For millennials of a certain age Dragon Ball Z was a significant part of our lates 90s and early 2000s experience.The franchise was everywhere from the anime show to video games to the monsoon of related merchandise. Goku and friends return in the sequel to 2013's Battle of Gods film. The Z warriors must contend with the return of Frieza, one of their deadliest ones in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F. The anime film had a limited edition run in select theaters in North America and I knew I had to go out of my way to give it a look.
Let me start by saying I have loved Dragon Ball Z for years have several volumes of its manga, making a critical review quite difficult. I watched the film in a packed theater on the last night of its limited run with with a big smile on my face. The environment could not be beat with ages ranging from kids to 20-somethings like myself.
The movie starts with Frieza's former minions using the wish-granting DragonBalls to bring their master back to life. After several months of fierce training Frieza returned to Earth seeking revenge on Goku the might Super Saiyan who defeated him in a climatic battle years before. Goku and his rival Vegeta are away training with Beerus and Whis the last film's antagonists and aren't there to face the tyrant and his army. Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo and others tangle with Frieza's army while waiting for their back up. Finally Goku returns to turn the tide and face Frieza himself in a long awaited rematch.
For fans of the franchise, Resurrection F has great character moments, humor, and flashy well choreographed battles. The film is filled with references to earlier events in the series. Newcomer space-cop Jaco is a quirky and hilarious addition whom I hope to see again in later films. The battle with Frieza's army allowed overshadowed characters such as Master Roshi, Tien, and Piccolo to shine using their signature fighting moves. The voice acting was well tuned though having a different voice actor for Frieza while jarring proved to be a good fit. Vegeta's once antagonist rivalry with Goku is a source of amusing banter throughout F even during the fight scenes
The main Goku vs. Frieza rematch his somewhat problematic. The fight is plagued by inconsistent and low quality CGI effects. The use of CGI wasn't the issue however this CGI often resembled Playstation 2 era computer graphics. The fight itself lacked tension, somewhat lazy, and ultimately devolved into a parody of itself (random energy blasts, multiple transformations, screaming). I would have appreciated if the action more resembled that of the earlier fight in the film and used some of the techniques used in the previous Goku v. Frieza fight. This could have make a passable fight more memorable and worthy of the title. The scenes with Vegeta at the film's conclusion were rewarding, and offered a slight twist on the series formula.
If you loved this show as a child of the 1990s and early 2000s or are a new fan, I whole heartily recommend seeing Dragonball Z Resurrection F and its predecessor Battle of Gods, Newcomers should be wary especially if they don't know their Kamehamehas from the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyans,
Let me start by saying I have loved Dragon Ball Z for years have several volumes of its manga, making a critical review quite difficult. I watched the film in a packed theater on the last night of its limited run with with a big smile on my face. The environment could not be beat with ages ranging from kids to 20-somethings like myself.
The movie starts with Frieza's former minions using the wish-granting DragonBalls to bring their master back to life. After several months of fierce training Frieza returned to Earth seeking revenge on Goku the might Super Saiyan who defeated him in a climatic battle years before. Goku and his rival Vegeta are away training with Beerus and Whis the last film's antagonists and aren't there to face the tyrant and his army. Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo and others tangle with Frieza's army while waiting for their back up. Finally Goku returns to turn the tide and face Frieza himself in a long awaited rematch.
For fans of the franchise, Resurrection F has great character moments, humor, and flashy well choreographed battles. The film is filled with references to earlier events in the series. Newcomer space-cop Jaco is a quirky and hilarious addition whom I hope to see again in later films. The battle with Frieza's army allowed overshadowed characters such as Master Roshi, Tien, and Piccolo to shine using their signature fighting moves. The voice acting was well tuned though having a different voice actor for Frieza while jarring proved to be a good fit. Vegeta's once antagonist rivalry with Goku is a source of amusing banter throughout F even during the fight scenes
The main Goku vs. Frieza rematch his somewhat problematic. The fight is plagued by inconsistent and low quality CGI effects. The use of CGI wasn't the issue however this CGI often resembled Playstation 2 era computer graphics. The fight itself lacked tension, somewhat lazy, and ultimately devolved into a parody of itself (random energy blasts, multiple transformations, screaming). I would have appreciated if the action more resembled that of the earlier fight in the film and used some of the techniques used in the previous Goku v. Frieza fight. This could have make a passable fight more memorable and worthy of the title. The scenes with Vegeta at the film's conclusion were rewarding, and offered a slight twist on the series formula.
If you loved this show as a child of the 1990s and early 2000s or are a new fan, I whole heartily recommend seeing Dragonball Z Resurrection F and its predecessor Battle of Gods, Newcomers should be wary especially if they don't know their Kamehamehas from the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyans,
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