DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION
January 20th 2010 04:20
Category: Videos
Based on the original Dragonball by Akira Toriyama
Director: James Wong
Screenplay by: Ben Ramsey
Producer: Stephen Chow
Starring: Justin Chatwin (Son Goku), Chow Yun Fat (Roshi), Emmy Rossum (Bulma), James Marsters (Lord Piccolo), Joon Park (Yamcha), Jamie Chung (Chichi), Eriko (Mai) & Randall Duk Kim (Son Gohan)
Produced by: Twentieth Century Fox & Dune Entertainment III LLC
Released by: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Running Time: 92 minutes Rating: PG
You know I have to say that when I initially heard about this particular flick hitting the screens at my local cinema I was at first rather dubious about the whole affair. Sometimes what has been a successful manga and anime series does not necessarily translate into the live action arena, still the people who made the Death Note movies managed to catch the essence quite well so it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility for a worthy translation to be made. Now I didn’t get the chance to see this at the cinema, I blinked and before you know it was gone, but fortunately I managed to get the DVD and give it a perusal.
Living with his likeable grandfather, Son Gohan, Goku is seemingly your average teenager, full of pimples, raging hormones and an eye for the ladies, although he has no idea how to talk to them as he reveals to his grandfather. He knows that there is something different about himself and the kids at his school know it, of course if only they really knew just how ‘different’ Goku is. Naturally we are not talking about the usual teenage problem of trying to deal with puberty and hormones here, there is something more going on and it seems that Gohan knows it; certainly he has promised our protagonist that when he turns eighteen all will be revealed. And when the drama all begins it is in fact Goku’s eighteenth birthday, but danger lurks on the horizons, drifting forth upon the winds…
The Dragonballs, those legendary artefacts of power created by some nameless individual all some many aeons ago, are being sought after by none other than…Piccolo, now can you see the fatal flaw? There is no explanation on how he’s managed to get loose and roam around causing havoc, bit of a continuity error there I think…Being an evil warlord with a suitably evil scheme Piccolo wants the seven dragonballs so that he can bring forth Shenlong, the Dragon God and have his one wish granted. He has his slinky minion Mai retrieve as many of the dragonballs as possible before her efforts hit a brick wall. Given the four star dragonball by his grandfather, Goku has wandered off to a party with it in his pocket when Mai comes to call. It is only when his grandfather is mortally wounded and his house trashed that Goku suddenly senses that something is very wrong.
And so begins his quest to attempt to save the world from the ravages of Piccolo and his disciple Ozaru, on the way he is joined by the plucky Bulma, daughter of the founder of the Capsule Corp and dab hand with two pistols, Yamcha, the opportunistic bandit/surfer dude and his grandfather’s old sensei Master Roshi. Somehow this rather eclectic bunch of misfits is the world’s best hope in defeating the depredations of an evil villain from beyond the stars. Everything though hinges on the dragonballs, and this group have managed to gain three out of the seven whilst Piccolo only has four. At some stage there is going to have to be a show down between the two opposing sides if one is to be able to have their one wish granted by Shenlong…or does there?
As I said in the start of this review when I heard about this film I had my doubts, thankfully though after watching it these doubts were all dispelled, it was a pleasant and enjoyable experience to watch this film. For my money even though Son Goku is the hero much of the limelight was stolen by Chow Yun Fat and his depiction of Master Roshi, the sensei who taught Goku’s grandfather Gohan. Wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt and having a very prosaic attitude to things he is a hoot. Telling Goku he will take him to the Stone Temple, the place where he learnt from the ancient master various martial arts techniques; he is put out when he discovers the temple is not so secret and full of wannabes about to compete in a major tournament, he then urges Goku to leave as his chi is shrivelling. One has to wonder if this film would have been halfway as good without the presence of Chow Yun Fat, regardless this is well worth renting from the video store and enjoying.
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