Dragonball Z Movie

[XtremelyBaneful]

Good plan. I was thinking the first movie could have an LOTR-style opening where they explain the mythology of the world (summoning the dragon, why they can fly and shoot energy, etc.) and give a brief overview of Goku's adventures in Dragonball (nothing major, just enough to establish the major relationships and explain why all of his friends look up to him the way they do), and then open with Goku meeting his friends at Kame House and take it from there.



It depends. Someone like Krillin or Gohan or Bulma having humorous reactions in the midst of a fight? Goku acting like a ridiculous man-child in his off-time? Awesome!

Stuff like the funny magic animals, Chichi and Bulma being catty, Gohan needing a tutor, most if not all of the Ginyu Force stuff? Pass.

My criteria for inclusion (with the whole thing, not just the comedy) is: Does it matter to the overall story? If not, can it be included without too much damage to the tone/pacing/effects budget? If the answer to either of those questions is no, chuck it.

And finally, totally unrelated but still awesome, look what I found on YouTube:

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those videos aren't related. they're pretty kickass though.

well ask yourself this, i never read the lotr books but gimli was apparently not very much a comic reliefy character but that's how he was in the movies. do you consider that a waste of time adding that to his character arc?

 

[EssayM]

those videos aren't related. they're pretty kickass though.

well ask yourself this, i never read the lotr books but gimli was apparently not very much a comic reliefy character but that's how he was in the movies. do you consider that a waste of time adding that to his character arc?

Not really. Gimli had his funny moments in the films (including some I probably would've cut, but whatever), but he still fought with the group, he was still a badass fighter, and he even (IIRC) connected to the story a few times. So he wasn't like a Jar Jar Binks; he had a purpose in the films beyond "haha look at the funny dwarf fall over".

For me, the best example is someone like Krillin. Sure, he can have his "funny scared" reactions to seeing an intimidating villain, but he's still a likeable character who participates in the story and doesn't feel like a studio add-on.

By contrast, characters like Oolong and Puar were mostly just used for a few cut-away gags, aren't really necessary to the story, and would probably just be distracting (not to mention an unnecessary CG expense) in live-action.

 

[Lord]

Oolong and Puar had their place on the story because it wasn't created as this action epic, it was at first a gag manga inspired by martial arts films and Japanese mythology, but if you're going to adapt it into a live action film, there are better places to use your run time than explaining these talking animals that shift appearances. I think the talking dogs could be kept witht hat explanation of being past experiments that have been accepted as citizens, gives some more dimension to the DB universe.

I'm still not convinced about going right to Saiyan Saga, that's not like skiping The Hobbit, that's like starting with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Matrix Reloaded or Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (where s*** gets real too). Saiyan & Namek sagas are the type of stories you do back to back after introducing your world, not where you should start.

The Dragon Balls aren't even a big deal during Vegeta's arc, more like a MacGuffin to bring Goku back and the search to get them is portrayed as being relativelly easy, before you go in that Direction, you need to show that they strugled with finding them before. Also, Goku dies right in the beginning of the film, unless that's the set-up of the whole story, you need to make us care for him, and that needs build up from in least another movie.

Android and Cell sagas have interesting concepts, but there are still some things that need changing, like the set-up of Cell games, and then there's Majin Buu, i enjoyed it, but plenty of people didn't, is that story really worth more telling than that of Picollo and Red Ribbon? I don't really think so.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

You start with concept work like this:

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

You start with concept work like this:

no need to change goku's outfit but yeah. frieza should be shorter though.

 

[Wildcard]

That Goku concept art is astounding...same for Cell. I've seen better art pertaining to Frieza and Buu, though.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

That Goku concept art is astounding...same for Cell. I've seen better art pertaining to Frieza and Buu, though.

the goku concept looks exactly like he does in the manga with exception of his bottom garments being changed and his muscles looking more realistic.

his hair needs to be longer but they nailed the spikiness

 

[DorkyFresh]

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

i don't think there is a need to overcomplicate the costume designs. keeping them the same as the manga and turning the whites into silvers should be good enough.

 

[Rorschach2012]

This has the chance to become such a massive franchise if they did a respectful live action adaptation. The property is ripe for a good adaptation, and I think the fanbase would mostly be receptive.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

something more along the lines of this would be appropriate

 

[DorkyFresh]

Too simple IMO. Maybe somewhere in the middle would be the best.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Too simple IMO. Maybe somewhere in the middle would be the best.

I don't think so. It's the way it was drawn in the manga and that's how Toriyama wanted it to look so it can work. That's still art anyways, an actual real life depiction of it wouldn't still look exactly the same.

I like the way it looks in that drawing anyways, I'd make the whites more silver and the blues a little darker but other than that I think it is spot on.

 

[DorkyFresh]

There is always wiggle room when converting illustrations into live action. I'm sure even Akira Toriyama would agree to that.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

There is always wiggle room when converting illustrations into live action. I'm sure even Akira Toriyama would agree to that.

oh for sure dude, but for saiyan armor & most dbz costumes/outfits I'd treat it like the spiderman suit; if it ain't broke, don't fix it it.

now here's some concept goku art, but finding/training an actor to look like this may be too good to be true.

 

[Wildcard]

Have you seen Henry Cavill? If he can get into shape like that for Superman (a character who is bigger than Goku) then someone can do this. Goku is only 5'7 & probably about 170-185 lbs at most (possibly a bit more when transformed).

I'm sure the dollar signs on the check would be all the motivation an actor would need to achieve the right physical shape. Besides, getting in shape & maintaining it isn't nearly as hard as people claim. It's only difficult or hard if you're lazy.

Look at guys like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, etc. who are all bigger than Goku & completely ripped and defined from head to toe.

Also, I agree on the armor. I want it to be left the way it is. Any variations of it can be shown on other aliens & Raditz/Nappa as in the manga and anime.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

Have you seen Henry Cavill? If he can get into shape like that for Superman (a character who is bigger than Goku) then someone can do this. Goku is only 5'7 & probably about 170-185 lbs at most (possibly a bit more when transformed).

I'm sure the dollar signs on the check would be all the motivation an actor would need to achieve the right physical shape. Besides, getting in shape & maintaining it isn't nearly as hard as people claim. It's only difficult or hard if you're lazy.

Look at guys like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, etc. who are all bigger than Goku & completely ripped and defined from head to toe.

Also, I agree on the armor. I want it to be left the way it is. Any variations of it can be shown on other aliens & Raditz/Nappa as in the manga and anime.

agreed. and only in earlier ssj transformations did Goku get bulkier. Later on just his hair & eyes changed and the only times he got bulkier was for ussj.

and we haven't seen a real live action Goku dude. If we ever did, I'm sure he would be just AS big as thor, captain america, bradley cooper, wolverine, and obviously, superman.

and i'm glad you agree with me about the armor

 

[Chance Jackson]

Starting with DBZ without any setup is a huge mistale IMO, too many relationships to take care of, an entire fighting system to explain without proper time to do so and Goku dying midway through the movie without much time to make us care for him.

But that worked for american fans like myself who had gone from DBZ ep 1 all the way to the Ginyu squads eps of Namek(and beyond) without ever knowing their was a DB to speak of

 

[Wildcard]

agreed. and only in earlier ssj transformations did Goku get bulkier. Later on just his hair & eyes changed and the only times he got bulkier was for ussj.

and we haven't seen a real live action Goku dude. If we ever did, I'm sure he would be just AS big as thor, captain america, bradley cooper, wolverine, and obviously, superman.

and i'm glad you agree with me about the armor

Henry Cavill does kinda have the closest physique to what you're looking for. However, his training was mostly for building strength & having a solid core. The only thing he'd have to do is add more definition. But other than that, he has the look of pretty much what you'll see whenever a DB/Z movie happens.

And definitely, I've always loved the armor so it'd pain me to see it changed when there's no need for it. Especially Vegeta's....that Saiyan armor is way too badass.

 

[Lord]

But that worked for american fans like myself who had gone from DBZ ep 1 all the way to the Ginyu squads eps of Namek(and beyond) without ever knowing their was a DB to speak of

It did in many places, but that's the thing, kids at those times could get into the middle of a show without much problems, that doesn't mean that it would work in a film since that's just skiping a lot of the story. It's like with a comic book, you can start reading from issua 134 of a certain series, but if you're going to make a movie, you can't skip some of the classic stories that came before, first and foremost, you need to set things up.

 

[Chance Jackson]

It did in many places, but that's the thing, kids at those times could get into the middle of a show without much problems, that doesn't mean that it would work in a film since that's just skiping a lot of the story. It's like with a comic book, you can start reading from issua 134 of a certain series, but if you're going to make a movie, you can't skip some of the classic stories that came before, first and foremost, you need to set things up.

My problem with that is that you'll spend all this time setting up fighters who are hopelessly out classed by the time raditz shows and never catch up and unlike avengers there is no army of fodder to fight

 

[Lord]

Actually, you can make up armies of fodders, i mean, remember those thing Vegeta and Napa brought? Frieza also had an army, Cell had little cell fighters, and Buu, well Buu's not near as popular as the other 2, and fankly, King Picollo and Red Ribon's sagas are more worth telling.

 

[Chance Jackson]

Actually, you can make up armies of fodders, i mean, remember those thing Vegeta and Napa brought? Frieza also had an army, Cell had little cell fighters, and Buu, well Buu's not near as popular as the other 2, and fankly, King Picollo and Red Ribon's sagas are more worth telling.

to be honest I should probably go back and watch db in full.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

nobody watched dragon ball

 

[Wildcard]

^ I think that's a pretty extreme generalization.

And I always thought Majin Buu was second in popularity with Cell being first. Idk, it just always seemed that way to me.