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DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION James Wong Starring Justin Chatwin Chow Yun-Fat Emmy Rossum James Marsters It shouldn't surprise you to know that I'm a fan of the Dragon Ball manga (that's a kind of comic, if you weren't aware) and the long-running cartoon series that followed - bit of a Vegeta nut, if you must know. So, naturally, I knew this movie would be awful from the get-go. Almost every element of this feature is either disappointing or outright moronic. The plot is somewhat loyal to the manga but in this shoddy setting it falls to pieces very quickly. Set in an alternate reality, Earth was once brought to its knees by the warlord Piccolo [Marsters] and his monkey henchman, Ozaru, before being magically sealed in a mystical prison. Inexplicably (with the aid of the word 'somehow'), Piccolo has freed himself and is seeking out the dragon balls: seven orbs which can be brought together to summon the dragon god, Shenron, of whom you can ask one wish. In possession of one such orb is high school misfit and loner, Goku [Chatwin]. Eventually Goku is forced to confront who he is and embarks on a quest to find the other dragonballs blah blah, you get the picture. The biggest problem with this release is the acting. It's wooden, tacky and all together painful to endure; which is a shame because I really thought Chatwin had a lot of potential but he keeps falling into these dead-end rolls. On top of that we have the atrocious production and unbelievably lacklustre manner in which the entire proceeding is undertaken. Almost everything that occurs is quickly remedied and so very, very predictable. I'm not saying the sources were perfect, most boiled down to little more than badass martial arts fight sequences but it still managed to spawn a loyal fanbase over its twenty four year history because it depicted compelling characters in interesting situations (the key to any story's success). As stated, I knew this film would be awful, largely because I don't believe the Dragon Ball series works well in a cinematic environment - especially not in the hands of those who do not understand the source material - and as such the whole ordeal felt like one of those tacky Power Rangers movies. Still, when those opening credits start you do hold your breath and think, "Maybe it won't be that bad" - trust me, it is. Release Date: 10th April 2009 The Scene To Look Out For: The headache that was Dragonball: Evolution is better left forgotten but I do recall a scene in which Goku hurls indestructible villains into a pit of lava before traversing the newly created corpse-causeway. More importantly I distinctly recall the fact that all the characters were inches away from molten lava but didn't even break a sweat. Horse piss, utter horse piss. Notable Characters: As stated, I think Chatwin is a good actor but then again, so are Chow Yun-Fat and James Marsters and they still suffered horrendously in this dross. Knowing the characters the way I do, I can't justify any reason to pick any of them. I suppose, if push came to shove, I could say that Marsters did seem to understand Piccolo, he was just shockingly underused. Highlighted Quote: "I'm different. I know it, everyone knows it. Sometimes they push me so far I want to explode. I could tear them apart with one hand" In A Few Words: "Another addition to a long legacy of poorly conceived, badly executed adaptations of fine material" Total Score: 
2/10Matthew Stogdon |
