at least able to capture the style of the source material, which to me is one of the most important things an adaptation can do. Definitely watchable.

So sure, maybe it's NOT Dragonball. But it's like Dragonball.

If you hated the Legend of Chun-Li as much as I did, you might enjoy this movie, because they are almost like exact opposites of how you make a movie adaptation.

[Mc. Lovin']

The final fight is Goku using the Kamehameha to vaporize picollo.

SERIOUSLY

He also uses it to heal someone, did you know you can use the Kamehameha to HEAL someone?!?

And light torches, lets not forget that bit!

[Kris Strife]

And light torches, lets not forget that bit!

I thought that was the air bending?

[Cheesegear]

I thought that was the air bending?

Maybe that part was Fire bending?

[Heads_or_Tails]

So wait, does that mean Goku was healed by blowing compressed air into his chest, or by setting him on fire? Or both?

Also, I shall look back on this movie with a fond memory, as some guy in the audience decided to go to the bathroom in the middle of the movie. He then fell down the stairs. (He wasn't hurt.)

Woah! Thunk, thunk, whumph. *Cue the guy's friends pointing and laughing*

Good times, good times.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I don't know why we're always trying to transfer animation into live action. That's like trying to turn ice cream into poop.

What? They're doing Dr Slump next?

[FatJose]

Oh, and since some fans have cried about Krillin (Kuririn) not being in it; In the source of the arc the movie depicts (The Piccolo arc, obviously); Krillin is dead the entire time. They use the Dragonballs they get from Piccolo to bring him back to life. So, Krillin shouldn't appear until the sequel anyway. Stop crying.

...Read your source material kids.

He was in the first episode of the Piccolo arc. He dies because of Piccolo's goons. Why resurrect a character that never was properly introduced anyway? As if Goku's going to just randomly spout in the next movie:
"Hey! Let's resurrect my friend and fellow pupil who was trained in Turtle style with me"
Roshi- "What are you talking about, Goku?"
Goku (stern)- MY. BEST. FRIEND.
Roshi- ...

It wouldnt have even been hard to do. Make him Roshi's assistant or something and then kill him off after he's had one or even two lines. Death by falling rocks or something. No, the money to pay for that actor was spent on human punk #2


But, what we do know; Is that when a popular franchise makes a movie that sucks, the sequel probably wont have the same director and all the mistakes will've been sorted out from the first one

Son of Mask, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation...no, those had good first movies...
Sequels don't happen for flops and if they do well enough for a sequel its just going to be more of the same.

[Thrud]

Now come on guys, the movie had good points. Let's be fair.

Jamie Chung in tight martial-artsish clothing.

Jamie Chung in loose flowing clothing.

Jamie chung in any sort of clothing.

Although not Jamie Chung in no clothing, which let's face it is what we really wanted.

Now as for other good points there was. . . .

Hmm.

Wait, I'm still thinking. . .

Nope, can't think of anything else.

:smallbiggrin:

[Obrysii]

The final fight is Goku using the Kamehameha to vaporize picollo.

I saw it last night with friends, doing the whole Mystery Science Theater 3000 schtick of making fun of it as we watched - and that made it enjoyable. Beyond that, this is one horrible film.

The scene you point out, Onmi, is pretty much the only cool scene; the power-up Goku does, though lacking the sound effects, was actually pretty nice to see. The whispy-like energy was well done if you ask me, even if the Kamehameha was lacking.

It was the only true, classic, dragonball moment - the villian
raising his arms high, giving his 'the world is doomed' speel while creating a huge orb of energy above his head, the hero resolving to defeat him, enwrapped in an aura of energy and preparing his own attack......

[Mc. Lovin']

I thought that was the air bending?

Didnt he play a game where if he did the HamiHamiHa (or whatever it was called) well enough he was allowed to get off with that girl

[FatJose]

And wouldn't this also mean that the Dragonball manga sucked by default since it wasn't really true to Journey to the West?


There is a difference between being inspired by something and trying to be something. If dragonball was trying to be Journey to the west, it would have been named such. My sources have stated that dragonball's creator had simply observed that most anime was inspired by western fiction and mythology and wanted to draw inspiration from an eastern source.

Toriyama has flat out said DB started as an homage and parody of Journey to the West. The first saga essentially is a retelling of JttW but after that was all done Toriyama kept going. From there it became a Tournament Martial Arts and then a more serious repetition of Journey to the West, this time with Piccolo as the main bad instead of the gag villain Pilaf.

Son Goku is Sun Wukong and Toriyama constantly drew him wearing the classic Sun Wukong clothing on the covers of different graphic novels (when he wasn't drawing him on motorcycles or Marlboro sponsored racecars). Bulma was a parody of the effeminate prince. I forget who Yamcha is. Oolong and Puar also are analogues of two monster characters from Journey. An episode of Inuyasha even had a pig demon proclaiming himself the son of Oolong followed by Kagome going into a big long educational rant of who Oolong was (Ancient Japan didn't know pf the story at that time so she had to explain it to Inuyasha) And Pilaf was supposed to be a much less imposing version of the villain. The plot even is the same. The prince was supposed to be looking for 7 heavenly scrolls in order to receive some prize from a Dragon God and along the way he meets demons and a bandit (i think) who he convinces into helping him on his quest. Not only that but, from what I understand, their names are just chinese names translated to japanese with the exception of Bulma.

What it comes down to is that DB was actually true to source if not also poking fun at it since DB was a comedy series with light action at first. After the story based on Journey was over, he just moved on to doing his own thing. That's much better than dragging out a classic story to ridiculous lengths. Imagine if it had taken them the entire series to find the dragon balls >.<

[X2]

I'll see it because I am a particularly bored individual.

[Manga Shoggoth]

The plot even is the same. The prince was supposed to be looking for 7 heavenly scrolls in order to receive some prize from a Dragon God and along the way he meets demons and a bandit (i think) who he convinces into helping him on his quest. Not only that but, from what I understand, their names are just chinese names translated to japanese with the exception of Bulma.

Not exactly. I can't consult my (4-volume) translation of the original chinese to get the exact names, but:

Triptiaka (the monk) was sent to india to get some scriptures from the Buddha (rather more than 8). He was supported by Sun Wukong (Monkey), Zhu Bajie (Pigsey) and Sha Wujing (Sandy). He is also supported by a dragon prince who has transformed himself into a horse.

Dragons turn up quite a lot, but are characters on the way.

Of the characters, Son Gohan closely resembles Sun Wukong (complete with extending staff and cloud trapize).

Of the other characters, Oolong visually resembles Zhu Bajie, but doesn't seem to share any of the character's traits beyond a list for women and the ability to transform (in fact in the original Zhu Bajie is quite brave. Oolong is a coward). I don't really see any other resembalances between the two sets of characters.


What it comes down to is that DB was actually true to source if not also poking fun at it since DB was a comedy series with light action at first. After the story based on Journey was over, he just moved on to doing his own thing. That's much better than dragging out a classic story to ridiculous lengths. Imagine if it had taken them the entire series to find the dragon balls >.<

Of couse, the original drags itself over 4 volumes. It does get quite wearing to read after a while. As you say, at least Toriyama kept DragonBall short. (Not sure about DBZ, though. I've only read the first couple of volumes).

[FatJose]

Of the other characters, Oolong visually resembles Zhu Bajie, but doesn't seem to share any of the character's traits beyond a list for women and the ability to transform (in fact in the original Zhu Bajie is quite brave. Oolong is a coward). I don't really see any other resembalances between the two sets of characters.
Of couse, the original drags itself over 4 volumes. It does get quite wearing to read after a while. As you say, at least Toriyama kept DragonBall short. (Not sure about DBZ, though. I've only read the first couple of volumes).

:From the Dragonball wiki: I know a lot of people get skeptical when it comes to wikis but I don't have the volume of DB that has Toriyama mentioning who's who.
Sun Wukong = Son Goku, Xuanzang = Bulma Briefs (though later, it can be argued to be the role of Kuririn) Zhu Wuneng = Oolong, Sha Wujing = Yamucha
Also, DB's first arc, as far as I could tell, doesn't really borrow from Asian mythology, only Saiyuki. It's like if someone made a comic set in a futuristic world with main characters like Arthur, Lance, Gwen, Gary...and they're all knights of some kind..and they're helped by a WIZZAAARRD!!! You could say it's based on European myth and folklore...but it's really just "King Arthur". It's based on "a" myth or folklore. (Gary is Galahad)

As for DB and DBz. There is no separation. The anime separates them and AMerica released Z first but Toriyama was making the manga without pause. After Goku married he renamed it Z and skipped the story 4 years because he was planning to end the series with one last huge arc that ties up all the loose end with "THEY CAME FROM OUTER-SPACE". This is what the whole Raditz-Saiyan-Namek-Frieza saga is and it reads a lot faster than the anime thanks to zero padding.

A recent example is Naruto. It never really became a new series. But the artist wrote a timeskip in the plot and then added Shippuden to the name. He did this specifically because he wanted to do something similar to what Toriyama did. He was a huge fan as a kid.

Also, I finally saw the movie as it was intended..bad. ...Real bad. Though to be fair, you know whether you should go refund your ticket like 40 seconds in. If you choose to stay that is your own fault. Noone else is to blame for your money being taken because they totally trample over DB's lore in the intro to the movie. You sit down in your seat and this movie is very adamant.
-First 2 minutes-
"Here's a bunch of stuff that isn't true" *DragonBall logo* (At this point you will have to make your decision: Stay and endure or refund your ticket and go see Hannah Montana.)

[Manga Shoggoth]

:From the Dragonball wiki: I know a lot of people get skeptical when it comes to wikis but I don't have the volume of DB that has Toriyama mentioning who's who.
Sun Wukong = Son Goku, Xuanzang = Bulma Briefs (though later, it can be argued to be the role of Kuririn) Zhu Wuneng = Oolong, Sha Wujing = Yamucha

Thanks: That's an interesting set of mappings. Mind you, with the exception of Goku and (partially) Oolong, I still have difficulty seeing how they are based on the JTW characters.

Logically that would make Puar the Dragon Prince, and presumably the Turtle Hermit would be Kuan-yin. That last one makes my eyes water...


As for DB and DBz. There is no separation. The anime separates them and AMerica released Z first but Toriyama was making the manga without pause. After Goku married he renamed it Z and skipped the story 4 years because he was planning to end the series with one last huge arc that ties up all the loose end with "THEY CAME FROM OUTER-SPACE". This is what the whole Raditz-Saiyan-Namek-Frieza saga is and it reads a lot faster than the anime thanks to zero padding.

Actually, I did know that. Being in the UK I was lucky enough to start reading from the very start and not be confused by the anime releases as at the time the anime wasn't available here. Still isn't, although some of the DBZ films have been released now.

Interestingly, I was re-reading volume 1 of DragonBall last week, and there is a throwaway comment by Bluma along the lines of "What are you? Some sort of Alien".


Also, I finally saw the movie as it was intended..bad. ...Real bad. Though to be fair, you know whether you should go refund your ticket like 40 seconds in. If you choose to stay that is your own fault. Noone else is to blame for your money being taken because they totally trample over DB's lore in the intro to the movie. You sit down in your seat and this movie is very adamant.
-First 2 minutes-
"Here's a bunch of stuff that isn't true" *DragonBall logo* (At this point you will have to make your decision: Stay and endure or refund your ticket and go see Hannah Montana.)

I will probably get it on DVD if i watch it at all. That way I can sit down with a friend and make lots of snarky comments. And drink lots of sake. It sounds like I will require lots and lots of sake. Lots and lots and lots of sake.

Fortunately, watching Hannah Montana is right out. My daughter hates it.

[FatJose]

Thanks: That's an interesting set of mappings. Mind you, with the exception of Goku and (partially) Oolong, I still have difficulty seeing how they are based on the JTW characters.

Logically that would make Puar the Dragon Prince, and presumably the Turtle Hermit would be Kuan-yin. That last one makes my eyes water...

Toriyama said it would be funny to have the monk be redone as a loud obnoxious teenaged girl. I remember reading something by him that said that. Oolong is pretty obvious, make this brave guy into a tiny punk. (cue ironic laughter) Yamcha is supposedly based on a character who was also a desert bandit. I never read Journey, I just know the basic plot of it and read a few chapters in school. The little journal entries and notes in DB where Toriyama compares the two. I know he says it's an homage or a parody. I remember reading them, I'm not crazy...though I could be wrong. :smallfrown:

I never took it as a true adaptation of Saiyuki or just a graphic novel that took from generic asian myths. The first arc has many purposely done deviations from the tale but at the same time, Saiyuki is the only thing they seem to reference at all in the beginning. The moment Oolong makes that wish is basically where the Saiyuki based stuff end.

I look at DB like I look at Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Both are comedies that parody the source material while retelling the story in a loving way that more or less follows the original plot. I really hope fans of Robin Hood didn't walk out of the theater as soon as they saw Dave Chappelle in airpump sneakers.

The problem with this movie is that it isn't an homage, parody or a story inspired by DB. It was a complete misinterpretation if you can even call it that. It was lazy and terrible. I mean, do they have a tank of manatees too? All these bad movies have the same character archetypes. They may dress them up differently and give them slight quirks but they're the same people. Film Goku is just every other young, unsure hero who by the end of the movie learns to rely on himself. Bulma is the same action chick from every other movie you have seen, guns akimbo and all. Yamcha is the same douche in every movie that is supposed to be tough, street smart and a (un)lovable jerk. Roshi...eh..Roshi acted like I would think Roshi would act at that point in his life. Nevermind that his Pupil is in his 70's.

Ignore this spoiler if you'd rather not read geek rage.
Also, WHAT THE HELL?! AIRBENDING!? THREE Elements!? Crane Style?! CRANE STYLE?!
NO.
First of, Roshi's fighting style is water based.
Second, There are FOUR classical elements and FIVE if you are using the asian elements.
Lastly, Roshi teaches the TURTLE style. Turtle... As in Kame Hame Ha...Turtle Destruction Wave..see? Crane style was his rival's fighting style and the one Tien and Chiaotzu are trained in.

[Thrud]

Nevermind that his Pupil is in his 70's.

Yeah, this is kinda the core of one of the bigger plot holes in the movie. (hmm, no, wait, saying it that way makes it seem like there actually is a plot. Ehh, whatever, you know what I mean.) Roshi is younger than his student, and Goku the ancient monster who was piccolo's 2nd in command 2000 years ago, fell to earth about 18 years ago and was raised by Roshi's main student. . .

Huh?

Wait, I just suddenly realized something. I am actually trying to make sense of something so incredibly stupid. Lets face it, it is kinda pointless trying to make too much sense out of the original Dragonball(entertaining though it was), let alone a bad live action remake.