On a distant, arid world, a young Saiyan named Broly has
lived with his father, Paragus, in exile. Discovered
by a resurrected Lord Frieza, Broly and Paragus are brought to Earth
to deal with Frieza’s eternal rivals: Goku and Vegeta. On a world where the most prized possession
in the galaxy is the seven Dragon Balls, three Saiyans and one tyrants battle
will shake the planet to its core. Unbeknownst
to all, Broly’s power runs deeper than any Saiyan warrior and is more than a
match for even the strongest Super Saiyan levels Goku and Vegeta can
achieve. If Broly truly gets out of
control, there may not be anyone in the universe who can stop his rampage.
As we enter 2019, the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole
turns 33 years old. Dragon Ball Z itself
is turning 30 as well. Akira Toriyama’s
take on the classic “Journey to the West” legend has continued to thrive both
in Japan and in the United States. It’s
popularity in Japan is understandable but it’s staying power in the US is
undeniable. Everytime a new Dragon Ball
project is announced, fans on both sides of the pond go crazy. It’s the reason why Dragon Ball Super, the
latest entry to the long running franchise, has prospered so well even after
its very healthy 131 episode run ended last year. So it kind of makes sense that Super’s first
film carries some heavy expectations.
These expectations only grow higher with the reveal that long time DBZ
Movie villain Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan, would be joining the central Dragon
Ball canon and squaring off with Goku, Vegeta and Frieza. These expectations…are more than met and
offer a fresh take on a classic foe while delivering a heavy dose of nostalgia
for anyone who grew up watching Goku and Vegeta brawl with everyone and
themselves for over 30 years.
The very first thing that stands out about Broly is Toriyama’s
decision to play with a few origin details.
The beginnings of Goku and Vegeta are pretty well established but Broly
gives them a few retcons that don’t change their overall arcs but does give
Broly his own entry point and even allows for a much more satisfying beginning
than the villain ever got in his own movie.
Some people might scoff at these changes but they also produce the
beginnings of actual emotion that run throughout the film. Normally Dragon Ball movies are pretty straightforward:
bad guys show up to conquer Earth or get the Dragon Balls or both; Goku must
fight them; rinse and repeat. Theyre dumb
escape action movies and Broly isn’t any different, especially in the second
half. But you still feel a great deal
for Broly with his new origins as well as the friendships he develops with series
newcomers Cheelai and Lemo (the former of whom is very cute and I assume has
the bod she has just for a lot of fanservice shots). Whodve thought id actually feel a bit bad
once the fists started to fly.
But when the fists fly its some of the most epic battles
in all of Dragon Ball yet. Broly gets equal
amounts combat time with Goku and Vegeta and less than you’d expect with Frieza. But it’s still hella entertaining and a
special kind of epic you could only see in a Dragon Ball movie on the big
screen (speaking of, if you haven’t seen this movie yet do yourself a favor and
do so ASAP, there are a ton of showtimes at your local theater im sure). Some of the animation does trail into Dragon
Ball FighterZ territory, resulting in some awkward CG (some of which was there
in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods). The
animation actually is a bit jumpy throughout the film and it nags you at the
back of your head. Meanwhile, you’re
eyes are taking in all the epicness and forgetting these fights have
problems. Like I said, the new layers of
emotional interest in Broly’s new life give this chaotic clash of the titans
more depth than any Dragon Ball fight in a really long time. Plus you’re just waiting for Broly to cross
the threshold and become the classic Legendary Super Saiyan we remember, through
it is amazing he can go toe to toe with Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan
Blue forms.
Do I have complaints about the movie besides the awkward
animation transitions? Some, sure. The soundtrack usually relies on the same piece
of what I assume is “Broly’s Theme” a bit too often to set up the next
emotional mood swing Broly has before powering up again. Not that Dragon Ball isn’t guilty of reusing
music all the time, it was just a bit more pronounced this time around. Following the opening segments on Planet
Vegeta, the film does lag a bit before getting to the good stuff. Some of this comes from Frieza’s true
intentions for coming for the Dragon Balls again. Just when you think he’s gotten wiser, turns
out Broly’s jettisoned terrible original goals vibe had to go somewhere and it
went to Frieza. I know Dragon Ball Super
has tried for a more comedy/action fusion that Dragon Ball GT failed to
do. But even with Toriyama at the helm,
some of the comedy is hit and miss, especially when I just want to watch Goku
and Vegeta fight each other and then other opponents. Besides that…nope nothing else really comes to
mind. The movie might be a little long
but I suppose we’re well past the points of 45-50 minute battle movies with
Cooler and Bojack.
If you’re a Dragon Ball fan, especially of Z, you’re
going to really like Dragon Ball Super: The Movie-Broly. From the opening moments on Planet Vegeta,
filled with familiar faces and surprising new ones, to Goku sparing with his
eternal fremeny Vegeta, to Brolys continuous screaming as he powers up (cudos
to Vic Minogna, I hope that didn’t destroy his vocal cords), this film is the
love letter to the franchise near the dawn of it’s 30th
birthday. And it’s a movie that shows growth
and is willing to commit to sympathetic villains as well as continuing the
evolution of heroes and villains turned good guys. Even with the problems I had watching it, I was
back in 5th grade, watching the reason I got into Anime in the first
place. I know I cite Gundam Wing as the
big show that got me to stick with Anime for the long haul. But my gateway title was Dragon Ball Z. And Broly is the long awaited return of that
old friend ready to tell me the lessons its learned over the years. I get the feeling Dragon Ball is here to stay. At the very least in an Anime world still
dominated by Naruto and One Piece…never count out the power of Dragon Ball.
8.5/10
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