Dragonball Evolution - SPOILERS Thread

[Adey]

All I'm going to say really is that the pacing in this film is among the worst I've seen in a long time. The characters hardly interact, so their relationships aren't believable, there are hardly any good aspects to their personalities either, especially Bulma.

But, I watched it with a few friends and it was amazingly funny because of all the cheesy dialogue. It's worth a watch for sure, don't get me wrong I'm not one of the people who opposed it from the start saying it would kill Dragonball or whatever those other drama queens were saying, but this movie really is laughably bad

[Saiyan-Professor]

Review

While I won't agree or disagree with all your points (haven't seen it for myself yet), I find it really funny that a lot of the things you like and say are good are things lots of other people will say they hate about it (like "I like this character more cause they changed them"). Especially comparing something from it to Naruto.

Again, not agreeing or disagreeing in any way.

I understand that but I am not afraid to embrace something new. If there are, more people out there that see things in a similar manner the movie should be fine. I will actually go to the theaters and see it to support the movie and buy the DVD/Blu-ray when it comes out. Overall except for the few things I mentioned I am not disappointed at all.

Edit: If anything Naruto fans would like it.

[Chuquita]

Then why didn't they just make a live action Naruto movie instead? Why try to turn Goku into him?


But yeah, pacing; waaaaay too fast. This movie could've benefited from...I wanna say an extra 20 minutes to a half hour. Maybe more if you're going to try and make Yamcha/Bulma go from anger/distrust to begrudging/love in such a short period of time.

It's like:
Bulma: (slaps Yamcha across the face) I hate you!
Yamcha: I'm only in it for the money.
(5 minutes pass)
Bulma: .....let's make out.
Yamcha: Alright!
Audience: Bwuh?! o_O


Actual relationships don't pull total 180's that fast. ^^;;;;

[Saiyan-Professor]

Then why didn't they just make a live action Naruto movie instead? Why try to turn Goku into him?


But yeah, pacing; waaaaay too fast. This movie could've benefited from...I wanna say an extra 20 minutes to a half hour. Maybe more if you're going to try and make Yamcha/Bulma go from anger/distrust to begrudging/love in such a short period of time.

It's like:
Bulma: (slaps Yamcha across the face) I hate you!
Yamcha: I'm only in it for the money.
(5 minutes pass)
Bulma: .....let's make out.
Yamcha: Alright!
Audience: Bwuh?! o_O


Actual relationships don't pull total 180's that fast. ^^;;;;

To put it simply most Dragonball fans are dinosaurs, the new generation want something relevant. Even though age wise I would fit in the dinosaur crowd, I actually like the new stuff as well as the old. I hope the North American release is extended to solve the pacing problem but then again we live in age of perpetual one-night stands so anything is possible.

[Tsukento]

I'll put it like this from how I gather it.

The high school portion? Completely unnecessary. Why? Because it becomes completely irrelevant with the rest of the movie. The rest of the movie focuses on Goku's entire missing of collecting the Dragon Balls, training to defeat Piccolo and learning of his past.

Finding out Goku is picked on and bullied during school becomes irrelevant since NONE OF IT MATTERS AFTERWARD. This includes the minor characters introduced during that time.

Let's talk about Piccolo's past. Piccolo had a previous servant name "Oozaru." So...did that mean Piccolo had another Saiyan with him? How did the two come to be? How strong was "Oozaru" compared to Piccolo? What became of him once Piccolo is imprisoned? Well, we never find out. Why?

IRRELEVANT STORY THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MAIN PLOT.

Skip ahead. Piccolo is free and has Mai. How did he get free? How did he meet Mai and get her to do his bidding? How does Piccolo seem to know Goku is a Saiyan who was originally named "Kakarrot?" Was there some kind of bargain he made with Goku's ancestors prior to being imprisoned? Was a deal made after he broke out? Did he break out before Goku was born? Were the Saiyans viewing Piccolo in the same light as Freeza? And what does Grampa Gohan know about "Nameks" that he has to warn Goku about them for?

Well, we never find that out either. Details like that certainly aren't necessary, according to the writers.

This is the main problem with the movie. A lot of details are seemingly left out, and with these events happening, you're left wondering "Well, wait...how did this and that happen?" And you can't get an answer because not only does a good chunk of the story not have any relevance with the rest of the movie, but you have a good chunk of back story that's filled with more holes than Swiss Cheese.

Now I know what some people are gonna say. Some are gonna use that "Well, it's a kids' movie response." Allow me to point out how there are Disney, Don Bluth and other kinds of children's movies that don't treat kids like total morons and have a competently written script that not only has scenes that build character, but also have some form of relevance with the rest of the movie.

[Chuquita]

Then why didn't they just make a live action Naruto movie instead? Why try to turn Goku into him?


But yeah, pacing; waaaaay too fast. This movie could've benefited from...I wanna say an extra 20 minutes to a half hour. Maybe more if you're going to try and make Yamcha/Bulma go from anger/distrust to begrudging/love in such a short period of time.

It's like:
Bulma: (slaps Yamcha across the face) I hate you!
Yamcha: I'm only in it for the money.
(5 minutes pass)
Bulma: .....let's make out.
Yamcha: Alright!
Audience: Bwuh?! o_O


Actual relationships don't pull total 180's that fast. ^^;;;;

To put it simply most Dragonball fans are dinosaurs, the new generation want something relevant. Even though age wise I would fit in the dinosaur crowd, I actually like the new stuff as well as the old. I hope the North American release is extended to solve the pacing problem but then again we live in age of perpetual one-night stands so anything is possible.

You may not mind being referred to as a "dinosaur", but I find it insulting. (Oooh, how DARE I like a series from the 1980's. What a terrible person I must be. I guess that means everyone who likes Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes and Gone with the Wind must be a dinosaur too. Because if it wasn't made in the past 10 years it isn't cool to like it, right?) I don't think a depressed, picked-on, overly-horny Goku is relevant to the plot of this movie at all.


Relevant....you don't need to have an angsty, tormented main character to be "relevant". Especially when in actuality he's as far from that in the first place. He's a clueless, optimistic, mountain man who doesn't care what other people think about him and stands up for his friends and himself if anyone tries to cause them harm.


I think the 15 minute pacing rumor thing is just that, a rumor. If Hollywood wants to prove me wrong on the extra minutes being removed, so be it.

[Tsukento]

To put it simply most Dragonball fans are dinosaurs, the new generation want something relevant.

Dragon Ball is a series made in the 80s. If you want something relevant to today's generation, do a Naruto movie.

I hope the North American release is extended to solve the pacing problem but then again we live in age of perpetual one-night stands so anything is possible.

You won't be seeing anything new unless they do a Director's Cut for DVD. The movie being shown around the world is THE movie EVERYONE will see. It's not like it's a video game where developers can throw in new content when pushing it to another platform.

[Bussani]

Now I know what some people are gonna say. Some are gonna use that "Well, it's a kids' movie response." Allow me to point out how there are Disney, Don Bluth and other kinds of children's movies that don't treat kids like total morons and have a competently written script that not only has scenes that build character, but also have some form of relevance with the rest of the movie.

Being a kid's movie is never an excuse for being bad.

[Booney]

I just watched the movie.
I'll refrain from bashing this movie since that's been done enough already

But I must say it reminds me more of GT than Dragonball.

I mean the focus is too much on Goku in my opinion, they could of at least give Piccolo some more screentime.
And I wonder how someone that doesn't know a thing about these series will watch this movie?
I can imagine it being pretty hard to follow at some points.
Tho I did like DBE Roshi and Piccolo and some other little things I'll just say this is just one of those things you either love or hate.

Just a matter of taste I suppose.

[Saiyan-Professor]

...Now I know what some people are gonna say. Some are gonna use that "Well, it's a kids' movie response." Allow me to point out how there are Disney, Don Bluth and other kinds of children's movies that don't treat kids like total morons and have a competently written script that not only has scenes that build character, but also have some form of relevance with the rest of the movie.

That is the whole point they are attempting to reach a new younger audience who most of them are ignorant of the original series. This will be their first introduction to Dragonball so all those details are not relevant. Yeah, some may seek the original series and learn all of those things later but the majority will be satisfied with that story. A girl I once dated saw the Transformers movie and then later I introduced her to the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon series. She preferred the movie’s story to the original because she felt that it was contemporary and that she had more things to do than follow the details of a comic or cartoon. If she started with the film’s history and details, she was current in her mind.

...You may not mind being referred to as a "dinosaur", but I find it insulting. (Oooh, how DARE I like a series from the 1980's. What a terrible person I must be. I guess that means everyone who likes Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes and Gone with the Wind must be a dinosaur too. Because if it wasn't made in the past 10 years it isn't cool to like it, right?) I don't think a depressed, picked-on, overly-horny Goku is relevant to the plot of this movie at all.


Relevant....you don't need to have an angsty, tormented main character to be "relevant". Especially when in actuality he's as far from that in the first place. He's a clueless, optimistic, mountain man who doesn't care what other people think about him and stands up for his friends and himself if anyone tries to cause them harm.


I think the 15 minute pacing rumor thing is just that, a rumor. If Hollywood wants to prove me wrong on the extra minutes being removed, so be it.

It was not meant in the manner that you are taking it, you will always have the younger generation feeling that the older one is out of touch. The young ones are more willing to let go of their money because their taste is not that less discriminating. When you look at the moviegoers and fans of anime and manga, you will find that there are more of them (the younger crowd), than of us, so naturally the movie studios etc. would cater to those that will spend more money.

[Tsukento]

That is the whole point they are attempting to reach a new younger audience who most of them are ignorant of the original series. This will be their first introduction to Dragonball so all those details are not relevant. Yeah, some may seek the original series and learn all of those things later but the majority will be satisfied with that story. A girl I once dated saw the Transformers movie and then later I introduced her to the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon series. She preferred the movie’s story to the original because she felt that it was contemporary and that she had more things to do than follow the details of a comic or cartoon. If she started with the film’s history and details, she was current in her mind.

That's not the point I'm trying to make. My point is that as a movie itself, it's a fucking mess. Let's forget about the fact that it's supposed to be an adaption to Dragon Ball. Forget about that idea for a second and look at it as JUST a movie.

It has several things introduced at the beginning of the movie with NO EXPLANATION. You have two bad guys in the beginning, one gets imprisoned...and what happens to the other? Shouldn't he have been dealt with? How does this villain escape imprisonment, anyways?

The whole high school thing becomes completely irrelevant with the rest of the movie. The main protagonist is seen as a geek to the whole school, yet we really don't see why. It's never explained. Then by the end of the movie, we don't see if anything's changed. Why? Because the whole high school scene was irrelevant except for the sake of pushing the idea that the protagonist is bullied in school and to introduce the main love interest.

Now let's look at that part. The love interest of the protagonist. She apparently sees something in him that the other kids don't, right? No, instead she only seems to have an interest in him just because she has a thing for guys who can use the powers he has. Seems rather shallow on her part. Which brings me to the conclusion that the love interest is just there because they wanted to have the geek get the girl at the end. No real bonding other than locker opening and clone fighting.

This brings me to the "love" that occurs. Two side characters meet and seemingly hate each other, basically bickering through out the entire time they're together. Then they figure the world will come to an end and decide that they like each other? Normally when this happens in films, the two characters go through some things where they realize they have a lot in common and come to the realization that they're developing feelings.

But not in this movie. Instead it's just "BITCH BITCH BITCH BITCH BIT--Wait, the world's gonna end. We don't really know each other very well aside from the fact that we argued a lot. Let's make out."

And then what of the villain's connection with the hero? How did he know of his origins, such as his original name? Was this something he struck a deal with his ancestors? Did he make this deal with his parents after breaking out and then laying low until he was 18? Again, we don't find out. Because details aren't important to the script writers. In fact, if the whole thing is a prophecy, what relation does the protagonist have with the monster in said prophecy? They're clearly not the same person, so how would a prophecy speak of something that already happened and was dealt with?

Did the people who imprisoned the villain somehow figure it wouldn't last and he'd break out eventually, leaving it to the people of later times to deal with?

We don't know. Details, details.

And that's why I have such a problem with this movie. So many details that they DON'T fill you in, along with all of this flying around at 100mph, and shit that has absolutely no relevance with the rest of the movie. Non-fans will look at this and go "Huh? What are they talking about?"

[Saiyan-Professor]

...

Well I explained my feelings on the movie; I liked it a lot except for a few bits. I am going to support it if you do not want then stay at home opening night.

[Tsukento]

I don't recall stating that my points are to try to persuade people into not going. Clearly I'm not going to see it in theaters, but that's besides the point.

Point was that I was pointing out all of the horrible flaws with the movie's structuring and inability to make a plot work.

[The Tori-bot]

Watching the movie now.

And a British teacher yelling "Goku!" is the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

And Jamie Chung is hawt.

[VegettoEX]

Point was that I was pointing out all of the horrible flaws with the movie's structuring and inability to make a plot work.

Definitely. I think if you listen in to our review of the "junior novel" adaptation and the movie itself, you'll hear us say time and time again how stuff just... happens. Or just... is.

There's something to be said for leaving the viewer in the dark a little bit and providing a sense of mystery, but there's literally zero background on anything to help substantiate it existing or happening, people just start going to new locales because the script tells them to go there (or someone, painfully, says "We have to go to [insert location here] now!")...

It's just devoid of any rhyme, reason, or logic.

[Saiyan-Professor]

...Point was that I was pointing out all of the horrible flaws with the movie's structuring and inability to make a plot work.

However, what purpose does that serve?

[Kaboom]

The disappointing thing is, that from various pre-spoilers and tidbits from the cast and writers during production... we WERE supposed to get more background info. Especially for folks like Piccolo. But none of it seems to have made it into the movie. Again, it gives me a strong feeling an "extended director's cut" of some sort would do the film a lot of good.

[Tsukento]

However, what purpose does that serve?

I'm entitled to post my thoughts. Seriously, do I *need* to have a purpose?

[omegacwa]

I agree Kaboom. I just finished watching the movie (I posted more of a "review" in the other thread) And I have to say it really felt like things were "missing".

[Adey]

I'm also with Kaboom on this one, I feel that the film would have been really decent if it had another hour or so on top so we could see the characters actually interact with one another instead of being expecting to feel sorry or happy for them when something happened, there was no emotion at all because you hadn't got to know them..in a sense.

Piccolo needed a hell of a lot more explaining, as did why he was back except for "lol seal broke evil comes out". It's a shame really, I remember an interview with James Marsters saying he was going to rock this role more than any other, and he didn't have a chance to shine like I was hoping he would.