16 Minutes of Dragonball Evolution Online



Posted by on 11. 03. 2009in News Chat

About 16 minutes of Dragonball Evolution has leaked out onto the net showing some of the opening scenes of the movie. I don’t know how long these might stay online, but they are worth a look if you want a peek at how the movie is shaping up.

First let me say that my hopefulness for this film has dropped, but not for the reasons you would think. I am hoping that this sampling gives us a peek but not the full feel of the movie:

I admit the action looks good though a little too much on the obvious wirework. And I do like the look of the characters, my problem with these clips is actually the very thing that most Dragonball zealots have been groaning about since they started making this thing.

Here I thought they would take the popular animated series and manga and adapt it to the big screen so that we get a version of the property that everyone can watch and enjoy. NOT a direct translation of the silly cartoon. And the zealots were out there in force crying that this movie was going to suck because it wasn’t a direct translation of the cartoon.

Goku offers the same cheesy dialogue (“Now I end this”) and performs one of the signature moves he uses in the cartoon. Master Roshi is NOT a calm cool collected master, but he is a zany goofy character from the cartoon, and even cops a feel on Bulma’s ass when they hop on the bike together.

Other scenes like Goku trying to tame his spikey hair (and failing), and outrunning the motorcycle while carrying a pack 8 times his size. All fitting with the cartoon.

My argument has always been that the cartoon NEEDED to be adapted so that it wasn’t an embarassing mess of over acting and cheesy dialogue, and the zealots fought back arguing that they were raping the characters themselves to make a more serious action flick.

Well kiddies, you win. Looks like Dragonball WILL be a close translation of the cartoon, so you can stop bitching about Roshi being an adult, or Goku being a non-Asian. This is the movie you wanted, and it looks like they are going to deliver.

These clips made me not want to see it anymore. I likely still will, I just wont be lining up on day one to see it. I have the novelization of the movie. That will likely do for me.

This post was written by :

who has written 8899 posts on The Movie Blog

visit author's website | Contact the Author

Bookmark or Share this Post!

RSS Digg Twitter StumbleUpon facebook reddit linkedin Google

38 Responses to “16 Minutes of Dragonball Evolution Online”

  1. Iknewthiswouldhappen says:

    well, there you go.

    • Jake says:

      I’m just sad I didn’t get here before they pulled the videos. Everybody else seems to already have an opinion and I’m not yet sure what to think.

  2. MattK says:

    i agree this film could have definitely done w/o roshi being a perv

  3. Formless says:

    Rodney, this isn’t really direct at all.

    • Formless says:

      Let me elaborate by saying there’s things I like, and things I don’t. I’m still not sure what to make of it yet.

    • Formless says:

      Let me also say that wasn’t much of an elaboration on my part. :D Sorry, busy at work.

  4. DG Music says:

    I feel almost ashamed to admit it…but it actually looks good. I’m not quite sure if I’d see this in the cinema…but I sure would like to see it.

  5. AndyS says:

    HAHA! This looks sooo amazing!!!!!

  6. MattK says:

    i can see this film keeps its cheesy dialogue as well

  7. Slushie Man says:

    I think it looks really awesome.

  8. heyshenanigans says:

    My fears are coming true for this movie.

    I’ll probably still go and see it, but I know how its gonna go down; I’m gonna spend the whole time watching it reminding myself “it’s cheesey because its based on the anime. These are things the cartoon characters would do so that makes it okay.”

    I shouldn’t have to justify to myself why its okay for actors to have cheesey dialogue. Live action just can’t uphold the exact feel of a cartoon without seeming ridiculous.

    BUT, keep in mind; this IS a James Wong movie.

  9. Yamo says:

    Roshi is on the money i dont mine that he have hair. Bulma is ok lets see if they put in the movie that goku just love to eat.

  10. robertwolf says:

    I liked the clips. My only problem is Goku. None of these clips really make the character shine at all. Chow seems to steal the show in each clip and all the other characters come off just like their anime counterpart, which I also like.

  11. AndyS says:

    This movie belongs on an episode of MST3K

    • MattK says:

      i actually agree w/ you on this movie now, my expectations have been lowered ill still check this out on dvd though, but its too close to the actual manga/anime

  12. Antonio says:

    That’s about 16 minutes too long.

  13. AARON says:

    Fox took the vid down

  14. HAZMAT says:

    i knew i should have skipped school today…i come home and the vids are down

    does anyone here know were me and everyone else can find them?
    if so thank you

  15. 3R!C says:

    Dammit! Fox took the vids down.

  16. GRATIA ARIS says:

    This movie is a flop…FOX knows that if they had a bomb on their hands as big as the Dragonball series that was actually worth seeing, it would have been marketed differently. Save your money and wait for DVD..

  17. Grave says:

    Well I do believe that this film will be on par with Speed Racer in the catgory of “Old anime that was once popular but now isnt as much” Its been said that timing a release of a movie can make or break it in some cases. If this movie was done at the height of its popularity I’m sure it could have been much better and made more than what it will when its released. Truthfully it would have been more favorible (and wiser) to have come out with Naruto film or some other really popular anime.

  18. travis says:

    okay anybody that thinks goku should be asian is a retard. he is an alien so that sets him apart from everybody around him so he should be caucasin. geez fuckin dumbasses

  19. Ellone says:

    wait…Gokus an alien, i dont think hes suppost to be asian…oh haha silly me all asians are aliens

  20. THE FOOL ON THE HILL says:

    Goku looks too serious. Where’s all the goofiness? It looks like another Crouching-Tiger-Jet-Li-Dragon-Flying-Daggers-Bullshit. It’s “estupro, estupro!!” I tell ya.

  21. cosmin says:

    hmmm….nice, but not DragonBall….the story is really weird…. Goku, The Chosen One :))) and Roshi the mature old guy, lol lol lol :))And…. who created the Dragon Balls ??

  22. Matt K says:

    besides they have to change stuff to target a broader audience and not just the fan boys

  23. koin says:

    fox treat DB and DB Fans like shit…they just don’t care about all of they guy who spend +10 years of their life spend their time and memories with this series…for us die hard fans it’s not just movie, it’s a part of our life life, they just make it JUST ANOTHER HOLLYWOOD BOX OFFICE.that is an insult, in my country the movie has been released.the result, I hope they would change the title.
    No Krillin?? that’s one of the offense,,hey this is asian series anyway,,we’re western so just don’t give a shit about that insignificant adaptation title…..Then,what if harry potter movie without ron??i believe the director would be dead the tomorrow after premiere on the street get stabbed by HP die hard fans,,hahaha (sarcasm mode:ON)…

    • Rodney says:

      But Krillin insn’t THAT important to the series. He is supporting cast nothing more.

      Ron was a core important part of the Harry Potter books. You cant compare them.

  24. NoName says:

    Dragonball… the movie…

    It was doomed to fail from the start.

    • Rodney says:

      And that is why it failed. Ignorant fanboys who refuse to accept anything they did with it.

      You would never be happy no matter what happened because you chose not to.

  25. Daniel S Lioe says:

    Hopefully poducers, investors and all other involved reads this:

    You said in an interview that you didn’t want to take the same story as is in the Mangga and series, making a story of your own to adapt to a movie. I agree of the necessity, as I know that it isn’t worthwhile to copy & watch the same story, but it doesn’t mean you have to do it so horribly. The story in itself had a good line but the way everything was just bottled up into situations happening too fast is really repulsive.
    The idea of creating a link with Piccolo for Osaru was good.
    The special effects for the fireball wasn’t too bad (needs a little work for different characters as colors isn’t enough), but many scenes are just plain ugly. The ugliest of all is the scene where both Piccolo & Goku shoot their fireballs and Goku going straight to him was downright idiotic (come on it’s a Chi move!!! Supposedly a flow of energy and air pushed by a persons aura!!! Goku flying straight to Piccolo with his fireball pretty much counters the principles). Even in Japanese tv series Ultraman Nexus, at the last episode, they made a better Fireball collision scene than this (and it’s a TV series!!! Meaning they have even less investments than a movie!!!).
    Osaru was well made only we don’t see enough of him (as if you paid the special effects by water drops).
    The acting was sometime a bit terrible (although in the actors behalf i think they did much much better than the actors in the Transformers movies).
    Yamcha’s introduction in this movie was exactly as bad as the introductions of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons movie (why is he following them since he’s got his due with the trap? Because they promised money with dragonballs? Come on they were speaking of saving the world even a lowly robber would just take the bike & go after hearing the true purpose of their search).

    Quite frankly I’m more disappointed in this movie than any other movie ever created. Either the budget was really the lowest ever in history or the hired experts in Dragonball stories are plain stupid.
    This movie was just an attempt to make a little money because the board directors investing in this movie opened their wallet one day and said “damn I’m running out of money I have to make a quicky dollar so i can sustain my life. I know let’s make a stupid movie that idiots from around the world would look at and pay for!! And i don’t care if they hate it as long as the dough comes in and I can buy me that little Italian haute coutured mens wear. With a little luck I could afford a brand new sports car also. And I will spend almost nothing making this scam hahaha!!!”

    Quite frankly whichever person or entity that permitted the realization of this movie needs to recheck his idea of perfection. As for the Movie Director, if I were you I would’ve quit even in the middle of making this movie rather than follow through and create my ugliest work ever.

  26. MattK says:

    actually it has alot in common w/ the manga/anime:

    goku and piccolo being enemies
    roshi being a perv
    the characters of goku, piccolo, roshi, and bulma
    goku’s outfit
    goku first obtaining the four star dragonball
    roshi training goku
    energy waves
    auras
    goku and chi-chi

    see there are things it has in common, but i do agree that i wont see this in theatres, it cant wait for dvd or hbo

  27. MattK says:

    i mean i can wait for dvd or hbo

  28. Stewie says:

    Actually…

    Dragonball evolution is different from the anime. The story is completely different.. Ie bulma fighting piccolo.. No krillen O.o. Roshi isn’t a perv big mistake. Also bunch of characters missing that played a big roll… Roshi didn’t train goku to fight piccolo.. Roshi stopped way before. o€f course there are things in comman.. Clothing, Energy, four star ball, good vs evil if they weren’t in it then it wouldn’t be Dragonball.

  29. Matt K says:

    of course the story is different its an ADAPTATION, and they dont need krillin, roshi IS a perv which is just disturbing seeing some old guy hitting on young women.

  30. Matt K says:

    and roshi did train goku maybe not to fight picolo, but he trained him none the less

Leave a Reply

Get a Gravatar
Before you do, review these rules:
1) Stay on topic
2) Disagree and debate, but no insulting other commenters or the author
3) off topic messages for the author should be emailed directly, not left as a comment.
4) Do not put links in your comment, or any form of promotion or advertising. These will automatically be deleted.