BRIEF HISTORY LESSON: Dragon Ball, the story of Goku as a kid, was an adventure comedy. Dragon Ball Z (which we all know and love), is more action/fighting focused.
These movies (BoG and Res F) did the fusion dance. It has the face melting fights of DBZ but the hilarious Dr. Slump style humour of Dragon Ball. Which makes it refreshing. I am a die-hard and a purist. If someone even mentions GT I need a senzu bean. *eats a senzu* But even as a purist I must admit that many of the latest DBZ movies before BoG and Res F were a bit serious. Wrath of the Dragon for example was awesome but didn't have that signature funny/gag style. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies but these ones included Akira Toriyama's touch and you can tell! So whether you are a die-hard or a purist this movie will not disappoint. I was lucky enough to see it at the movies on 8 August with a bunch of other fans.
So, I can't really analyse this movie like I analyse anime series or Studio Ghiblis so this review shall be more free form, based on what I've seen and come to expect from DBZ!
Fan Service:
If you've watched, read or even heard about DBZ before you will not be disappointed and will most likely kill yourself laughing like I did. All the good 'ol characters worth appearing are there including the new ones. Example: Master Roshi goes into his Max Power/ Buff mode which was only previously seen in Dragon Ball and the Broly Movie, also he shot off an awesome Kamehameha. On the note of the Kamehameha, yes, there is an awesome beam struggle. Also pretty much every signature move of note shows up.Comedy:
This is probably one of the funniest DBZ movies I've ever watched, everyone in the cinema cracked out laughing all the time. There are many comedic interactions and relationships. Goku and Vegeta's rivalry, Beerus and Whis's "Who's-the-Deity" relationship, Bulma smack-talking Frieza, the hilariously stylish Jaco and more than could be mentioned. If this question is: Will I laugh? Yes, if you know the story and characters you'll laugh even more.
Fights:
As a person who watched Dragon Ball Z religiously as a kid I can say I felt like I was rushing home from school again to have my mind blown by the appearance of a super saiyan for the first time. With tech having advanced the fights were indeed epic. With a nice contrast: Fighting against vast mobs of one-hit-one-kill noobs and of course evenly matched boss fights will cause heart pulpatations. Alas, if there was one thing I wasn't so hot on it was the CG, every now and then they would use CG in a fight scene, only briefly but long enough to notice. It takes away some of the hand-drawn authentic magic but hey if it means the fights can be more intricate it's some super holy water I'm willing to drink! I noticed that the fight with Frieza this time had several similarities to their first fight back on namek.Story:
Some of the old DBZ movies had become quite formulaic and predictable.
1) Everyone's chilled
2) Bad guys show up
3) Z-Fighters fight valiantly but are on the brink of defeat
4) Goku (and sometimes Vegeta) shows up and puts the bad guys in their place.
Oh... wait... OKAY SO MAYBE IT IS MORE OF THE SAME BUT IT'S STILL GREAT. Because Akira Toriyama is involved the movie ties in with the original story and makes sense. It feels like Akira Toriyama sat down and wrote the next chapter of DBZ, furthermore the characters are actually moving forward too! Dragon Ball Z is not only being refreshed by this movie it's advancing!
Doubts/Questions: WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Wouldn't Frieza be weak in comparison to the Z-Fighters now?
Anyone who's done the math will have realised that the old Frieza (who Super Saiyan Trunks made short work of) would surely be easy pickings for our Super Saiyan 3 Goku or even Piccolo! So what's so special about Frieza coming back? In the Janemba movie Frieza comes back to life and Gohan takes him out with one punch! However, one must realise that these movies are not part of the original story! Things such as Cooler's 5th form don't exist in the regular DBZ universe. Without spoiling too much Frieza basically comes back to life and trains to achieve his new form. He arrives on earth with his motley crew of Frieza soldiers but has powered up significantly, he even makes short work of Gohan (quite ironic due to the previously mentioned Janemba movie). But I won't say more than that, essentially he has powered up and when you watch it you'll realise it isn't actually too much of a stretch. One must remember that when Frieza fought Goku the first time Frieza had basically never had to try before and underestimated everyone. He wasn't going to make that mistake this time!How does Frieza come back to life? Trunks obliterated him!
Explained in the movie.*SPOILER* Regeneration Pod much like those seen healing Goku on Namek but more advanced.
What is that funky symbol on Goku's Gi?
Explained in the movie. *SPOILER* It's Whis's signature which he puts on both Goku and Vegeta.
Why is Gohan wearing that funky green tracksuit?
Explained in the movie. *SPOILER* He was in a rush and couldn't find his Gi. I think if people saw Gohan in the turtle Gi everyone would expect Ultimate Gohan to come out, perhaps it was a metaphor for how Gohan has changed (grasping at straws).
Does it stay true to the story?
Yes! Much like the Battle of the Gods it has advanced the original storyline and brought back some old characters (Pilaf and crew who have been transformed into children which I believe is a respectful if undeserved nod to GT).
Blue Super Saiyan?
I personally prefer Bluper Saiyan (I refuse to call it Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan). It isn't terrribly specific in the movie but essentially it is their way of channeling Super Saiyan God without having to go thru the 5-Saiyan Ritual seen in BoG. Goku never goes classic super saiyan in the movie. In fact quite humourously the colour pallet of Frieza and Goku's battle has switched, now Frieza is the golden warrior!
DYK/Interesting&Funny Facts:
-Breaking away from tradition Gohan steps in to save Piccolo, in most of the old DBZ movies Piccolo saves Gohan at the last second. Gohan finally pays back his debt!
-Jaco is from Akira Toriyama's series: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman.
-Bulma's sister "Tights" is a main character in Jaco the Galactic Patrolman but wasn't previously known in DBZ.
-The movie's original title: 'Fukkatsu no "F"' was chosen by Akira Toriyama because he was listening to Maximum the Hormone's song "F" which is about Frieza.
Sad Face *SPOILERS*
- Neither Trunks nor Goten show up in the movie :(
- No one cares about Super Saiyan 3 anymore :(
- Ultimate Gohan is no more, Gohan manages to beat some Frieza soldiers but is pwned by Frieza
Should I watch this?
YES! Whether you are a die-hard, purist or casual fan you'll love it! It is a great movie with an enjoyable mixture of story development, fights and laughs. In my opinion, an absolute must for any DBZ fan. NOTE: You should watch Battle of the Gods before watching this if you can as Beerus and Whis play a big role in the movie.
Extra thoughts:
Hey maybe in the next movie Goku will go Super Saiyan Green! RGB ALL THE WAY, oh wait Broly sorta did that already. OH WAIT BROLY! LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN GOD! But would he look buff or like his normal chilled state... He is the only super saiyan with non-gold hair so maybe he'll break the rules again.
If DBZ is advancing that's cool but if Goku will fight stronger opponents will there be something above Super Saiyan God? Super Saiyan King Kai? Super Saiyan Supreme Kai? Super Ultra Mega Turbo Street Fighter Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Five-Star Bankai Saiyan? Superior Saiyan?
Also, frequently throughout the movie they refer to Goku and Vegeta being stronger if they fought together. Could this be foreshadowing? If Frieza could come back stronger who's to say others won't, that's right you know who I'm talking about! Dragon Ball Z: Zarbon's Revenge coming 2016 :P
