Dragonball Evolution (2009)

Score: 6/10

I read Dragon Ball when I was a kid and I watched the anime afterwards. It was a fun experience, thus I was quite expecting this movie. I had no high expectation though so I watched the movie freely with an open mind and tried not to be subjective.

The movie started with Goku (Justin Chatwin) and his grandfather, Gohan (Randall Duk Kim). Gohan trains Goku in martial art and Ki, a kind of inner energy. They key advice from Gohan is for Goku to believe on himself and be who he is.

Even though Goku has a special capability, he still has to face common teenager problems like bullies and talking to a girl. It is rough in the beginning, but he manages to solve his problems.

The happy time does not stay long, however, because king Piccolo (James Marsters) manages to escape from his two-century prison and plans to destroy the earth. He wants to collect seven dragon balls to achieve his goals. Of course our hero cannot let this grim fate to become reality. Along with Bulma (Emmy Rossum), Master Roshi (Chow Yun Fat), and Yamcha (Joon Park), Goku also plans to collect all dragon balls and disrupt Piccolo’s plan. There are some fights along the way and we also can see love develops between Goku and Chi Chi (Jamie Chung). In the end, we will see a final battle between Goku and Piccolo to determine the fate of this world.

The story is completely different with the comic or the anime and I have no problem with that. Why should we always focus on the same story over and over again? Something new is refreshing. The beginning of the story is good and the search for the dragon balls is quite entertaining. In fact, I have some laughs along the way because there are some situations in the movie that mimic the original comic. The final battle is disappointing though, it is just much too fast and too easy. There are many opportunities that can be developed in this final part and I don’t understand why the movie is ended that quickly. There was problem with the budget I guess.

The visual effects are mediocre and even below average based on today’s standard. The fighting sequences are ok in the beginning, but they become less satisfying in the end. Like I said before, the final battle should be much more exciting. Even the final grand attack feels flat. There are some parts of the movie that are inexplicable as well.

The acting is just ok. I don’t like Park as Yamcha though. I think his acting is the worst in the movie and it is followed closely by Kim as Gohan. The dialogues are so cheap at some points in the movie. The actors interact quite nicely throughout the movie though. I like some tender moments between Goku and Chi Chi. These two manage to prevent the movie from a complete collapse.

I think kids should enjoy this movie. For adults, as long as you keep open minded and do not compare to the comic or the anime, you can still find some enjoyments from it. There is an additional scene in the middle of the credit and there might be a sequel of this movie. Hopefully the next installment will undergo major improvements so it can really satisfy all movie goers.

You can get more information about Dragonball Evolution from:
- IMDB: Dragonball Evolution (2009)
- Official Dragonball Evolution movie site

"Be careful with the Martian who punches fireball!"