Wow. WOW! Before I launch into this review, I need to make clear that I have mixed feelings about Dragonball Z.
On the one hand, it’s an incredibly essential part of my childhood. I remember holding up my hands to give Goku my spirit for his Spirit Bomb (yes, shut up). I remember the first time Vegeta crushed his scouter in response to Goku’s power. Hell I watched Toonami through the original Frieza arc and taped every episode so I could re-watch it!
On the other hand, DBZ has not aged well. The long power up sequences that we joke about now are miserable to watch. The characters evolve at a snail’s pace, there’s a lot of inconsistencies regarding powers, it’s horribly predictable and my god there are too many tropes to count.
The movies were somewhat better.
There were hits and misses but the film format meant that most of Dragonball Z’s flaws were ironed out. Unfortunately that meant the producers needed plot and it was clear that they didn’t always know how to craft a 50 minute+ story arc.
But you’ll be happy to know that Dragonball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ kept all the things that made Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods so good and added a kick ass face lift to boot.
This movie is funny and that’s coming from a comedy snob. Almost every character gets a laugh in and they’re all different types of jokes and humor which I appreciate. Piccolo isn’t a joker, but he’ll taunt an enemy before surprising them with an attack. Jaco may not have a sense of humor on his own, but the writers use other characters to make jokes at his expense.
I’m not kidding when I say if this movie was all comedy and story with no fighting, I’d be okay with it. Maybe I wouldn’t be paying $12.50 for it, but it’d still be a damn good film.
Speaking of the fighting, it’s really good. If there’s one area that really benefited from the upgraded art quality it’s the fight scenes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still “super-fast” sequences which will use three or four cells repeated over and over to indicate a flurry of blows but for the most part it looks like an actual fight. You see blows get delivered, parried and countered in a way that looks quite realistic.
The characters’ signature moves only get used once and usually with very little ceremony, which was a criticism of Battle of Gods as well. I personally preferred the actual martial arts sequences to the beams and bombs but it’s a matter of personal taste I suppose.
I also cannot emphasize how awesome it is to see Frieza get back on the main stage. While some fans are partial to Cell and Buu, I think Frieza was the best villain in the series and had the most coherent story arc. The voice actors kill it overall but listening to Frieza was a real treat.
So, flaws?
Well, the Vegeta and Goku rivalry seems to be very hit or miss in terms of entertainment. There are some real laughs to be had at their tempestuous relationship but other times it falls flat, especially compared to the smart humor employed by the rest of the cast.
Beerus and Whis are hilarious, but I have mixed feelings about the two most powerful beings (one literally being a god) in the DBZ universe being reduced to comic relief.
My biggest issue is how the conflict is resolved. Without giving away too much, the final battle is spectacular but the method for defeating Frieza (because of course they do) seems a little cheap. I would have been okay with an entirely new story arc being split over two to three 50 minute films to allow for a longer fight and perhaps a better ending.
Oh well.
Those are minor flaws because this movie is great. Tree of Might will always have a special place in my heart due to nostalgia but from an objective standpoint, it’s not ridiculous to claim that Resurrection ‘F’ is the most well executed DBZ film to date. It’s gorgeous, it’s well written, well-paced and made me laugh till I hurt.
I’d urge DBZ fans to watch this movie in theaters while it’s there for its limited release. It’s worth it.
