Summary
The live-actionDragon BallmovieDragonball Evolutioncould not even get a simple thing right about the original anime. Attempting to riff on the worldwide success and everlasting popularity of the originalDragon Ballanime franchise,Dragonball Evolutionpremiered in 2009 with a budget of $30 million. However, the film was heavily panned by viewers and critics for its whitewashing and inability to recreate its source material’s essence.
The film was so terribly received that its screenwriter, Ben Ramsey, even apologized for not approaching the film as a fan of the original franchise. Although many anime live-action adaptations have premiered sinceDragonball Evolution, it is still considered one of the worst (if not the worst) takes on shōnen anime. In hindsight, it is hard not to see how the film was doomed to failure even before its release because it messed up one important detail about its source material.
Dragonball Evolution & 9 Other Worst Live-Action Movies Based On Anime
Adapting anime series to live-action film can be extremely challenging, and, as evidenced by these 10 films, it doesn’t always end up working.
Dragonball Evolution Could Not Even Get The Name Of The Series Right
Its Title Spells “Dragon Ball” As “Dragonball”
A lot went wrong withDragonball Evolution, but perhaps its biggest mistake was its title. In the original anime series,“Dragon” and “Ball” are treated as separate words, not as one. Even the first installment in the anime series, which aired from 1986 to 1989, is titledDragon Ballbecause it adapts Akira Toriyama’s manga of the same name. While this might seem like a trivial detail that one can ignore, it is symbolic of all the broader issues in the movie that highlight how it did not even respect the most fundamental elements of the anime, let alone the bigger ones.
Dragonball Evolution’s Title Was The First Sign It Wasn’t Going To Be Good
It Captured How The Original Anime Was Not Being Too Seriously
WhenDragonball Evolutionfirst premiered, it was widely criticized for trying to make Goku look like a relatable teenager whenhe was supposed to be an overpowered Saiyan sent to Earth to rule the planet. Even when it comes to the film’s portrayal of the central energy life force “Ki,” it fails to accurately capture how the anime depicts it and visualizes it more like theair-bending inAvatar: The Last Airbender. To make things worse,Dragonball Evolution’s visual effects do not do justice to the vibrant and dynamic action sequences the original anime brings to the table.
The spelling error perfectly captures how the source material was not being taken too seriously, and the movie’s creators were not wholly invested in delivering an accurate adaptation.
Long before these bigger issues with the movie became evident, the incorrect spelling in its title had already hinted at how it was not going to be a good adaptation of the anime. The spelling error perfectly captures how the source material was not being taken too seriously, and the movie’s creators were not wholly invested in delivering an accurate adaptation. Hopefully, someday,Dragon Ballwill get a worthwhile live-action adaptation that will honor Akira Toriyama’s work instead of blatantly changing it just to make it more appealing to the masses.
Dragonball Evolution
Dragonball Evolution is a live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime series Dragon Ball. Directed by James Wong, the film stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, who embarks on a quest to collect the seven Dragon Balls and prevent the evil Lord Piccolo from destroying the world. The movie diverges from its source material, offering a modernized take on the beloved franchise.
