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Description
DRAGON BALL SUPER: BROLY.
Directed by: Tatsuya Nagamine
Produced by: Norihiro Hayashida and Rioko Tominaga.
Starring: Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, Vic Mignogna (awkward collar tug), Christopher Ayres, Monica Rial (another awkward collar tug), Erica Lindbeck, and Ian Sinclair.
Based on the long running manga series created by: Akira Toriyama.
Rated: 12 (mild themes and violence).

It's been awhile, so I'm out of practice. Bare with me.

Has there ever been a character more reviled than Broly? I think Dragon Ball fans (TFS probably being the loudest) have made their voices clear on what a problematic character the Legendary Super Saiyan has become. The best way I could find to describe him would be to call him a poorly written Gary Stu who screams "KAKAAAROOOOT!!!" all the time. How and why he got 3 movies before is both baffling and ridiculous.

But if there was ever a character that needed a proper reintroduction then it's probably Broly; provided we all ignore that Kale bollocks from the Universal Survival Arc. Dragon Ball Super: Broly is a movie that seems to solve that little conundrum by transforming the aforementioned muscle-bound drooling idiot, into a more sympathetic and tragic character. This is what happens when you tend to give a shit about characters your writing for, instead of relying on superficial and meaningless bullshit to get people to pay attention!

Talentless hacks to one side, I did like this version of Broly if I'm being perfectly honest. I think after 2 and a half films of "KAAAKAAAROOOOOOT!!!" (and an amusing TFS parody) it was actually nice to get a version of this character who, for the most part, keeps his bloody mouth shut. The redesign is simple, not too busy, but gets the point across better than the original. While the origin story is more or less the same as before, the removal of his downright absurd hatred of Goku seems to have been a wise decision. His interactions with his father and new character Cheelai add a smidge of depth and growth to Broly's character. A farcry from, okay let's bring it up one last time, the demented idiot who could only scream one word half the time.

If anything, the low point of the movie was anything not involving Broly. That's not to shit on Goku, Vegeta, Frieza and the rest of the cast, but it honestly felt like a retread of shit I already knew at this point. When Battle of Gods came out, it was only natural to bring the audience up to speed or give newcomers context to the overall plot of Dragon Ball. 2 movies in, and we're getting the damn origin story again. Plus did we really have to lean into the Superman theme for Goku's retconned/updated origin?

The new explanation for Goku's arrival on Earth just felt dumb and contradicts Bardock's original story and motivation. Maybe that's just me, but it didn't sit right. Vegeta's more or less the same, while Frieza's slightly tweaked backstory is nothing really to complain about. Other than that, a lot of the characters were just more or less here out of obligation. Here's Beerus to be funny, here's Piccolo to help explain something, and here's Bulma to remind us women age. If anything, the movie just felt like an extended episode of Dragon Ball Super as it's tied directly into the events after the Universal Survival Arc. Odd considering the films tend to be in a continuity outside of the Anime/Manga, or get adapted into some poorly drawn opening episodes of Dragon Ball Super.

Speaking of drawing, I did like the new artstyle the movie introduced. Very stylish and pleasing to the eyes. Though the 3D moments were a bit jarring.

I think what I'm basically getting at here is that the film would been better if it just focused on New-Broly instead of pinging back and forth so we can see what Goku and pals were up to. Frieza's entire involvement, as much as I enjoy seeing the evil little dickhead, was just incredibly pointless. The eventual payoff of Broly going Super Saiyan is there for sure, but the justification felt rather contrived and as if the film said "Oh wait, hang on. He goes Super Saiyan doesn't he? Quick! Stick it in somewhere!" Whereas him not needing to go Super to give Goku and Vegeta a challenge would have been more terrifying.

The fights are great as always, though some of the musical choices are "questionable", but it's a decent enough experience. That's about it really. A fairly enjoyable movie that delivers what it promises. I would have liked a movie that just focused on establishing New-Broly's character, but it gets side tracked so we can cram every Dragon Ball lore/wink/nod in for the third bloody time. Sadly it’s not in the same ballpark as Battle of Gods, but a good step up from Resurrection F. Give it a watch, but I can't see myself going back for a second helping.

Description
DRAGON BALL SUPER: BROLY.
Directed by: Tatsuya Nagamine
Produced by: Norihiro Hayashida and Rioko Tominaga.
Starring: Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, Vic Mignogna (awkward collar tug), Christopher Ayres, Monica Rial (another awkward collar tug), Erica Lindbeck, and Ian Sinclair.
Based on the long running manga series created by: Akira Toriyama.
Rated: 12 (mild themes and violence).

It's been awhile, so I'm out of practice. Bare with me.

Has there ever been a character more reviled than Broly? I think Dragon Ball fans (TFS probably being the loudest) have made their voices clear on what a problematic character the Legendary Super Saiyan has become. The best way I could find to describe him would be to call him a poorly written Gary Stu who screams "KAKAAAROOOOT!!!" all the time. How and why he got 3 movies before is both baffling and ridiculous.

But if there was ever a character that needed a proper reintroduction then it's probably Broly; provided we all ignore that Kale bollocks from the Universal Survival Arc. Dragon Ball Super: Broly is a movie that seems to solve that little conundrum by transforming the aforementioned muscle-bound drooling idiot, into a more sympathetic and tragic character. This is what happens when you tend to give a shit about characters your writing for, instead of relying on superficial and meaningless bullshit to get people to pay attention!

Talentless hacks to one side, I did like this version of Broly if I'm being perfectly honest. I think after 2 and a half films of "KAAAKAAAROOOOOOT!!!" (and an amusing TFS parody) it was actually nice to get a version of this character who, for the most part, keeps his bloody mouth shut. The redesign is simple, not too busy, but gets the point across better than the original. While the origin story is more or less the same as before, the removal of his downright absurd hatred of Goku seems to have been a wise decision. His interactions with his father and new character Cheelai add a smidge of depth and growth to Broly's character. A farcry from, okay let's bring it up one last time, the demented idiot who could only scream one word half the time.

If anything, the low point of the movie was anything not involving Broly. That's not to shit on Goku, Vegeta, Frieza and the rest of the cast, but it honestly felt like a retread of shit I already knew at this point. When Battle of Gods came out, it was only natural to bring the audience up to speed or give newcomers context to the overall plot of Dragon Ball. 2 movies in, and we're getting the damn origin story again. Plus did we really have to lean into the Superman theme for Goku's retconned/updated origin?

The new explanation for Goku's arrival on Earth just felt dumb and contradicts Bardock's original story and motivation. Maybe that's just me, but it didn't sit right. Vegeta's more or less the same, while Frieza's slightly tweaked backstory is nothing really to complain about. Other than that, a lot of the characters were just more or less here out of obligation. Here's Beerus to be funny, here's Piccolo to help explain something, and here's Bulma to remind us women age. If anything, the movie just felt like an extended episode of Dragon Ball Super as it's tied directly into the events after the Universal Survival Arc. Odd considering the films tend to be in a continuity outside of the Anime/Manga, or get adapted into some poorly drawn opening episodes of Dragon Ball Super.

Speaking of drawing, I did like the new artstyle the movie introduced. Very stylish and pleasing to the eyes. Though the 3D moments were a bit jarring.

I think what I'm basically getting at here is that the film would been better if it just focused on New-Broly instead of pinging back and forth so we can see what Goku and pals were up to. Frieza's entire involvement, as much as I enjoy seeing the evil little dickhead, was just incredibly pointless. The eventual payoff of Broly going Super Saiyan is there for sure, but the justification felt rather contrived and as if the film said "Oh wait, hang on. He goes Super Saiyan doesn't he? Quick! Stick it in somewhere!" Whereas him not needing to go Super to give Goku and Vegeta a challenge would have been more terrifying.

The fights are great as always, though some of the musical choices are "questionable", but it's a decent enough experience. That's about it really. A fairly enjoyable movie that delivers what it promises. I would have liked a movie that just focused on establishing New-Broly's character, but it gets side tracked so we can cram every Dragon Ball lore/wink/nod in for the third bloody time. Sadly it’s not in the same ballpark as Battle of Gods, but a good step up from Resurrection F. Give it a watch, but I can't see myself going back for a second helping.