Plot: What’s it about?
Goku (Justin Chatwin) lost both of his parents, but thanks to his grandfather, he was given a solid upbringing. His grandfather didn’t just raise him however, he also schooled him in the ways of martial arts. Not the normal stuff either, but mystical type moves like inhuman agility and even fireballs. These lessons weren’t just to pass the time, as his grandfather knows that Goku has an important destiny. The power of fate will soon beckon Goku, as he quickly approaches his eighteenth birthday. But before he can celebrate, strange enemies kill his grandfather and send him into a vengeful rage. As Goku explores his destiny, he will cross paths with some unusual folks, both good and evil. But with the fate of the world in the balance, can someone so young, even as skilled as Goku, save the entire planet?
This one seemed doomed from the start. A license that has a diehard fanbase that lives & breathes the anime series, so of course, this movie is live action. Strike one. Then the filmmakers decided to veer so far from the source material, its hard to tell this was even based on the anime. Strike two. For a final blow, we have a horrible storyline, mediocre special effects, and even Chow Yun-Fat is downright laughable. That’s like strikes three through a million. I’m not a big Dragonball fan, but even I could tell from the previews this would be a disaster and a half. Yun-Fat is usually a rock solid performer, but even he struggles here and to be honest, he looks foolish in this movie. Add in special effects that make PS1 games look awesome and wow, Dragonball: Evolution is just a total misfire in all aspects. I simply cannot recommend Dragonball: Evolution to anyone, fan of the anime or otherwise, so just steer clear of this abomination.
Video: How does it look?
Dragonball: Evolution is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. The movie might be unwatchable, but this transfer looks damn good. The image is bright and clear, with detail that impresses and renders the DVD obsolete. The depth is remarkable at times, even if not quite up there with the Blu-ray elite. The colors are bold and vivid, contrast is stark, and I didn’t see any compression concerns. In the end, a fantastic treatment that deserves a better movie.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not to be outdone, this DTS HD 5.1 option is loud and bombastic. There is a good deal of action in this flick, so the soundtrack is able to pipe up and provide some great presence. The surrounds are awake through most of the movie, with the most potent scenes being those action driven ones, of course. The not so action driven parts sound good, but presence drops off substantially. No issues with dialogue however, so all the terrible writing is loud and clear. This release also includes Spanish, French, and Portuguese language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The first houses some promotional featurettes, an outtakes reel, some deleted scenes, a music video, and an interactive quest game. Sounds like a lot, but its all fluff, so there’s not much here. The second disc has a digital copy, in case you want to torture yourself on a portable device.
