Live Action Movie Discussion Thread

[Bomber Greek]

The main problem I have is that Goku just isn't like Goku in anyway.
That plus 3 STAR DRAGON BALL? WTF?!

He could be. Hopefully, him being a loser, having no friends, and him whining about being "uncool" is not the reason why he is "uncool". Hopefully, he will think that everyone likes him, but he is too naive to realize that everyone thinks he's a retard.

[RockerJeri]

Disney's "Sky High" remake came faster then I thought.

Seriously...

it totally reminded me of Sky High O_o

[Kunzait_83]

Majin Vegeta and Oozaru Goku were both different versions of one character. Piccolo isn't simply an evil version of another character, but an entirely new creature born out of the evil of another. He's a Namekian because the original was, and a demon because he is the embodiment of pure evil.

He has no demon blood, just Namekian. He's the darker thoughts and desires of a Namek who just happens to be god of Earth which is nothing more than a job in Dragonworld. Granted, Oozaru Goku's not a great example, but Majin Vegeta is. Majin Vegeta is all of Vegeta's evil brought out of him and in control. No, he didn't split like Kami did but it's the same idea, only the personality changes instead of spliting into two.

Blah. I call bullshit on this one.

Piccolo Daimao is clearly classified by Kami as a balls to the walls demon given a Namekian form only because the original being was one. Particularly via the line about how one of the biggest changes for Piccolo was that once he reincarnated himself into his kid's body (Ma Junior), the souls of the people he killed (Raditz and Goku) went straight to the afterlife rather than limbo (like the poor saps he killed as Daimao).

For further evidence, most Namekians aren't shown to be able to give birth to other demons (Tambourine, Drum, etc.).

Daimao looks like a Namek and has the physical atributes of a Namek because of who he was originally; but spiritually he counts as a demon. Once Katatsu's son ascended to godhood and split, neither half was technically a Namek in the traditional sense. Kami makes this pretty clear more than once.

Daimao only became a normal mortal Namekian when he reincarnated himself, and thus gained a concience (again, noted by Kami).

Piccolo and Kami's mystical ties are a direct result of divinity. The whole "Majin" concept is the result of a magic spell from a mortal/non-divine sorcerer. Apples and oranges.


But back on topic;

That plus 3 STAR DRAGON BALL? WTF?!

Yeah I'm gonna hope that that was merely a typo on someone's part. Because if not... most ridiculously senseless alteration ever right there.

[The S]

"Like everyone else"?
Horror movie fans already knew he was a good director back then. Same thing for Peter Jackson, more than 15 years ago.

Then again, The Grudge was shit That movie gave me heartburn.


The biggest point I have to continuously gripe about is the ninja. Unless they end up not actually being Nameksei-jin, but instead Murasaki and his brothers, I'll be sad.

[MisterFlashdude]

Disney's "Sky High" remake came faster then I thought.

Seriously...

it totally reminded me of Sky High O_o

I have to admit, you're not the only one.

[Teclo]

I don't really think comparisons bewteen US comic book movies and the DBZ movie are that workable.

The original American comic books were written from an American perspective and strongly feature American culture and and American outlook. Characters such as Captain America seem outrageous and hilariously tacky to most non-Americans. I know that most Americans don't take him 100% seriously themselves, but the fact that he even exists and was invented as American propoganda during WW2, I think, is quite disturbing (ironically, some of the images of him seem almost Nazi-like). That said, I'd hate to see his ALL AMERICAN HERO levels be reduced because he's a uniquely American creation and I think you have to respect that at least.

Of course, most people from around the world even remotely into comic books (and many who aren't) really like characters such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman and really enjoyed many of their films - the key thing is though that it was an American comic book made into a movie by Americans - it all matched up well and many of the things which seem tacky or laughable to non-Americans were left in and either played down to suit modern American tastes (such as the vibrancy of the costumes) or ramped up to suit modern American tastes (such as the sheer acrobatics of Spiderman). Even though you'll inevitably get culture clashes when non-Americans watch American movies of American comics, it's a good thing that they're all kept American because it's true to the spirit of the source material.

Imagine if any of the good comic book movies had been made by non-Americans? How do you think a French version of Spiderman would have been? Or a Greek version of X-men? There's a reasonably high chance that many of the very American parts just wouldn't have agreed with their tastes and would have been unfortunately modified too much.

My fear is that this is basically what's happening with this DBZ movie; as silly as a Pakistani take on Captain America may seem to Americans (and, well, most people for that matter) I can't help but see an American "reimagining" of DBZ being essentially the same prospect. We already have a "teenage-ified" Goku - "teenage-ifying" things being a staple of US comics (and indeed general entertainment) but something which seems overbearingly American to many non-Americans (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Wolf (lol), Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy the (Teenage) Vampire Slayer for a few examples, not to mention many comic heroes).

[caejones]

Well, how many anime have teenage or pre-teen protagonists?
Though your point is well made...

[Olivier Hague]

Then again, The Grudge was shit

Than again, Raimi was producer on that one, not director. ^^

(but I'm not saying Raimi is a god or anything... the guy's résumé isn't flawless... plus there were talks of him producing a Siren movie, and that can't be good...)

[Steven Perry]

Then again, The Grudge was shit

Than again, Raimi was producer on that one, not director. ^^

(but I'm not saying Raimi is a god or anything... the guy's résumé isn't flawless... plus there were talks of him producing a Siren movie, and that can't be good...)

Olivier Hague, you seem to have given negative comments about all the films and shows discussed in this thread.

So, in your opinion, what is a good film? 'Cause if you're calling my favourites 'rubbish', then the ones you like must be absolutely outstanding.

[Kunzait_83]

I don't really think comparisons bewteen US comic book movies and the DBZ movie are that workable.

The original American comic books were written from an American perspective and strongly feature American culture and and American outlook. Characters such as Captain America seem outrageous and hilariously tacky to most non-Americans. I know that most Americans don't take him 100% seriously themselves, but the fact that he even exists and was invented as American propoganda during WW2, I think, is quite disturbing (ironically, some of the images of him seem almost Nazi-like). That said, I'd hate to see his ALL AMERICAN HERO levels be reduced because he's a uniquely American creation and I think you have to respect that at least.

Of course, most people from around the world even remotely into comic books (and many who aren't) really like characters such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman and really enjoyed many of their films - the key thing is though that it was an American comic book made into a movie by Americans - it all matched up well and many of the things which seem tacky or laughable to non-Americans were left in and either played down to suit modern American tastes (such as the vibrancy of the costumes) or ramped up to suit modern American tastes (such as the sheer acrobatics of Spiderman). Even though you'll inevitably get culture clashes when non-Americans watch American movies of American comics, it's a good thing that they're all kept American because it's true to the spirit of the source material.

Imagine if any of the good comic book movies had been made by non-Americans? How do you think a French version of Spiderman would have been? Or a Greek version of X-men? There's a reasonably high chance that many of the very American parts just wouldn't have agreed with their tastes and would have been unfortunately modified too much.

My fear is that this is basically what's happening with this DBZ movie; as silly as a Pakistani take on Captain America may seem to Americans (and, well, most people for that matter) I can't help but see an American "reimagining" of DBZ being essentially the same prospect. We already have a "teenage-ified" Goku - "teenage-ifying" things being a staple of US comics (and indeed general entertainment) but something which seems overbearingly American to many non-Americans (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teen Wolf (lol), Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy the (Teenage) Vampire Slayer for a few examples, not to mention many comic heroes).

I strongly agree with the sentiment of this post 100%

I more or less sort of touched on the same thing in my first post in this thread way back. It's just a really jarring clash of cultures, and one that needs to be undertaken with a certain degree of carefulness and tightrope walking if one is to make a decent film out of this; and that's a kind of carefulness I think Hollywood has rarely demonstrated.

In spite of FUNimation's efforts, Dragon Ball is not nor will it ever be "ours". It's a product of its homeland and it's culture. Mind you there's absolutely nothing wrong with that in and of itself; but that fact does little to suggest that Hollywood will give two shits about retaining the overall "heart" and "integrity" of the source material in the same way they might with something that was more American and distinctly recognizable.

Although even Americana is sometimes fair game to them, as was nearly the case with the oft-mentioned Jon Peters treatment for Superman.

If something as iconic as Superman could only just barely dodge the Hollywood screenwriting hackjob bullet, what chance does something as "foreign" and "out there" as Dragon Ball have?


And yes plenty of anime tend to have teenage main protagonists; though Dragon Ball is not one of them. The main protagonist is Goku and we spend far more time with him as a small child and a full grown adult than we ever do as a teenager. The closest Dragon Ball ever came to having a teenage lead character was the arc with Gohan in highschool as the Great Saiyaman.

[caejones]

Well, if you want to be technical Goku was 11 at the youngest when first introduced... but I wouldn't call him a teenager at all in the time that we see him. ^^
Leaves me wondering what a Japanese live action DB/Z movie would be like? (Though the fact that it hasn't happened yet surely says something...)

[SonEric84]

Well, if you want to be technical Goku was 11 at the youngest when first introduced... but I wouldn't call him a teenager at all in the time that we see him. ^^
Leaves me wondering what a Japanese live action DB/Z movie would be like? (Though the fact that it hasn't happened yet surely says something...)

The Japanese are probably smart enough to know not to even try it.

[Olivier Hague]

Olivier Hague, you seem to have given negative comments about all the films and shows discussed in this thread.

Er... Why did The S say "Then again, The Grudge was shit", again? What was he replying to? :þ

'Cause if you're calling my favourites 'rubbish'

Am I, now? ^^;

[BrollysKin]

Then again, The Grudge was shit

Than again, Raimi was producer on that one, not director. ^^

(but I'm not saying Raimi is a god or anything... the guy's résumé isn't flawless... plus there were talks of him producing a Siren movie, and that can't be good...)

Olivier Hague, you seem to have given negative comments about all the films and shows discussed in this thread.

So, in your opinion, what is a good film? 'Cause if you're calling my favourites 'rubbish', then the ones you like must be absolutely outstanding.

You've been here long enough to know that almost everything Hague says seems to be some elitest nonsense or just generally dickish.

[Alice]

Though I don't like where this storyline may be going, I'd definately watch it. I'm hoping it's not the final version - remember that for such a big movie the storyline will be worked on and approved by more then this one guy, and most scripts are changed from the initial conception.

There's one point, though, that'll make this movie watchable or unwatchable for me: if they're doing this in a real-world style highschool setting, but keeping character names like Chi Chi, Goku, Mai and such, then they MUST use at least some Asian actors.

The Namek thing seems kind of obvious - set 'em up as bad guys, and then in the next movie they go to the planet and they were really just peaceful people all along. That happens a lot.

[TripleRach]

Than again, Raimi was producer on that one, not director. ^^

(but I'm not saying Raimi is a god or anything... the guy's résumé isn't flawless... plus there were talks of him producing a Siren movie, and that can't be good...)

Olivier Hague, you seem to have given negative comments about all the films and shows discussed in this thread.

So, in your opinion, what is a good film? 'Cause if you're calling my favourites 'rubbish', then the ones you like must be absolutely outstanding.

You've been here long enough to know that almost everything Hague says seems to be some elitest nonsense or just generally dickish.

I've been here a fairly long time, too, and I think people act like more of a dick to him than the other way around. That's just really uncalled for, there.

For the record, I hate Heroes, too.

[SSJmole]

Well on the Japanese american thing , Isn't the director of the film going to be asian? James Wong.

So he'll be using american or whatever actors and stuff but he should keep it somewhat true to the original. Have some faith , worse case , it's just the western version live action , so what?

If you want to talk about the birth place then hows this Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves are both american as is Warner Bros yet they did "Harry Potter" films from an English book.

[Teclo]

Well on the Japanese american thing , Isn't the director of the film going to be asian? James Wong.

So he'll be using american or whatever actors and stuff but he should keep it somewhat true to the original. Have some faith , worse case , it's just the western version live action , so what?

If you want to talk about the birth place then hows this Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves are both american as is Warner Bros yet they did "Harry Potter" films from an English book.

Well first of all, is James Wong actually Chinese or is he American? It's not as if all names in Britain and America are English names.

Secondly you're kind of getting slightly mixed up there; say he is Asian, he still isn't from Japan just like Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves aren't British.

Finally I would just say that J.K. Rowling had quite a lot of input into the films and actually worked with the screenwriters and the cast of the Potter films were all English and the locales used were presumably in the UK. The Harry Potter films are a lot more British than they are American in terms of both story, characters, cast, location etc. It wasn't like Harry was changed to a US High School student (even though that would still make more sense than Goku being turned into one).

On the topic of English story/franchise with American director, you often get the reverse and it's still considered to be American. For instance, a British director directed Alien, Gladiator and Blade Runner (which also had an English producer) and Star Wars Episode IV was filmed in England but they're all American films. Even the Bourne trilogy is directed by an English guy.

Still, you have found a good example of two countries that seem to be able to direct each others films and keep them feeling true to the source.

[Olivier Hague]

You've been here long enough to know that almost everything Hague says seems to be some elitest nonsense or just generally dickish.

Well, that sure wasn't dickish at all...

I've been here a fairly long time, too, and I think people act like more of a dick to him than the other way around. That's just really uncalled for, there.

Thank you.

For the record, I hate Heroes, too.

Thank you! ^__^

[Conan the SSJ]

There's one point, though, that'll make this movie watchable or unwatchable for me: if they're doing this in a real-world style highschool setting, but keeping character names like Chi Chi, Goku, Mai and such, then they MUST use at least some Asian actors.

I doubt it, Alice. They'll probably get that kid who was the lead in Transformers (who was in that Disney Holes feature with an afro, Shai LaBarf?) or Tom Welling to play Goku. That's my expectation of the situation anyway. I'm sorta surprised they haven't just gone all the way and changed most of the names like ADV was originally gonna do with their live-action Eva movie.

For the record, I hate Heroes, too.

Thank you! ^__^

Ya'll aren't the only ones. What's that show about anyway, X-Men + Justice League - "heroic" costumed identities? Meh.. o.o