Dragonball Z Movie

[XtremelyBaneful]

if they ever did make a live action movie series about dragon ball i would like to see the prologue be about Bardock trying to stop goku from being sent to earth

perhaps during the frieza saga film they can have a flashback to it, with it ending with gohan finding goku

 

[Lord]

I think the problem in this thread is that many are trying to find a way to:

1) Start the film series in the middle of the story (Saiyan Saga), instead of starting from the very beginning.
2) Make the films realistic and darker.
3) Adapting DBZ's plot literaly, almost scene for scene.

I think there are 2 major problems with this, Dragon Ball is, has always been, and will always be colorful, some of these attempts to make the franchise more "grounded" are only making it look more generic, i don't think we need Man of Steel 2.0, hell, Dragon Ball Evolution also tried to be more realistic and it was only hurt by that.

Stop thinking about how "extreme" you can make the fight scenes, and just think of Dragon Ball as Wizard of Oz and Star Wars with Martial arts, do not start trying to be part of a trend, create one.

I also disagree with the idea of starting with the Saiyan saga, it opens too many troubles because you're already expected to like these characters, know them and be somewhat familiar with some of the concepts. As a kid you don't realy care about it, but most people who watch DBZ when they're older seem to ask the same kinds of questions, like "why do people in this world all have powers?", another problem with making it the first film is that Goku dies right at the beginning, you've just been introduced to him, and now you see him dying and coming back, and you'e expected to care.

Let's look at the original Dragon Ball concept, you have a classic tale about a group of people who travel in order to find some MacGuffin, but end up finding themselves, while having some cool adventures here and there. That my friends is a classic tale, and you have the strength of an interesting world, unique characters (i don't think there's any live action film with someone quite like Goku), a strong mythology and a lot of potential for visuals. With all this i think it would be a real shame to just skip and go ahead to the alien invasion, i think there's more interesting stuff to cover first.

Now, regarding adapting DBZ literaly, i think the plot of each DBZ saga is actualy easier to tweak around than DB's, the fights were longer, so the plot gets less complex, then you have times when Akira Toriyama was just buying time and seeing which ideas worked or didn't, Majin Buu saga was pretty much like that as a whole, so there were a lot of things that didn't make much sence in there, as the manga returned a bit to its gag roots.

Regarding the wish to make these films dark, it's Dragon Ball, if anything you need to go back to the 80s films tone, the films need to be fun, not pseudo realistic. Even if you want to do it like Harry Potter where each film gets darker...you can't, the last DBZ saga wasn't particularly serious (Majin Buu), quite the opposite, if anything, the scariest bits were in King Picolo saga, which wasn't even from DBZ.

My take is, do Dragon Ball as this entertaining film mixing fantasy with martial arts fights, with a complete story, probably having Red Ribbon as the main villain, then do a 2nd one with Tao Pai Pai, Ten Chin Han, etc, hyping Picolo and probably ending with Goku preparing to be trained by Kami. Then the last film could resolve around Picolo, instead of having been sealed, King Picolo from this universe could have been killed many years ago, so the Picolo in this film would already be Picolo Jr, it would be interesting to have his father's servants trying to convince him to follow on the legacy.

4 and 5 would be Vegeta-Frieza sagas, it's a good place to finish, if a good script for Androids-Cell came up, then you could continue. Either way, i think trying to go right to DBZ is a big mistake, Red Ribbon and King Picolo are stories more worth telling on the big screen than Majin Buu IMAO. (I liked Buu, i just don't think it was the best part of the manga)

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

I think the problem in this thread is that many are trying to find a way to:

1) Start the film series in the middle of the story (Saiyan Saga), instead of starting from the very beginning.
2) Make the films realistic and darker.
3) Adapting DBZ's plot literaly, almost scene for scene.

I think there are 2 major problems with this, Dragon Ball is, has always been, and will always be colorful, some of these attempts to make the franchise more "grounded" are only making it look more generic, i don't think we need Man of Steel 2.0, hell, Dragon Ball Evolution also tried to be more realistic and it was only hurt by that.

Stop thinking about how "extreme" you can make the fight scenes, and just think of Dragon Ball as Wizard of Oz and Star Wars with Martial arts, do not start trying to be part of a trend, create one.

I also disagree with the idea of starting with the Saiyan saga, it opens too many troubles because you're already expected to like these characters, know them and be somewhat familiar with some of the concepts. As a kid you don't realy care about it, but most people who watch DBZ when they're older seem to ask the same kinds of questions, like "why do people in this world all have powers?", another problem with making it the first film is that Goku dies right at the beginning, you've just been introduced to him, and now you see him dying and coming back, and you'e expected to care.

Let's look at the original Dragon Ball concept, you have a classic tale about a group of people who travel in order to find some MacGuffin, but end up finding themselves, while having some cool adventures here and there. That my friends is a classic tale, and you have the strength of an interesting world, unique characters (i don't think there's any live action film with someone quite like Goku), a strong mythology and a lot of potential for visuals. With all this i think it would be a real shame to just skip and go ahead to the alien invasion, i think there's more interesting stuff to cover first.

Now, regarding adapting DBZ literaly, i think the plot of each DBZ saga is actualy easier to tweak around than DB's, the fights were longer, so the plot gets less complex, then you have times when Akira Toriyama was just buying time and seeing which ideas worked or didn't, Majin Buu saga was pretty much like that as a whole, so there were a lot of things that didn't make much sence in there, as the manga returned a bit to its gag roots.

Regarding the wish to make these films dark, it's Dragon Ball, if anything you need to go back to the 80s films tone, the films need to be fun, not pseudo realistic. Even if you want to do it like Harry Potter where each film gets darker...you can't, the last DBZ saga wasn't particularly serious (Majin Buu), quite the opposite, if anything, the scariest bits were in King Picolo saga, which wasn't even from DBZ.

My take is, do Dragon Ball as this entertaining film mixing fantasy with martial arts fights, with a complete story, probably having Red Ribbon as the main villain, then do a 2nd one with Tao Pai Pai, Ten Chin Han, etc, hyping Picolo and probably ending with Goku preparing to be trained by Kami. Then the last film could resolve around Picolo, instead of having been sealed, King Picolo from this universe could have been killed many years ago, so the Picolo in this film would already be Picolo Jr, it would be interesting to have his father's servants trying to convince him to follow on the legacy.

4 and 5 would be Vegeta-Frieza sagas, it's a good place to finish, if a good script for Androids-Cell came up, then you could continue. Either way, i think trying to go right to DBZ is a big mistake, Red Ribbon and King Picolo are stories more worth telling on the big screen than Majin Buu IMAO. (I liked Buu, i just don't think it was the best part of the manga)

that was a very well thought out post, but the fact of the matter is a lot of the DB fanbase doesn't really care about dragon ball, myself included. Although it is vital to telling the story, DBZ needs to be told first cinematically, just like how they did LOTR first and the the hobbit.

and also, I know what you mean about it being colorful, however, in all honesty, I think the comedy should be kept to a minimum and that the film series should be darker and more dramatic. A running gag could be Goku's stupidity due to lack of education and have a certain character as comic relief but that's about it.

last but not least, we know with pirates of the caribbean being the most expensive film ever made, that the technology to make this film could've been in existence since 2007. a dbz film series has the potential to be the next harry potter, mcu, lotr, james bond, star wars, etc. Yes, I believe that 100%.

 

[KevanG]

I'm not a fan of the idea of live action DBZ. As it is now I just prefer the fan stuff like DBZ abridged and Dragon Ball Multiverse.

 

[Victarion]

I can't find my old idea, but the first movie was Dragonball, with the Red Ribbon Army as the primary villains. King Piccolo was using them to gather the Dragon Balls since he'd come back weakened and all. Bulma wanted to make a wish that would free her father from the Red Ribbon Army's employment.

 

[KevanG]

My first movie would start with this as a refresher

[YT]Uo5Rhn8zuPA[/YT]

AND THEN ON TO NAMEK!

 

[Tg11]

Christian Bale as King Vegeta

 

[Fallen Angel]

Christian Bale as King Vegeta

Let's be at least semi realistic here.

 

[KevanG]

Christian Bale as King Vegeta and Vegeta?

 

[Fallen Angel]

Christian Bale as Garlic Junior.

 

[matrix_ghost]

I think the only way to make a proper DBZ movie is to basically take the CG animated route of Tin Tin. Photoreal CGI combined with mo cap. That way you basically free up the camera and have all the characters rendered as they are doing all the crazy stuff that we love like flying and fighting .
And also take their time with the movie and not rush it.

 

[Lord]

that was a very well thought out post, but the fact of the matter is a lot of the DB fanbase doesn't really care about dragon ball, myself included. Although it is vital to telling the story, DBZ needs to be told first cinematically, just like how they did LOTR first and the the hobbit.

While Dragon Ball had arguably the same impact on its medium, i think it's a very different beast from Lord of the Rigns, while intented as a sequel to The Hobbit, that one had a very different feel and had to reintroduce middle earth to people who had never read Hobbit, which was more of a children's fable, DB and DBZ were written together as part of the same continuing story, it was the anime team that decided to divide it before the timeskip where Goku has a kid. LotR also influenced the scale of the following fantasies, as well as the mythology, with new writers needing to make as good a story, what did DBZ influence? mostly the fights, and giant fights aren't enough to make people go to the theaters, however, Dragon Ball the manga as a whole, counting from the moment Bulma found Goku, has been a major influence to other manga series, and this is due to the adventurous tone and originality, not just the large scale fights, there's a reason Eichira Oda, creator of One Piece which is right now the best selling manga series ever, said that his favorite characters were the likes of Tao Pai Pai, Dragon Ball was first and foremost an adventure series with elements from chinese and Japanese culture, that's why every time fans try taking DBZ and making it more realistic, they end up with things that look more like Man of Stell or Matrix.

and also, I know what you mean about it being colorful, however, in all honesty, I think the comedy should be kept to a minimum and that the film series should be darker and more dramatic. A running gag could be Goku's stupidity due to lack of education and have a certain character as comic relief but that's about it.

I don't see the point of making it darker and more dramatic, that's just turning it more into Man of Steel than Dragon Ball, i know there were various dramatic and sad moments, but they were heightened by the fact that the tose was usualy adventurous and positive, i'm not saying it needs to be completely colourful like Oz, but i do think that "Nolanizing" it is wrong too. I think the tone should be close to some of the 80s adventure fantasy films, where you could have colorful worlds and a dreamlike quality, but now and then, you would have a moment that would have a lot of weight and could even be a bit scary for kids.

Instead of going for a dark serious tone, i think they should aim at making a good adventure film for all the family to enjoy mixed with some martial arts and interesting superhuman visuals due to the ki. It needs to be an immersive world like some of the fantasy classics like Star Wars, Harry Potter & Philosopher's stone, Narnia 1 and Avatar. (the last 3 are quite new, but they're usualy considered modern classic kids films)

last but not least, we know with pirates of the caribbean being the most expensive film ever made, that the technology to make this film could've been in existence since 2007. a dbz film series has the potential to be the next harry potter, mcu, lotr, james bond, star wars, etc. Yes, I believe that 100%.

I believe that too, but i think the only way for that to happen is to start from the beginning, instead of jumping into the DBZ timeframe, which is an enjoyable timeperiod for old fans or kids, but you'll have a harder time at selling it to an older audience that knows nothing of the franchse. Look at some of the people in their 20s or 30s who try to get into anime by starting with DBZ, they complain right away about how unoriginal it is besides the fights, and that's due to some of the elements in DBZ being more familiar to the Western public, i think that starting with the simple story of Goku and Bulma trying to find the Dragon balls while exploring this amazing world is the best way to amaze the general public.

I also think that manga is where some amazing fantasy worlds are, and stuff like Fullmetal Alchemist, Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball, Berserk, etc are ripe for live action adaptations, i think studios should start looking at them, instead of trying to figure out which new generic young adult series is popular at the moment or which American Comic book to adapt next.

I think the only way to make a proper DBZ movie is to basically take the CG animated route of Tin Tin. Photoreal CGI combined with mo cap. That way you basically free up the camera and have all the characters rendered as they are doing all the crazy stuff that we love like flying and fighting .
And also take their time with the movie and not rush it.

I disagree, most of the time i think that style of animation is unnecessary, either go live action or embrace animation, going for the mid term just seems pointless to me, that said, i do think Tintin was an exception, but i do not think Dragon Ball would benefit from this. Look at the lastest Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary, trying to go that route for the designs just made the characters look like a mess:

I guess the weak script didn't help either.

 

[terry78]

I think they're probably gonna pull a Smurfs and just reboot it via CG. Make it a retelling of the first couple chapters, with Raditz getting killed and ending with Vegeta. Then a cliffhanger for the sequel starting up the Namek/Frieza saga.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

While Dragon Ball had arguably the same impact on its medium, i think it's a very different beast from Lord of the Rigns, while intented as a sequel to The Hobbit, that one had a very different feel and had to reintroduce middle earth to people who had never read Hobbit, which was more of a children's fable, DB and DBZ were written together as part of the same continuing story, it was the anime team that decided to divide it before the timeskip where Goku has a kid. LotR also influenced the scale of the following fantasies, as well as the mythology, with new writers needing to make as good a story, what did DBZ influence? mostly the fights, and giant fights aren't enough to make people go to the theaters, however, Dragon Ball the manga as a whole, counting from the moment Bulma found Goku, has been a major influence to other manga series, and this is due to the adventurous tone and originality, not just the large scale fights, there's a reason Eichira Oda, creator of One Piece which is right now the best selling manga series ever, said that his favorite characters were the likes of Tao Pai Pai, Dragon Ball was first and foremost an adventure series with elements from chinese and Japanese culture, that's why every time fans try taking DBZ and making it more realistic, they end up with things that look more like Man of Stell or Matrix.

Bro, you're a huge DBZ fan and I see that you hold strongly to your beliefs, but I'm still going to have to disagree.

Perhaps LOTR is a different case, I mean of course it is a completely different thing obviously, however, the most pivotal part of the dragon ball manga was when his brother showed up to tell him he was an alien. That's probably why the anime team decided it was best to make the anime segment a sequel and call it Dragon ball Z. All in all, I'd say DBZ the anime had the biggest impact on pop culture than anything else.

The film franchise needs to start at the saiya-jinni saga because DBZ alone is going to be a long story to tell - like I said in my OP, the hypothetical film series will need 8 films to tell it right, annually. If we start with DB, the reaction MIGHT not be as great and we may see signs of franchise fatigue early on.

I don't see the point of making it darker and more dramatic, that's just turning it more into Man of Steel than Dragon Ball, i know there were various dramatic and sad moments, but they were heightened by the fact that the tose was usualy adventurous and positive, i'm not saying it needs to be completely colourful like Oz, but i do think that "Nolanizing" it is wrong too. I think the tone should be close to some of the 80s adventure fantasy films, where you could have colorful worlds and a dreamlike quality, but now and then, you would have a moment that would have a lot of weight and could even be a bit scary for kids.

Instead of going for a dark serious tone, i think they should aim at making a good adventure film for all the family to enjoy mixed with some martial arts and interesting superhuman visuals due to the ki. It needs to be an immersive world like some of the fantasy classics like Star Wars, Harry Potter & Philosopher's stone, Narnia 1 and Avatar. (the last 3 are quite new, but they're usualy considered modern classic kids films)

The truth is I was never fan of master roshi's perversion and stuff like that, I'd rather it be cut out. I was wasn't a fan of the whole "other world" crap so I think that should be kept to a minimum.

And the reason I say it should be dark is because in the end, this is a story about saving the world, saving the galaxy, saving the universe, the audience needs to feel that weight. If the entire tone of the franchise is a light hearted romp-like comedy, then the seriousness will never weigh in on us, on the audience, on the viewer, and that would be a serious misstep.

I believe that too, but i think the only way for that to happen is to start from the beginning, instead of jumping into the DBZ timeframe, which is an enjoyable timeperiod for old fans or kids, but you'll have a harder time at selling it to an older audience that knows nothing of the franchse. Look at some of the people in their 20s or 30s who try to get into anime by starting with DBZ, they complain right away about how unoriginal it is besides the fights, and that's due to some of the elements in DBZ being more familiar to the Western public, i think that starting with the simple story of Goku and Bulma trying to find the Dragon balls while exploring this amazing world is the best way to amaze the general public.

I also think that manga is where some amazing fantasy worlds are, and stuff like Fullmetal Alchemist, Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball, Berserk, etc are ripe for live action adaptations, i think studios should start looking at them, instead of trying to figure out which new generic young adult series is popular at the moment or which American Comic book to adapt next.

I'll have to go back to LOTR for my example. Yes, they are obviously two very different stories, however, the one thing they have in common in my argument is that LOTR is the most epic part of this long ass saga, and the Hobbit is more of the introduction and arguably more of the kids' story. Not saying the hobbit film (who knows if they'd even split it to three) wouldn't have been successful if it came before lotr, but maybe not AS. it could've successfully hyped people up, but dragon ball as a manga translated to film would take much longer, and although could still be quality films, may not keep the audience quite as engaged as if they started from the saiya-jinni saga.

 

[Victarion]

There's no reason it can't be both, tonally. Goku is a very fun and lighthearted guy, until you threaten his friends and family.

 

[matrix_ghost]

I disagree, most of the time i think that style of animation is unnecessary, either go live action or embrace animation, going for the mid term just seems pointless to me, that said, i do think Tintin was an exception, but i do not think Dragon Ball would benefit from this. Look at the lastest Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary, trying to go that route for the designs just made the characters look like a mess:

I guess the weak script didn't help either.

Aplogies for the late reply.
The example you gave does look bad .
However i watched Space Captain Harlock 2 days ago and purely from a visual point of view that movie looked AMAZING.
The CG animation was excellent, the movement of the characters very fluid ( and not as stiff as previous CG movies) but it had style and the characters didn't have weird anime hair. And the budget of that movie was 30 million which is far far lower then something like Tin Tin.
Of course i understand that the signature Super Saiyan looks are part of DBZ but either live action of CG animation , both mediums will have to tackle that issue.

 

[storyteller]

DBZ just won't work as a movie series. Either the sagas are too long, too short, or too convoluted.

Buu could actually stand on it's own. Overall there is only one major bad guy. But the Android saga had too many characters to nail down.

What I would do is treat it like the animated movies. Do an original story and take the essence of DBZ.

I'd also use this as an opportunity to reevaluate some characters. I would introduced characters like Tien, Yamchua, and Chatzu if they bring nothing to the table. Honestly if it were me making it. I'd actually keep those guys and lose Goku, Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta. The story would follow Piccolo and the others.

 

[terry78]

Make it from Krillin's POV.

 

[KevanG]

The tagline for Krillins POV could be "One man... One thousand ****kickings."

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

 

[MarvelFan]

that was a very well thought out post, but the fact of the matter is a lot of the DB fanbase doesn't really care about dragon ball, myself included. Although it is vital to telling the story, DBZ needs to be told first cinematically, just like how they did LOTR first and the the hobbit.

and also, I know what you mean about it being colorful, however, in all honesty, I think the comedy should be kept to a minimum and that the film series should be darker and more dramatic. A running gag could be Goku's stupidity due to lack of education and have a certain character as comic relief but that's about it.

last but not least, we know with pirates of the caribbean being the most expensive film ever made, that the technology to make this film could've been in existence since 2007. a dbz film series has the potential to be the next harry potter, mcu, lotr, james bond, star wars, etc. Yes, I believe that 100%.

Just want to respond on the bold part...and I just want to express my feeling....as one who's spent his entire life reading tons of manga and watching a bright and fun superhero shows since I was 4 (I'm a big fan of Sentai series & Space Sheriff series), I was wondering: "what's so appealing good about Dark, gritty approach that seems many of American audience likes? whats with this dark theme obsession?!" ...and "what's wrong with more lighthearted & more fun approach?" The dark gritty serious tone may be work for many American comic books but not with Japan's manga (especially for titles like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Magi, Fairy Tail, etc). Specifically for DB, i believe no one here in Japan who doesn't know Dragon Ball and how a lighthearted Son Goku character has inspired a lot of people from children, teenager boy & girls until adult who's spent their childhood reading DB to always strive forward , never give up, protect the people who important to you, and always bring a smile & happiness to the people around you. The 2013 movie (Kami to Kami) proved this, the movie not only brings nostalgia but it brings smile to lots of audience here especially after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. That's not only what Dragon Ball is really about but it's also the Spirit of Dragon Ball! And to change that spirit into more darker, more depressing tone...I dare to say, would be an insult to Toriyama Akira & Dragon Ball itself. I'd be very mad if that's happen. So, my point is...not that I despise a dark gritty tone (for the record, I loved TDK) but there's a difference appeal between Japan's manga & American comic book...a darker gritty serious theme might be work for American comic book but the same is not gonna be working for Japan's manga (especially with the title like DB)

 

[MarvelFan]

^ More to add, the mainstream audience in my country doesn't really like the dark gritty tone movie...there's a reason why a good movie like TDK, TWS , Man of Steel weren't such a successful box office here ...compare that to Doraemon, Ponyo, or Frozen.

 

[Lord]

Agreed, i think many are just trying to turn Dragon Ball into a Man of Steel 2.0, when its universe has mroe in common with the likes of Wizard of Oz. I disagree about the fact that American comics have darker themes, they can be as colorful, or even more so than Japanese manga, and while they are mostly colorful, mangas like One Piece have been able to do certain themes much better than most American comcis, it's a case where the complex themes are able to work alongside the fun moments.

American comic adaptations are also getting more lighthearted, i mean, The Avengers and most Marvel movies are quite colorful, so was the Superman movies back in the 70s. Some even argue that Man of Steel ailed in trying to make a Superman movie dark and serieous, and after Dragon Ball Evolution, which tried to make the universe more grounded and had more in common with the trends that were popular at the time, i realy don't understand why so many fans want a new DB movie to be grounded and dark.

To be honest, a realistic DBZ film that starts with the Saiyan saga is just a bad idea, you need what came before when Goku was younger in order for all the moments in DBZ to have any kind of awe, and thepblot by then is already a bit bloated, and it only gets worse, you can take the general plot, but if you do things beat for beat, and portray them as serious and realistic, along with darker filters, the film is just going to fail. Not to mention that the audience will feel as if they had seen all of that in other movies.

What makes Dragon Ball fun is the spirit, the epic battles may have atracted a lot of kids, but for an audience you need to use what made the manga popular in the first place, which was a fun expansive world that merged fantasy with science fiction, along with some martial arts. Another thing i realy liked in Dragon Ball was to see the evolution between the beginning of the story, and the middle of DBZ, seeing Goku and his friends grow and developing so much.

You can have tense moments, i mean, Empreror Picolo and Frieza need to be very threatening, but the audience needs to know the characters first.

 

[MarvelFan]

@Lord Thank you...and of course not all American comics have darker theme & sometimes it could be fun too (Deadpool by Daniel Way) and of course not all Japan manga have light & colorful theme too (Death Note, Shingeki no Kyojin, Kurosagi, for example) ...I'm sorry if what I wrote misguided you. And I agree about Marvel Studios' movie are also lighthearted ...this why I loveeeee Marvel Studios over DC ones, you can have serious theme but also have a humor in it without being too depressingly dark & gritty.

 

[terry78]

Marvel comics have always struck me as more manga-esque anyway.