DragonBall Z Abridged

[BlazingBarrrager]

So was it Lani or Kaiser who started raging when asked "So is SSGSS stronger than SSJ4?" Either way that was hilarious.

[TonyTheTiger]

If it had a B plot to justify the runtime I'd have liked it a dozen times more even with all the other nagging issues. While I think its a flawed movie I don't think its catastrophic enough to be out of the top 10. It feels like a first draft of a really good movie.

[Lunatic Fringe]

So was it Lani or Kaiser who started raging when asked "So is SSGSS stronger than SSJ4?" Either way that was hilarious.

Kaiser since Lani was the one asking the question.

[batistabus]

I'm shocked that RoF isn't top 5. You can say that there is no tension towards the end of the film because of the presence Beerus and Whis, but there's no tension in any of the other movies aside from Battle of Gods (not counting Bardock/Trunks). The fact that these are self-contained stories means that you KNOW that the problem will be resolved in the end, and the fact that they don't impact the overall Dragon Ball lore means that nothing drastic can really happen anyway. RoF is likely the most entertaining film in the series in terms of comedy and action, it's super clean and colorful, and it impacts the future of the series, even if only in minor ways. Throw in designs and dialogue straight from Toriyama, and you have at least a 4th place finish, in my opinion.

I like the TFS top 10 choices so far, but I would personally swap Bojack for the Jump Super Anime Tour special.

My personal list...
1. BoG - game changer in every sense
2. RoF - this movie is just so fun and easy to watch, love Freeza
3. Bardock - Really different story than what is usually told in Dragon Ball, only effective "DBZ IS SRS BSNS" production
4. Trunks - Love the content, think the story is a little slow
5. Garlic Jr. - Really like Garlic's backstory, choreography, music, loses points for being Raditz 2.0
6. Uiro - great choreography, music, don't love Uiro
7. Abo/Cado - super fun, but less rewarding than Bog/RoF
8. Janemba - one of the best designed Toei villains, cool origin story, cool moments
9. Path to Power - would be higher if it wasn't a copy-paste retelling
10. Hildegarn - the last movie that doesn't completely bore me

[Zephyr]

Personally, and a lot of people might hate the idea, but I'd be fine with Dragon Ball bringing him back again, even permanently, and even reintegrating more of the old villains and have them maintain a consistent presence in the story much like is being done with Pilaf. New opponents are great and all (Beerus is excellent, for example) but given the nature of the way the story is being told now, apparently permanently fixed in the time skip at the end of Z, an actual rogue gallery to periodically draw from would be useful

I agree with this. The format of a new villain showing up every so often who's even stronger than the last worked well enough during the manga's run, but it can only work for so long. Also, the writing style has largely shifted, so I think a new perspective on antagonists would be cool, specifically the approach of a consistent rogues gallery.

I suppose turning Freeza into Skeletor would be a strange move but I don't think anyone would complain if we got some more of him.

Oh, you'd be surprised what some people will complain about.

People seem to hate on ROF because stupid stuff like Roshi able to put up a fight against Freeza's soldiers and Freeza becoming stronger in 4 months of training.

I can't really justify taking issue with those things, not after what Goku did on Namek. Power growth and atrophy in the series has never felt consistent to me in the first place, so outlandish gains and losses based mostly on plot convenience feel par the course. Plus, different people are different people. It should be completely acceptable for different people to be affected by something in different ways.

[Doctor.]

The fact that these are self-contained stories means that you KNOW that the problem will be resolved in the end, and the fact that they don't impact the overall Dragon Ball lore means that nothing drastic can really happen anyway

If they're self-contained stories, then they MUST be judged AS self-contained stories. You could also say the series is devoid of tension since good will always win in the end, yeah that's true, but it's what happens until the end that imposes tension. The same with the films.

[batistabus]

You could also say the series is devoid of tension since good will always win in the end, yeah that's true, but it's what happens until the end that imposes tension. The same with the films.

It's not just knowing that the villain will be defeated, though. More specifically, you know that none of the pre-existing characters will die, and that any character development won't affect the characters outside of the movie. I see what you're saying, but you can't just judge these films as stand-alone productions because these characters have known lives before and after the events of these movies. Many of the payoffs are directly related to the manga/anime. That's not to say they can't be enjoyable (even though I dislike most of them), but you can't deny that they're formulaic and predictable.

[Super Saiyan Swagger]

Resurrection 'F' is still my favourite film. Fantastic action with some of the best choreography that has ever graced this series. Chris Ayers's magnificent performance as Freeza. Characters that haven't been used much got a chance to shine again. Vegeta whooping Freeza's ass was one of the most satisfying things I've ever seen. Funniest Dragon Ball film as well. Jaco is a great addition to the film. I just love the crap out of this film, I can look aside its flaws and inconsistencies because it's just such an entertaining film. I haven't had that much fun watching a Dragon Ball production.

My only main gripe is that the film wrapped up way too quickly. I loved how Battle of Gods took its time with its ending. Resurrection 'F' ends, like, a minute after Freeza's killed. That is wayyyy too quick.

I can somewhat understand TFS's gripes with the film. I just still don't see how films like Dead Zone and World Strongest are above it. I found those films to be a snooze fest. But hey, that's just me.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

Who told Toei it was okay to spend money on Dragon Ball? Path to Power looks gorgeous.

Wrath of the Dragon so low surprising me. "Too long"? What? It is certainly more of a "movie experience" than 'F' is.

Bojack and 'F' being right next to each other makes a great conversation starter, because the conclusion was the same: the story and villains fail, but they are really pretty and everything else around them clicks thus they are great rides overall. It is the "You hate the new for the missteps of the old" now plaguing discussion of this series in the most condensed example I've ever heard. Given that is is easy to make a case for 'F's handing the periphery better than Bojack, I guess it just depends on how you feel about Freeza. Bojack never entertained an illusion that the cruel blue gang (new nickname) were profound antagonists, while 'F' resurrects an iconic villain 15 years later and cannot decide if he's the reckoning or an 80-minute punchline, and because he's as far the opposite of a throwaway villain as you can get, that confusion actually matters in a way it does not with the one-offs.

Personally, and a lot of people might hate the idea, but I'd be fine with Dragon Ball bringing him back again, even permanently, and even reintegrating more of the old villains and have them maintain a consistent presence in the story much like is being done with Pilaf.

I've been of the opinion for a while now that Dragon Ball's rogues gallery is so big that I would not be opposed to finding a way to see vintage enemies saunter back in. 'F' just illustrated for all to see why there just isn't a clear way to do it.

I'm shocked that RoF isn't top 5. You can say that there is no tension towards the end of the film because of the presence Beerus and Whis, but there's no tension in any of the other movies aside from Battle of Gods (not counting Bardock/Trunks). The fact that these are self-contained stories means that you KNOW that the problem will be resolved in the end, and the fact that they don't impact the overall Dragon Ball lore means that nothing drastic can really happen anyway.

The characters have survived Battle of Gods for twenty years, how is it really exempt? Beyond that, having at last seen Tree of Might in Japanese (Having only heard snippets in the Tenkaichi games, evil Nozawa was everything it was cracked up to be) and for the first time in I cannot remember how long, I must contest this. Presentation can do wonders, and for deliberately one-off stories that can be a virtue.

[FoolsGil]

Fusion Reborn is number 6...And is it just me, or does Kaiser hate GT the same amount of fervor a certain poster around here hates RoF?

And Sunday Sunday modafucking Sunday, The best of the best. Top 5!

EDIT Oh, and Team Four Star and Did You Know Gaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7LFB9RpkKI

[Chuquita]

Movie 12's main draw for me is all the Gokû and Vegeta interactions; and Janenba's powers.

[jcogginsa]

updated ranking

10. The Path to Power
9. Wrath of the Dragon
8. Bojack Unbound
7. Resurrection 'F'
6. Fusion Reborn
5. Dead Zone
4. Bardock Father of Goku
3. The World's Strongest
2. History of Trunks
1. Battle of Gods

[coola]

Fusion Reborn is number 6...And is it just me, or does Kaiser hate GT the same amount of fervor a certain poster around here hates RoF?

And Sunday Sunday modafucking Sunday, The best of the best. Top 5!

EDIT Oh, and Team Four Star and Did You Know Gaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7LFB9RpkKI

I think some people (including myself) actually dislike Super more than RoF Love Movie 12 too, it is such shame, that AB Group removed scenes with Dictator/Hitler for European dubs, they were really funny.

[ekrolo2]

Fusion Reborn is number 6...And is it just me, or does Kaiser hate GT the same amount of fervor a certain poster around here hates RoF?

I think so too, but I can't for the life of me figure out who this poster is

[Hellspawn28]

I do agree with them on ROF since it was a very fun movie IMO. Fusion Reborn is also a fun movie, but I do wish Gogeta show up earlier in the movie. Vegito and Buuhan had a decent long fight while Gogeta and Janemba never did. I find Movie 9 to be overrated. The movie itself is not that great seeing how boring the villains are. Once Bojack and his gang show up then the movie goes down hill. Bojack does not offer anything new and he is paper thin as Hell. He is one of the most cliche bad guys in the series in my opinion. Not to mention, how did King Kai defeat him years ago when King Kai is weaker then Nappa? Bojack is one of the very few original DBZ movie villains, but he still sucks in my opinion.

[RealtreeByGod]

You guys are apparently all wrong by the way.

[Captain-Sora]

I'm a bit more forgiving on some of the issues fans have had with RoF, but one genuine problem with the storyline itself that just bugs me is how everything culminates with Goku and Vegeta deciding to not go through with learning how to be more in sync with each other and working as a duo.

It's a really dopey conclusion because the whole movie revolved around their flaws that were established during their training biting them in the ass. They treated Freeza like how they did with the likes of Kid Buu, and despite them facing a foe that's actually weaker this time around, he still managed to hit them where it hurts because of their carelessness. Ultimately, they don't grow much after everything is all said and done. They're just more aware of their problems and what they could do to rectify them, but are unwilling to do it just 'cuz. It makes everything they went through feel like a waste of time.

It's not that I really want to see them work more as a duo or anything, but don't set up and focus on a major plot thread only to shoot it down right at the very end. That's just wonky writing. We don't need such a story if all it amounts to is Goku and Vegeta sticking to their guns. We already went through that when they decided to not utilize the Potara earrings all those years ago.

Amusingly, despite such a big problem, it isn't hard to see why it'd rank fairly high on a list such as this, because it still is a bit better than most of the other films.

[FoolsGil]

You guys are apparently all wrong by the way.

Hmm.

Well I would lose my shit if Battle of Gods is not number 1. That movie, was AWESOME. You can find something wrong with the remaining four, but there is not a speck of dust on Beers the Movie.

Bardock Special is so iconic, it must be number 2.

Toss up with the last 3, but History of Trunks won't be #5

[Kuririn Fan]

SSJ4 Gogeta is fucking awesome.

[Super Saiyan Swagger]

I'll take a guess:

5. Dead Zone
4. Bardock: Father of Goku
3. History of Trunks
2. The World's Strongest
1. Battle of Gods (this better fucking be no. 1 )

I'm a monkey's uncle if I'm wrong.