In my previous video I mentioned that I rather enjoyed Dragonball Evolution, so I thought I would explain my reasoning as I am sure there are those who are a little mystified.
Even before watching the film, I knew that they had probably "messed things up". The trailer depicted a universe that didn't bare much resemblance to the original Dragon Ball series so I was not expecting a faithful recreation of the original storyline. Besides, you can't condense a long-running series like Dragon Ball into an hour and a half. I decided outright that this would not factor in to my like/dislike of the movie.
Secondly, I have often heard the argument that you wouldn't be able to follow along with the story unless you had some knowledge of the original Dragon Ball series. I strongly disagree. I thought that Evolution actually worked well as a standalone segment of the Dragon Ball universe, even if it was more of an offshoot. If you tried to figure out how some of the animated Dragon Ball movies fit into the main storyline, your brain would explode. The same goes for Evolution: don't think about it or your head will blow up. Don't force Evolution into the main storyline. It's a pointless venture.
Sure, the movie may be reminiscent of Star Wars, but what's wrong with that? The Empire Strikes Back was an awesome movie. It's only natural that modern movies are going to take influence from the classics. You think George Lucas didn't have a lot of inspiration to go on? Get real; the guy practically stole bits from movies he liked.
Besides, why do we need a Dragon Ball movie that follows the original storyline to a tee? You can go and watch the original series any day. Just pick up the DVDs. Don't you think it would be a rather painstaking process to recreate the original storyline? Sure, it might be interesting to see our favorite characters in live action form, but I'll tell you one thing; it wouldn't make for a very good movie. You would have to recreate the entire series. And now we're back at square one.
The fact that they used Dragon Ball characters is almost incidental: Just be thankful that they acknowledged the popularity of the series in North America. It isn't as culturally influential as it was in Japan, so think of it as a tribute. This brings me to another point. If you don't understand Japanese, and haven't watched the original series in the native tongue, quit your whining because you're missing many of the nuances. The manga was full of loopholes, mishaps, and logistical errors and the anime is a different beast altogether. If you tried to put the manga, anime, and all the movies together, you would not have a cohesive whole. You would have a giant mass of erupted gray matter. The "main plot" is long past salvaging.
All I'm saying is look at it for what it is: a movie. If you put aside all your hang-ups with it being an unfaithful representation of the great Dragon Ball, you will see that there is a story within. A story with little depth, to be sure, but a story nonetheless.
Even before watching the film, I knew that they had probably "messed things up". The trailer depicted a universe that didn't bare much resemblance to the original Dragon Ball series so I was not expecting a faithful recreation of the original storyline. Besides, you can't condense a long-running series like Dragon Ball into an hour and a half. I decided outright that this would not factor in to my like/dislike of the movie.
Secondly, I have often heard the argument that you wouldn't be able to follow along with the story unless you had some knowledge of the original Dragon Ball series. I strongly disagree. I thought that Evolution actually worked well as a standalone segment of the Dragon Ball universe, even if it was more of an offshoot. If you tried to figure out how some of the animated Dragon Ball movies fit into the main storyline, your brain would explode. The same goes for Evolution: don't think about it or your head will blow up. Don't force Evolution into the main storyline. It's a pointless venture.
Sure, the movie may be reminiscent of Star Wars, but what's wrong with that? The Empire Strikes Back was an awesome movie. It's only natural that modern movies are going to take influence from the classics. You think George Lucas didn't have a lot of inspiration to go on? Get real; the guy practically stole bits from movies he liked.
Besides, why do we need a Dragon Ball movie that follows the original storyline to a tee? You can go and watch the original series any day. Just pick up the DVDs. Don't you think it would be a rather painstaking process to recreate the original storyline? Sure, it might be interesting to see our favorite characters in live action form, but I'll tell you one thing; it wouldn't make for a very good movie. You would have to recreate the entire series. And now we're back at square one.
The fact that they used Dragon Ball characters is almost incidental: Just be thankful that they acknowledged the popularity of the series in North America. It isn't as culturally influential as it was in Japan, so think of it as a tribute. This brings me to another point. If you don't understand Japanese, and haven't watched the original series in the native tongue, quit your whining because you're missing many of the nuances. The manga was full of loopholes, mishaps, and logistical errors and the anime is a different beast altogether. If you tried to put the manga, anime, and all the movies together, you would not have a cohesive whole. You would have a giant mass of erupted gray matter. The "main plot" is long past salvaging.
All I'm saying is look at it for what it is: a movie. If you put aside all your hang-ups with it being an unfaithful representation of the great Dragon Ball, you will see that there is a story within. A story with little depth, to be sure, but a story nonetheless.
