DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION

"Piccolo is back!"

For his entire life Goku's (Chatwin) Grandfather (Duk Kim) has been training him in martial arts and how to control his Ki, his own inner energy source that allow him to manipulate the elements, preparing him for a destiny that is about to be revealed. Now as the moon is about to eclipse the sun, as ancient evil returns after two thousand years, threatening again to decimate the world with the aid of his disciple, Oozaru. That evil is Lord Piccolo, a Namekian warlord, who needs to legendary seven Dragonballs to grant him his one wish, to devastate and rule the Earth but it is up to Goku to stop him.

Comic book adaptations have become commonplace at the box office but can a Hollywood adaptation of a Japanese Manga and a hit anime series really work?

Based on the hit Japanese Manga and Anime series 'Dragonball', a big screen version of the stories that started in the 1980s has been a long time coming for fans. Everything is here for the filmmakers to get to grips with. Martial arts, alien invasion, mysticism, monsters, air-bending magic and the end of the world are all here for them to play with and when you discover that James Wong, writer from 'The X-Files' and the man at the helm of 'Final Destination', and Stephen Chow, the Hong Kong superstar behind 'Shaolin Soccer' and 'Kung Fu Hustle' are behind the film, hopes were raised high but unfortunately what we have here is a complete mess that resembles the worse that even the 80s had to offer.

While the story maybe based on the Manga and the Anime series, it is a complete mess with some of the most awful dialogue that graced the silver screen in a long time. Our hero is Goku, a young man about to turn eighteen who is ignored at High School but has been secretly training in martial arts with his Grandfather for most of his life. Unbeknownst to him, an ancient evil has returned after 2,000 years to wreak revenge on the Earth for his defeat at the hands of some Monk's magic. He is a Namekian, an alien called Lord Piccolo, no you did read that correctly and yes it doesn't sound very evil or intimidating, who needs to find the seven Dragonballs. When brought together, these balls bring forth the dragon Shen Long who will grant the bearer a perfect wish. Of course Lord Piccolo (stop laughing) will use this wish to devastate the Earth but it just happens to be Goku's destiny to stop him. This might sound like it should provide a fun, martial arts and fantasy filled adventure and probably for children under the age of ten, it just might but for anyone else who like some kind of sense in there stories, this just comes across as a complete mess.

The cast isn't helped by some truly dreadful dialogue. Justin Chatwin, who you might remember as the extremely annoying Robbie, Tom Cruise's son who you wanted to die in 'War of the Worlds', utters most of the worst line and proves that he is an actor that really isn't a leading man. Emmy Rossum had a promising career with appearances in 'The Day After Tomorrow' and 'The Phantom of the Opera' but as technology and weapons expert Bulma Briefs (stop laughing again), she really takes a step in the wrong direction. Japanese pop superstar Eriko Tamura has very little to do except fight as Piccolo's enforcer Mia. Randall Duk Kim is suitably cast as Goku's grandfather. TV favourite James Marsters tries his best as the as the villain but you just can't take him seriously with the name Lord Piccolo. It is the inclusion of Asian superstar Chow Yun-Fat is the biggest shock however. Watching the star of such classics as 'Hard-Boiled', 'The Killer', 'A Better Tomorrow' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' delivering this incomprehensible dialogue is a real travesty.

'Dragonball: Evolution' is a mess of a movie and one that makes films like 'Streetfighter' and 'Super Mario Brothers' look like works of genius. While the under 10s might enjoy the martial arts and seeing their cartoon heroes brought to life, the rest of the audience have to endure a movie that makes no sense, poses more questions than it answers and will have you laughing at how bad the dialogue and the story can really be.

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Dragon Wars

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2009