Post
by Ajay » Sat Sep 21, 2013 12:41 pm
I just can't understand the pacing issue comments. I'm tempted to say they stem from a group used to the 40-50 minute super serious features that serve no other purpose but to showcase fighting as fast as possible. Battle of Gods is written like a traditional film with a traditional narrative structure and I felt it's pacing was perfectly on point.
You get your standard intro where the threat is explained, followed by a comedic re-introduction to our protagonist. Following that, we're shown Birus and Whis as they get their proper introduction and initial characterisation along with setting up the plot of the film - finding the Super Saiyan God.
So we've only seen one side of Birus at this point - a laid back, almost comical view with no real threat. So that's where the initial Goku vs. Birus fight comes in. It serves two purposes; to reinforce Goku's fighting spirit with his initial challenge but also to show the immeasurable power of Birus. He defeats Goku is one tiny hit and from then on the audience is 100% aware of just how terrifying this character can be. It's not much different from the introduction of Buu as this huge, pink ball of stupidity and yet we see him behaving absolutely ruthlessly. It's so typical of Dragon Ball and Toriyama's villains.
So now we move onto the part of the film where I believe most people's issues come from - Bulma's birthday party and the reintroduction of Pilaf & co. I think the perception of pace and necessity here comes down to what you wanted from the film. If you were looking for a feeling that was strictly from the Z films then sure, I can see why you may not have enjoyed this section but were you going in with expectations that this may be more in line with the actual series then I think it may have been more enjoyable.
So firstly, Vegeta and his role - I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It was a great depiction of a calm, more caring Vegeta whilst still retaining that Saiyan pride and thirst for battle. His whole shtick with calming Birus was just fantastic. It was so nice to see a bit humour injected into that character. It really reinforced the natural change we'd seen happen to him over the course of the series. And I think that was entire point of this middle section, it picked out characters that were essential to the story and brought us up to date on their characters. Aside from humour though, it was also pretty intense to see how easily Birus could snap so it certainly served more purpose than just for comedy's sake.
The presence of Pilaf etc. seems to heavily divide everyone. Some feeling they were unnecessary and 'could have been skipped' whilst others saying it was a nice nostalgic comedy skit that did actually have bearing on the story. I have to agree with the latter, their entire presence is pure fan service, it's hilarious, it's a throwback and it helps to remind the audience of just how much things have changed for the characters. At the same time, it reintroduces the Dragon Balls and serves to set up more ways in which to rile Birus up (along with facilitating some Gohan development and comical scenes). It's the whole 'calm before the storm' deal, you've got the underlying tension of Birus' temper with the typical Dragon Ball comedy on top. It has a purpose and serves it well.
Of course we then move into the Birus vs. SSJG Goku fight whose complaints seem to stem from the length of time Goku is actually in that form (aside from animation complaints). Honestly, on a personal level, I'm glad it wasn't played up too much. Near enough every film ends with Goku getting a miraculous power boost and winning hands down. This was a nice change in which we saw Goku actively disliking the form due to not achieving it on his own. Of course, we then see him lose and that's that. I felt the fight was long enough, it didn't feel like it dragged nor did the battle feel too short. It was broken down by the dialogue in the cave and proceeded to ramp up from then on until it ended. I felt like that was a very smart way of achieving a lengthy battle without it resulting to nothing but punches for 20 minutes.
I'm not saying the film is perfect but I do feel a lot of the complaints regarding pacing are a little misguided. It felt like a film-film rather than an anime-film, if you catch my drift.
