Well, here we are again. Time to take a look at the next three Z movies, which I refer to as the Space Trilogy. Why do I call it that? Because I feel like it! Also, the first two movies deal with Space invaders while the last one has our heroes go into space. Good enough? ...too bad.
Insert standard disclaimers here. ...ok, you know the deal. This is all my opinions, my opinions aren't better or worse than anyone else's, and I use a confusing mix of dub and Japanese terminology just to mess with everyone. We all good here? ...too bad.
LORD SLUG/ SUPER SAIYAN SON GOKU
Our movie begins with the earth about to be destroyed by a giant meteor heading to earth. ...wow, we're just jumping right in, aren't we? Because Dr. Brief somehow can detect life signs on the meteor, Goku and Krillin try to stop the meteor without blowing it up. ...the meteor beats them up, knocks them out and away, and yet still misses the earth and explodes. Also, a spaceship has arrived on Earth, bearing presents of death and enslavement. Oh, also the aliens say they're demons, much like how King Piccolo and his kids were demons. But I'm sure their isn't any other connection to King Piccolo. Well, Turns out their leader, Lord Slug, knows of the Dragon Balls and has his been gather them all so he can wish for his youth back! ...ok, maybe that one was a coincidence. I mean, it's not like he's secretly a giant Namekian... Well, after wishing for his youth back Lord Slug uses gas to block out the sun, and then has his men start to turn earth into a giant spaceship. ...this is literally the evil plan of the Daleks is The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Wow. Well, Eventually Goku wakes up and starts fighting Slug. When all hope was lost, Goku looks deep into himself, and becomes the Legendary Super Saiyan! ...wait, what the heck is that?! That's not Super Saiyan! You mean the film called Super Saiyan Son Goku does not feature Super Saiyan Son Goku?! ...I'm done. Well, Slug decides it's time for the biggest twist of all... Revealing the fact that he's a giant Namekian! Yeah, ok. He's basically just King Piccolo. And so our villain seems to have won, if not for the power of whistling! ...I am not kidding. So Goku jumps through his chest, just like King Piccolo, and then defeats Slug with a Genki Dama. And the day is saved, and the Earth is magically back to normal! ...oh, boy.
Yeah, not that good of a movie. I think it's a little better than Tree of Might, but not by much. The villain is a straight ripoff of King Piccolo, the henchman are so pointless I didn't even mention them, and the story is ludicrously stupid. King Kai basically tells Goku that Slug's evilness was a literal sickness. Wow, that's some stupid backstory. The use of piccolo was clever, though, and the music and animation was pretty good, but all in all, this movie was just bad.
COOLER'S REVENGE/ THE INCREDIBLE STRONGEST VS STRONGEST
So our movie starts... with clips of the Bardock special clearly establishing the personal stakes and connections our villain has with our hero? ...am I still watching a Z movie? Anyways, we cut to present day to show that Goku has gotten even stronger since returning to Earth, and maybe even a little bit cocky. After a hilarious scene at Goku and Chi-Chi's house, Goku and Gohan head off to camp with Krillin and Oolong. ...and Icarus. Ugh. Well, their camping trip is cut short when the movies Diet version of the Ginyu Force attacks! Goku steps in to fight them off, until our villain shows up: Cooler, the brother of Freeza. And me oh my, he is a lot more component! He insists that his men find the bodies before declaring it a victory, and refuses to just blow up the planet because it would be a waste. Well, Goku was injured in the attack, and Gohan sneaks off to Korin Tower to get more Senzu Beans. When he returns, however, Cooler's men jump him,eventually destroying the Senzu. Krillin distracts them long enough for Gohan to give the final Senzu to Goku, restoring him to full power. And so, the fight begins, Goku vs Cooler. Goku holds his own quite well, but that's when Cooler shows off his ultimate trick: He has a FIFTH form! And it's not even golden or anything! With this new power, Goku is down. But as all looks to be destroyed around him, Goku goes Super Saiyan! ...for real this time. Goku goes toe to toe with Cooler, and begins to get the upper hand, when Cooler makes his ultimate mistake: He decides to destroy the planet just to wipe out Goku, just like his brother did. Well, Goku pushes the death ball right back at Cooler, driving him into the sun. And in Cooler's last moments, he remembers the day Freeza destroyed Vegeta, and when he almost killed Goku as a baby but didn't so that it could bite Freeza back later. And his final words are a lament that he didn't kill Goku as that baby. Back on Earth, everything looks to be just fine... until one of Cooler's men reveals that he is still alive, and ready to take out our tired heroes, when a Special Beam Cannon comes out of nowhere to kill him, revealing that Piccolo too is all right.
Wow, this movie was great! It's not perfect, but a LOT better than I remember! Cooler isn't just a copy of Freeza, he's very different. All of the heroes contributed to the story, even Icarus! The story is great, the music and animation are top notch, and we even get some subtle character growth for Goku learning that just because he achieved the Legendary Super Saiyan form, there can STILL be stronger opponents out there. All in all, this movie was great! ...let's ruin that, shall we?
THE RETURN OF COOLER/ CLASH! 10,000,000,000 POWERFUL WARRIORS
Well, this movie begins with one of the most confusing plot holes in any of these films: Dende is god. From what I can tell, this is either right when he was made god in the manga, or BEFORE! Oh man, this plot hole is SO big, I think it sucked out any potential this movie had of not sucking! Well, Dende for some reason senses trouble on Namek, so Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Master Roshi, Yajirobe, and for some reason Oolong are sent to investigate. They arrive to find the Namekians being subjugated by robots from the Big Gete Star under the command of a completely metal Cooler. So Goku starts fighting Cooler. Then Vegeta shows up out of nowhere and joins in the fight. Then 10,000,000,000 Metal Coolers show up. Then Vegeta and Goku get captured and hooked into the Big Gete Star. But Cooler overestimated the amount of power coming from the Super Saiyans, and all his forces are destroyed. Cooler and the Big Gete Star start to leave, but Vegeta and Goku team up to stop him. The movie ends with the Namekians free and Vegeta taking off into space. ...I hate this movie.
This movie straight up sucks. The action is nonstop but repetitive, the music is ok but nothing great, the animation is crap, and the characters are either non existent or way too off point. This movie is so bad, that it makes the previous film look worse just by sharing the same villain! THe only, ONLY good thing I can say about this film is the little robot that tries to cut open Yajirobe. He was funny, but the rest of this crap film is just awful.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This trilogy has had it's ups and downs... ok a lot of downs... but how is it when viewed as a whole? Frankly, not great. This trilogy is all about the space element that had become big in Dragon Ball because of the Freeza saga, but really only the second film here would be one I would recommend. But hey, at least Icarus is gone now! Look, if you like these films than great, I'm glad you found them enjoyable, but apart from Cooler's Revenge, I don't plan on watching any of these films anytime soon.
Next time we go a little out of order with 2 movies that feature a certain time traveling sword user. So grab your Trucker hat and become a space pirate, it's the Trunks Duology! (No, I'm not forgetting He-who-must-not-be-named. Like I said, I'm going a little out of order and doing Bojack first. Sue me.)
I am The R2 Dude, and this is The R2 View!
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