Anime adaptations ino live-action films are not a new thing, more often than not, live-action films get mixed reviews. The fantastical and the magical cannot be accurately portrayed, not to mention the physiques, fight scenes, pacing issues, and more. But a good example would be Netflix’s One Piece Live Action.
That is why some of the adapted movies are bad, and then there’s Dragon Ball Evolution. I have shivers when I think about it. This is a film so terrible that even its own screenwriter apologized for writing it. This is the film that prompted Akira Toriyama to return from his retirement and start writing Dragon Ball Super.
Why it’s still one of the worst adaptations ever
I rewatched this movie recently, and it just refreshed my memory about why this movie is just terrible. Just by virtue of its existence, it is an insult to all the loyal Dragon Ball fans.
This movie was released in 2009 as a Hollywood adaptation of Dragon Ball and is still regarded as one of the worst anime-to-live-action adaptations of all time, and no self-respecting Dragon Ball fan will accept any connection to it.
There seems to be a tendency in Hollywood to go their own way in creative directions that have nothing to do with the original source material. Even successful adaptations like Harry Potter are only popular because they mostly stick to the source.
But when the scriptwriters and creators become overconfident and believe they can repurpose the essence of the work, it usually doesn’t end well. One I can recall is the Percy Jackson movie, it was a complete mess, doing its own thing and ignoring the source.
The ultimate lesson in how not to adapt anime
The same is the case with Dragon Ball Evolution; it’s clear that the movie had no respect for its source material. Even the settings are changed to fit in (probably to attract more of the Western audience); the setting is modern-day America, and Goku is turned into a high school teenager.
Master Roshi is barely recognizable, looking nothing like he did (he is not bald short, nor does he sprout that ridiculous beard). Do not even get me started on Piccolo; I just know a Namekian is crying in a corner somewhere. Piccolo looks like a cheap sci-fi villain from the days of Star Trek instead of the terrifying warrior we know from the anime.
The story doesn’t follow the Dragon Ball in any meaningful way. The fight scenes are a complete joke, and the CGI is glaringly rubbish, even by 2009 standards. The film is an insult to everything Akira Toriyama built and to all the fans who have followed the series through generations.
This isn’t just a bad adaptation or a grave mistake (that it is), it’s a cautionary tale on how to adapt anime and how not to. This movie scared away anyone else from trying to live action adapt Dragon Ball until today. We fans are still fearful that such a transgression might happen once again.
You can watch the Dragon Ball series on Crunchyroll. Do not watch Dragon Ball Evolution.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
