 |
| |
|
|
|
Dragonball Evolution -- Film Review
Bottom Line: Dragonball devolution is more like it.
April 15, 2009
By Frank Scheck
NEW YORK -- Another Japanese manga bites the dust with its cinematic adaptation: in this case, the "Dragonball Evolution" series, which has spawned a lucrative worldwide cottage industry that has lasted a quarter-century.
That success is likely to come to a halt with this big-screen version, which will displease fans and prove baffling to the uninitiated.
A narration during the opening credits attempts to provide some background information about an ancient battle for Earth waged by the evil Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) -- why they named the biggest badass in the universe after a tiny flute is a mystery. But the real story line has to do with Goku (Justin Chatwin), an 18-year-old given a mystical dragonball by his grandfather, Gohan (Randall Duk Kim). Said dragonball, when matched with the six others in existence, has the power to grant its holder any wish
.
Lord Piccolo is highly interested in this ability, of course, and while Goku is distracted beating up some bullies and wooing a comely fellow student (Jamie Chung), he drops a house on the old man.
Just before dying, Gohan instructs Goku to find Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) to help him procure the remaining dragonballs before the coming solar eclipse ... Zzzzzzzzz ... sorry about that; where was I? Oh, yes. So Goku sets out on his adventure, joining forces before the final showdown not only with Master Roshi, who turns out to be a Hawaiian shirt-wearing letch, but also with the sexy Bulma (Emmy Rossum) and the thieving Yamcha (Joon Park).
Completely lacking in visual, narrative or stylistic coherence, the film also suffers from cheap-looking visual effects and poorly staged and edited action sequences that will not exactly please the fanboys. Not helping matters is the problematic casting. Rossum comes across about as tough as Hannah Montana; Chatwin is a decade too old for his role; Marsters, so compelling in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is vocally and visually unrecognizable; and Chow, though he seems to be enjoying himself, clearly is slumming.
A post-credits sequence sets the groundwork for a sequel, but that is wishful thinking on the part of the producers.
Opened: Friday, April 10 (Fox)
Cast: Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, James Marsters, Eriko Tamura, Joon Park, Jamie Chung, Texas Battle, Chow Yun-Fat
Executive Producer: Tim Van Rellim
Producer: Stephen Chow
Director: James Wong
Screen Writer: James Wong
Director of Photography: Robert McLachlan
Editor: Chris Willingham
Line Producer: Tim Van Rellim
Unit Prod. Manager: Adriana Aimo
First Assistant Director: Paul Bernard
Prod. Designer: Bruton Jones
Art Director: Patricio M. Farrel
Set Decorator: Roberto Bonelli
Costume Designer: Mayes Rubeo
Prod. Coordinator: Mark Shultz
Special Effects: Joe Pancake
Sound mixer: Fernando Camara
Casting director: John Papsidera
Unit Publicist: Luis Reyes
|
|
 Share on LinkedIn
|
| |
