Dragon Ball Film Reviews: The Super Duology

Well, we're at the end of the animated Dragon Ball films. 19 Animated films in total. ...unfortunately, I'm STILL not done, but more on that later. Today we look at the two most recent films released, the Super Duology! ...named so because Super adapted these two films into it's first two arcs. I thought that was obvious.

As you well know by now, I'm watching the Japanese versions, my opinion isn't better than yours, and I use a confusing mix of Japanese and dub terminology to anger both sides of the debate. Ain't I a stinker?

BATTLE OF GODS

To make things clear right off the bat, I'm reviewing the Extended Edition, not the Theatrical version. Why? Because I FRIGGIN' LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!! Sorry, let's start at the top. Our film begins with Beerus, god of destruction, waking up after around 39 years of sleep to find someone he dreamed about called Super Saiyan God. Cut to Goku on King Kai's planet, and you know where this is going. Beerus and his attendant Whis arrive to ask Goku about the Super Saiyan God, but Goku has no idea what they're talking about. Before the duo leave, Goku begs Beerus to spar with him. Goku goes Super Saiyan 3 straight away, but Beerus just curb-stomps him with a finger and leaves to ask Vegeta on Earth. Speaking of Earth, it's Bulma's birthday and everyone of the gang is there. ...Except Launch. No one cares about Launch. King Kai warns Vegeta about Beerus, but it's too late as he has arrived, and Bulma invites him and Whis to the party. Oh, and the Pilaf gang are there! They're kids again, but just as hilarious as ever. Well, one wacky event after the other happens, and Vegeta successfully manages to keep Beerus happy and calm... until Buu eats all the pudding before Beerus can try any. Now Beerus will destroy the world as punishment. ...that is so petty and stupid that's it awesome. Well, everyone tries their best against Beerus, including Vegeta becoming super charged when Beerus slaps Bulma, but no one stands a chance against him. All seems lost, when Goku suddenly appears! He uses the Dragon Balls to ask Shen Long how to get a Super Saiyan God, and the crew begin the process of making one. ...unfortunately, they all suck at math and basic listening skills, so they are one Saiyan short. But Videl reveals that their IS one more Saiyan... she's secretly pregnant with Gohan's child. They try again with Videl, and Goku becomes a Super Saiyan God! Well, the fight happens for a while, until Goku suddenly returns to base without noticing. Despite losing the god power, Goku gains a second wind and attacks Beerus at standard Super Saiyan, keeping up just as good as in his god form. Well, despite the second wind, Beerus is just too powerful for Goku, who yields defeat to Beerus. Beerus insists on keeping his promise to destroy Earth, and does so. ...he destroys a single rock, saying he may finish the rest later some day. With the realization that Beerus won't destroy the Earth, the heroes say goodbye to Beerus and Whis as they return to their planet, promising to return to try pudding. The movie ends with Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo reflecting on what happened and how the god power felt... until Goku reveals he had been watching Beerus beat up his friends before, causing Vegeta to have Bulma slap Goku repeatedly.

...Oh my goodness, I love this film. The emphasis on comedy and characterization is what I love most in my Dragon Ball, as opposed to simple setups as excuses for fights. Not to say the fight between Beerus and Goku isn't amazing, just that it is a natural evolution of the story. Also, Beerus and Whis is amazing, and the fact that Goku couldn't overcome Beerus but still succeeded in saving Earth by showing his potential is so much better than Goku just fighting a random evil guy for 40 minutes until he wins because time is almost up on the movie. This movie isn't perfect, of course, and people that aren't a fan of the more comedic side of Dragon Ball may not enjoy it, but in my opinion this is the best Dragon Ball film made so far.

RESURRECTION "F"

We start with being shown the deepest, darkest, most depraved part of Hell reserved for the most vile, evil, unrepentantly  evil villains of all history: A sunny, flowery wonderland filled with fairies, singing teddy bears, and happy, upbeat music that screams sunshine and happiness. ...I think I missed that part of the Bible... anyways, Freeza is obviously here, screaming n agony over the display in front of him. We then cut to the remnants of Freeza's forces, and see how crappy they're doing without Freeza. Seeing that they'll be destroyed soon, the leader, Sorbet, decides there is only one option: Head to Earth and ask Shen Long to Resurrect Freeza. With the unwilling help of the Pilaf gang, Freeza is brought back to life and fully healed on the Freeza Force spaceship. Now that he's back, Freeza has just one thing on his mind: REVENGE! And so, he goes off to train. 6 months later, Jaco arrives on Earth to warn that Freeza will be there in one hour. Unable to contact Goku or Vegeta, who's training with Whis on Beerus' world, Bulma assembles the backup squad! Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Roshi, Tenshinhan, and Jaco. ...Earth is so screwed. Well, they manage to defeat all of Freeza's men, but they say that even all combined they'd stand no chance against Freeza. So since it's that part in the story, Goku and Vegeta show up to save the day. Goku fights Freeza for a bit, until they both decide to pull new forms out of their butts! Goku reveals a Blue form of Super Saiyan that has the god power, and Freeza reveals a gold form that hurts my eyes. Well, despite putting up a decent fight, Goku still beats Freeza... until Sorbet shoots Goku in the back with a laser, causing Freeza to gloat about winning. Finally having enough, Vegeta steps in to fight Freeza himelf, having Krillin give Goku a Senzu to save him. Vegeta reveals his own Blueberry flavoring, and proceeds to whoop Freeza so hard he loses his gold! Well, Freeza decides to heck with it, and blows up the planet. Seriously. Luckily Whis and Beerus saved Goku, Bulma, Jaco, Gohan, Piccolo, Tenshinhan, Roshi and Krillin from the destruction, and Whis can turn back time 3 minutes so that Goku can stop Freeza. He does so, and Goku steals the kill from Vegeta with a Kamehameha. our heroes celebrate the win, and Goku and Vegeta agree that they'd rather grow stronger instead of teaming up, and we end our 19th film with Freeza returned to the Rose Garden that is Hell, where he screams forever more. ...Until the Tournament of Power, at least, but that's another story...

This movie is good... but no where near the levels Battle of Gods reached. Freeza is as delightful as always, the inclusion of Jaco is nice, and seeing Roshi, Tenshinhan, and Krillin back in action was great. However, half this movie is devoted to a fight scene with poorly explained power ups being thrown out, a rather pat resolution, and playing up how weak everyone but Goku and Vegeta are. I like the movie, and it's still better than a lot of the other films, but it's not the best. Still, if you prefer the action packed fight scenes, you may like this more than Battle of Gods. In the end, it's all opinions.

FINAL THOUGHTS

These 2 films, while not perfect, are great. Battle of Gods focuses more on the comedic and character driven aspects of the franchise, while Resurrection F focuses more on the action packed fights and inflated powers of the franchise. But more than anything, these two movies revived in interest in Dragon Ball in it's fan-base, the public eye, and most importantly Akira Toriyama. Toriyama didn't have a lot of interest in Dragon Ball, having been run into the ground during the manga's original run. But he agreed to step in to fix Battle of Gods, and he had a lot of fun. So much so that he wrote the first draft screenplay for Resurrection F, which went on to be the biggest financial success in Dragon Ball history. These two things led to the decision to bring Dragon Ball back to t.v. in a brand new series: Dragon Ball Super. So like them or not, you have got to respect these two films for bringing the creator of our beloved series back.

Well, I guess that's it. No more movies. No...more... movies... Ok, fine. We still have three movies to go, but they're unlike anything you've ever seen in this franchise. Prepare yourselves, as we delve into the darkest timeline, for when we next meet I'll be reviewing the Live-Action Trilogy. Yes, that's right: Trilogy. Kami help us all...

I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View!

Dragon Ball Film Reviews: The Ending Trilogy

Well, here we are, the final 3 movies for 17 years. Crazy to think about how many films we've already looked at, but we aren't done! When I finish all of the films I think I'll post a look at all of these films, and how they may fit together. But regardless...

The same stuff as always applies. My opinion is right, yours is wrong, and I am the king of all the fairies. ...wait, that's not right...

FUSION REBORN/ THE REBIRTH OF FUSION!! GOKU AND VEGETA

...how is fusion being... anyways, we start the film off with all Hell breaking loose. Literally. Apparently the machine to clean souls heading to hell explodes, creating a monster that's so evil, it straight up rips off Buu's design! Well, since Shen Long is apparently too lazy to fix this, it's up to Goku to take out this monster, called Janemba. So Goku fights Janemba for a bit, until Goku goes Super Saiyan 3. At this, Janemba becomes... a skinnier, more serious Janemba. Huh. Well, this same Janemba looking slightly different is too much for Goku, until Vegeta arrives to lend a hand. Realizing there's only one way to defeat Janemba, Goku proposes fusion to Vegeta. Vegeta eventually decides to try it, and the two fuse into... Uncle Frank? No, it's the failed fat fusion that the Kais call Veku. I just call him Fat Gogeta because the word fat makes me giggle. Eventually 30 minutes is up, and Goku and Vegeta try again, this time successfully fusing into Gogeta, and taking out Janemba in one punch. Oh, during this time Goten and Trunks have been fighting Hitler. ...It's hilarious. Well, Janemba is gone, the dead are back on Earth, and Vegeta happily returns to Hell. ...wow, that last statement was weird.

This film is pretty dumb... but it makes up for it by just being so darn fun. Great action, a cool fusion, good animation and music, and lots of humor. This film may not be technically good, but it's a great popcorn flick.

WRATH OF THE DRAGON/ DRAGON FIST EXPLOSION!! IF GOKU WON'T DO IT, WHO WILL?

Insert joke about dragon fisting here. This movie begins with Great Saiyaman 1 and 2 fighting crime and defending JUSTICE! ...I love these guys. Anyways, one of the guys the save has an old music box that can't open, so he asks them if they can use the Dragon Balls to open it. The gang foolishly do so, and Tapion, the hero sealed in the music box, is unleashed... and runs off like a scared rabbit at the sight of everyone. Trunks, who always wanted an older brother, takes an immediate shine to Tapion and begins sneaking food to where he's hiding. After Trunks helps him beat up an old guy... which makes much more sense in context... Tapion finally opens up to Trunks and eventually the rest of the gang. Turns out Tapion and his younger brother had a monster named Hildegarn split in two and sealed inside each of them to save their planet. 1,000 years later, Tapion is out of his music box and his piece of Hildegarn is trying to reunite with his brothers piece, which is loose, implying his brother is dead. Well, Bulma whips up a device to save Tapion... which immediately fails. I mean... within moments. Wow. Anyways, Hildegarn has been refused and is now terrorizing West City, and it's up to Goku to save the day... despite him barely being in the film so far. Oh, Trunks and Tapion ALMOST save the day, but Goku makes them stop so he can take the win. Wow, kind of a jerk move, Goku. So Hildegarn is dead, Tapion is given a Time machine for some strange reason, and Trunks is given Tapion's sword, implying that this Trunks is Future Trunks, which is impossible because Goku and Vegeta are alive here with a Goten and... my head hurts.

This movie is pretty great. The animation is breathtaking, the music is chilling, the action is intense, the story is emotional, and the focus on Trunks and Tapion is refreshing. This movie is definitely not perfect, though. Goku taking the win was needless and kind of insulting, the ending is made of migraines, and Tapion's brother should have been more developed. Still, not a bad way to go for the Z films. But there's still one last movie to look at today...

PATH TO POWER/ THE PATH TO ULTIMATE STRENGTH

So two things to say about this film right off the bat. First is that despite being labeled as an OG Dragon Ball film, it's really a GT film in terms of production. Second, is that this film was created as the 10th anniversary of the Dragon Ball anime, which is why it's another origin retelling. OK, with that said... Our story begins with pink haired Bulma trying to kill Goku. That escalated quickly. Well, after the explanation of the Dragon Balls they go off to find more, running into Oolong and Yamcha. After scaring Yamcha off and kidnapping Oolong they find another Dragon Ball, and head up north to Muscle Tower. Yep, they threw the Red Ribbon Army into this origin. After some adorable shots of Goku playing in the snow, he climbs up and through Muscle Tower to get the Dragon Ball from White. White reveal his trump card, however: Android 8! Android 8 fights Goku, but then stops, saying he doesn't want to fight or help the bad guys anymore. White almost destroys 8, until Goku saves him by knocking White out. Before they leave, Goku gives 8 a nickname (Hatchan in the original, Eighter in the dub), and the most adorable scene of the two playing in the snow happens. I swear, I could watch a whole movie of Goku and 8 playing in the snow. Anyways, Goku says goodbye to 8 and they eventually run into the Sea Turtle, who needs help returning to the sea. The gang do so, and the turtle brings them Roshi, who gives Goku the Flying Nimbus, Bulma a Dragon Ball, and Oolong the sight of Bulma's privates. ...makes sense in context, but no less icky. ...or hilarious. Bulma is excited to have all but one Dragon Ball now, but the Red Ribbon Army, now more of a navy, attack! Roshi takes most of them out with a Kamehameha, and Goku takes out the rest with one of his own. ...and then Goku is knocked out by a missile. Oops. Blue takes Bulma, Oolong, Roshi, the turtle, Yamcha, Puar, and the Dragon Balls back to Commander Red, totally missing Goku and the Dragon Ball he has. When Goku comes to, he takes off on Nimbus to attack the Red Ribbon base head on, wiping out ALL of them! Wow! However, Staff Officer Black alone survived, and dons a mech to take out Goku once and for all. But then 8 flies in to save Goku, sacrificing himself to do so.  Goku, shocked and saddened at the loss of his new friend, tears up, begins crying, and let's out the mightiest of screams, powering him up something fierce. And doing so for 8, Goku fires a giant Kamehameha, killing Black. Goku is still saddened over the loss of 8, and so asks Shen Long, when he's summoned, to bring 8 back, but without the bomb. the movie ends on Goku's ecstatic expression as 8 is returned.

This movie... man, I love this movie so dang much. The visuals are amazing, the soundtrack is pretty good, the atmosphere is perfect, and it just is oozing with charm. That final scene where Goku is screaming in sadness and rage, powering up as he does so... that is one of my favorite Dragon Ball moments ever. The film is definitely not perfect, of course. The wrap up is rather quick, Yamcha is completely useless in this movie, the movie love's fan service WAY too much, and despite some changes you could argue that this follows the original too much. However, none of these stop me from enjoying this film. If you haven't definitely check it out. I think it may be a good jumping on point for Dragon Ball as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

These 3 films are the end of an era, and I think they're a great way to go. Fusion Reborn provides a good example of mindless, action packed fun, Wrath of the Dragon provides some of the best stand alone Dragon Ball storytelling while still having a great action movie, and Path to Power finishes it all off by bringing it all back to it's roots and showing that you don't need to have a Z in your name or create all new villains to have a great film.

And what a ride these 17 films provide. There are ups, there are downs, but in the end these films provided a very different kind of Dragon Ball experience, one that couldn't be replicated in the manga or T.V. series. While I don't always enjoy them, I do have a great deal of respect for what these films did and continue to do for my favorite series of all time. We aren't done with the movies yet, but considering how this marks the end of an era, I felt it was right to take a moment and reflect on that.

When next we meet, however, we jump ahead 17 years to the next batch of Dragon Ball films, and this time Toriyama is helping them! Woo! So grab some Beer and put it in the Freezer, next time is the Super Duology!

I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View!