Customer Reviews

DragonBall: Magic Begins

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This movie is just totally pathetic. Anyone with high standards should stay away from it. On the other hand, if you're a big fan of Dragonball or Dragonball Z and you think it would be fun to watch some low budget butchering of a decent anime you should defiantly buy it now.

"Journey To The West" a 500-year-old novel with even older roots in Chinese legend, was the primary inspiration for Akira Toriyama's "Dragonball" series. In the original, Goku was a "Monkey King," a former resident of Heaven who had been punished for his arrogance and mischief. To make amends he was assigned as helper to a Monk whose task was to bring Buddhist scriptures from India to China, and help spread the new faith that was to replace Taoist and Confucian beliefs.

In Toriyama's original Dragonball version (later revised further for "Dragonball Z"), Goku is a monkey-boy in pursuit of 7 "dragonballs." It was only the character of Goku that was lifted from the classic; the rest is Toriyama's own myth-making.

While this movie does not follow Toriyama's conception exactly, it is a lot closer to it than it is to any traditional Chinese legends. The Dragonballs are called Dragon Pearls in the dub, but there is no Chinese legend about the pursuit of such things; nor is there any Chinese legend with a character named "Bulma," which is actually a corruption of the word "Bloomers" and is a reference to lady's underpants.

Most of the film's deviations from the manga and animation can be explained by two things:

1. The dub translation changed most of the characters' names, and changed "Dragonballs" to "Dragon Pearls." I suspect the dub was done before the Toriyama works were well-known stateside.

2. It is much more expensive to accomplish SFX in live-action films than in comics and cartoons.

So, contrary to other reviews here, don't take this as anything but an adaptation of Toriyama's work. If you are interested in a dumbed-down version of the already-dumb anime inspired by a Chinese classic, here's your ticket. But don't go thinking you are watching anything to do with ancient Chinese culture.

As to the somewhat high rating I am giving this, the whole movie fascinated me, and I loved it the same way I enjoyed the He-Man movie that featured Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a few years after he played Dracula. I would have rated it higher but that would mislead some people into thinking this was a good movie; it isn't. What it is, is a hoot.

Hi, I noticed Amazon.com gave no summary so I'll retype the one off the back of the box here.

Summary: The evil King Sizkrath possesses two of the seven Dragon Pearls and needs the remaining five to rule the world. The battle for the pearls commences between King Sizkrath and his minions Zebrata and Malila, and the five heroes who must stop them. A completely live-action film based on the popular Japanese animated series, featuring all the action and special
effects you could want.

I'm not a huge Dragonball fan, but I am a huge fan of outlandish films, especially those from the far east, so I bought this film hoping to get a lot of good laughs at it's expense. What actually happened was me groaning a lot, and wondering just what the heck was supposed to be going on in this stinker, as I dozed off again and again. The plot is so threadbare that it's about as developed as an Power Rangers episode, and the martial arts are along the same caliber. The special effects are laughable at best (couldn't they do better than that rubber crocodile?) and the dubbing is just plain pathetic. I can't recommed this film to anyone, except people who enjoy suffering through absolute dreck. I would've given it no stars if it were possible.

Watch this movie only if you like B-movies, because as a film by itself, it isn't very good. Graphics are laughable, and the dubbing at times was badly translated, not to mention the fact that the movie is clearly titled Dragonball, when the actual balls are refered to throughout the movie as "dragon pearls." The acting is worthy of daytime soap, and some of the make-up was a scary reminder of the 80's, but the movie is a fair representation of the anime series. Basically, do not buy this unless you have seen the series at some point, and can enjoy a b-movie.

this is one of the funniest movies ever made. if your a die hard fan or some one just looking for a good laugh. this movie lack a very good story so if your looking for an actoin packed movie with great special effects this movie isnt right for u but if u want a side spliting comedy you have to see this

This movie was definitely the funniest movie ever made. Nothing can compare to a little boy carrying a cardboard crocodile and getting shot by a gun that shoots out little sparkles. How can you imagine something funnier than a fat asian smacking his man boobs and his face and becoming a busty hawaiin drag queen? It's impossible my friend, and this movie takes everything. You have led a useless life if you have never seen this movie. I laughed to the point of not being able to breathe and felt dizzy with utter hysteria. I love this movie with all of my monkey boy heart. This movie will let all your dragon pearl wishes come true, my esteemed colleagues.

this movie SUCKS! but i WILL give credit for the actual stage fighting! they showed they could actually fight, the fights dont look too fake. But if you are a dragonballz fan, like me this movie is STUPID! they tried to mix in dragonball with dragonball z and turned out stupid. when monkey boy (goku in the real version) flies it looks soo fake! and since when did sayjin's have CURLY hair? yuk! they have SPIKED hair! and goku used the magic cloud cuz he couldn't fly, and when he could fly, he didnt need the magic, the candy cloud anymore! anyways... they didn't even do a KAMEHAMEHA! and thats the dragonball main move! and ALSO! they don't even go super sayjin! and TOO, they couldn't even get the damn names right! the movie looks sooo fake! so basically... this movie is WACK! and would be worth about a penny to a dragon ball, dragonball z or dragonball gt fan.

This movie will make a lot more sense to you if you compare it to the Dragonball series, NOT to Dragonball Z. The Magic Begins includes most of the characters in the show and introduces Goku as a little boy still living with his grandfather in the woods. Goku is in possession of the four star dragon ball (called "dragon pearl" here) and the evil King Horn is out to gather the remaining six balls so he can summon the dragon and make an evil wish. Goku must find the remaining dragon balls before King Horn gets his hands on them, and in doing so, runs into a wacky cast of characters along the way.

The movie sticks very closely to the show: Goku has his power pole and later gets the flying nimbus from Master Roshi; when Goku and Bulma first meet she's the first girl Goku's ever seen, and they meet when Goku is carrying an alligator back to his home for dinner, just like in the show. Oolong is a shapeshifter and Yamcha is scared of girls and challenges Goku at every turn. The hilarious Master Roshi is a perv as always, and his scenes with Oolong as Bulma are also straight from the show.

You have to have a sense of humor to truly appreciate this movie. The special effects are lacking and the dubbing is awful, but the fight scenes are fun and the plot's pretty good. If you appreciate Toriyama's Dragonball at all, you're sure to find a good time in this movie.

Here's a list of characters as they relate to the show, as far as I can tell:

Monkey Boy - Goku
Grandpa Sparkle - Grandpa Gohan
Seetoe - Bulma
Westwood - Yamcha (Westwood's wise cracking bird is probably Puar)
Pig Fairy - Oolong
Turtle Man - Master Roshi
King Horn - Emperor Pilaf (Pilaf's cronies are probably Mai and Xiu)

I really love dbz so I decided to watch this movie because it is based on dbz. dbz=dragonballz. well anyway, the dragonball are called dragon perls and it is just weird if you know dbz and other dragonball shows like dragonballz, dragonballgt and just plain dragonball. It took me a while to ajust to the settings and everything. I do not recomend this movie to people who truly know the world of dragonball because then you will get mixed up.