Dragonball Evolution
Beginning life as a Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama, Dragonball is a multi-billion dollar franchise spawning numerous videogames, graphic novels and a television series.
Beginning life as a Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama, Dragonball is a multi-billion dollar franchise spawning numerous videogames, graphic novels and a television series.
The weight of expectation on James Wong's colourful feature film is immense.
Dragonball Evolution strikes the right tone, opening with a comic training sequence between a sensei and grasshopper, both perched on parallel washing lines several feet above the ground as they practise fighting moves.
The two men tumble through the air, defying gravity, hooking their feet on the lines as they spin through 360 degrees, using everything that comes to hand (including an insect) to distract their opponent.
Harmless fun.
While Ben Ramsey's screenplay incorporates much of the iconography, including the hero's distinctive spiky hair-do, there's a paucity of fully formed characters and - surprisingly - thrilling action set pieces.
On the few occasions the forces of good and evil meet fist with fist, there's never any suggestion that one of the protagonists might be hurt in the melee.
The unlikely hero is teenager Goku (Justin Chatwin), who lives with his grandfather Gohan (Randall Duk Kim) and is viewed as a joke by all the kids at school except the beautiful and popular Chi Chi (Jamie Chung).
Always feeling different to his peers, Goku looks forward to his 18th birthday when Gohan has promised to reveal truth about the parents he never knew.
'Teach me how to be normal,' implores the lad.
'Normal is overrated,' responds the old man.
When the big day arrives, Goku sneaks out to attend Chi Chi's party and consequently, he is not present when the dastardly Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) and his sexy sidekick Mai (Eriko) destroy the family home looking for one of seven mystical orbs - dragonballs - which Gohan has given his grandson as a birthday present.
To banish Piccolo, Goku seeks out eccentric Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat), who possess a vast knowledge of a powerful energy force called Ki, which the apprentice must harness if he is to defeat his enemy.
En route to the big showdown, Goku forms alliances with brilliant inventor Bulma (Emmy Rossum) and opportunistic thief Yum Cha (Joon Park).
Dragonball Evolution pitches itself at very young audiences with PG-certificate friendly violence, chaste romance and a very simple, linear plot that holds no surprises.
Chatwin's misfit is likeable but there's no emotional arc for Goku (his grief is neatly contained within one brief scene) and supporting characters are never defined beyond their quirks: a penchant for Hawaiian shirts, a reliance on technology.
Action set pieces are competently orchestrated but hardly set the pulse racing.
Some skirmishes fall victim to overly enthusiastic editing.
At the end of the film, the glowing orbs are scattered across the globe once more, causing Bulma to remark, 'The dragonballs are gone.
We have to find them again.
Are you ready?' No.
Release Date: Wednesday 8 April 2009
Certificate: PG
Runtime: 84mins
