Adding to your Batman V Superman example. They released an Ultimate edition that had 30 extra minutes of footage that fleshes out some of the editing and pacing problems that the film had. I hope Toei releases a cut with extra footage
nocturnalstarboy Yes, they have to do that. If they recap this movie in the show, if it does indeed return, would be a bad idea. Releasing an extended cut of this movie like with BVS would be a better idea in trying to go deeper into the story, development of Broly’s character and give him some lines while he’s fighting. They seriously have to do this, instead of recapping it like with the previous movies.
back in the day, frieza was ruthless and menacing. but in the movie he is alot more chill to his staff, and can accept losing, but hes still the same manipulative asshole. hes smarter and more humanlike after getting beaten so much in the series, but still a bad guy. hes perfect
I think that this video was pretty well argumented, anyone who says that you're whining is just angry because they didn't get what he/she wanted to hear. Thank you for this spoiler-free review, Ajay. After hearing your points, I would more than love to see a TV adaptation of this story to experience the things that were left out.
I was HEAVILY thinking of going to Japan to see the movie, and with this review you only added to my hype!! Stoked to see it when it releases here in Europe!
You were "heavily thinking" of going to Japan to see this movie... Well, and there it is, the reason why the western civilazation is falling to the abyss. Idiot pointless nerd.
Perhaps the lack of tension could be adressed if they painted Goku and Vegeta as villains here. Two arrogant Saiyans, basked in God's ki, teaming up against a tragic boy cursed by his enormous power that banished him in the first place, manipulated by the one that exterminated his race and by his resentful father. Great review, Ajay!
@SSJG Yeah, I kinda wish Super didn't really happen but I loved the arcs such as Goku black along with Battle of Gods and ROF(The movie's btw, the Super arcs can go fuck themselves).
What I want them to do is expand on Goku and Vegeta's new found powers. Vegeta unlocks a true God form with infinite energy and combines it with Hakia energy. Goku fully masters UI. But I get that that would ultimately end the Dragon Ball series all together.
I skipped to the end and worked back until I found your overall opinion. "A creaky but thrilling rollercoaster." Thank you. I wanted to avoid any additional spoilers because I want the rollercoaster to still have some roll to it, and what you put there tells me everything I wanted to know. So again, thanks. Tickets ordered for Jan 17 at the closest theatre to me that's actually playing it, 60 km away.
So the writing is fairly weak when you take into account the whole package, but it has some has some well written characters and fantastic action? That sounds like Dragon Ball to me.
tbh dragon ball has always been about fantastic action and characters to me if i wanted a very deep and awesome lore i would just watch code geass or death note
@@dr.emmettbrown5345 i do watch jojo and i will say its action is great but when you watch shows like fate/zero and hajime no ippo your perspective of a jaw dropping fight changes drastically
@@shubhamvyas3192 Yep , BoG arc apart from the animation , was better then the movie imo as well , RoF ? not so much i guess yea and Brolly ? the movie is almost perfect it seems , i don't think it really needs a comp retelling in episodes , maybe an extended cut ver of it , or dedicate a special ep or two maybe as an OVA if not part of the tv show ? to flesh out the missing pieces .
**SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT** There's some interesting debate going on at the moment about Ultra Instinct's possible inclusion in the movie. Since its absence was something I picked up on in my review, I figured I’d weigh in with my perspective, since I also saw what people were referring to, but didn’t think much of it. During Goku’s SSJ Blue transformation, there's a split-second glimpse of something that looks a bit like Ultra Instinct; Goku has white hair and pupils momentarily. I took this to simply be an artistic effect for several reasons: the first is that Goku has pupils at several points in this film from rage, so it’s a pretty common theme that I’m not sure means much. Likewise, earlier on Vegeta's hair turned green for a split second, so the colour didn't really phase me; this is a scene that also has Goku’s aura turning green and all kinds of other weird colour combinations, too. Nagamine had commented about wanting to change how the transformations were depicted so I figured it was just that: a cool visual effect, with no deeper meaning beyond that. Considering it has a screenshot of this moment in the movie’s pamphlet, I kind of wonder if there’s more to it than that… in the sense that it’s an intentional Easter egg of sorts. I think if that is intentional, then that's really cool and frames things a little better, though I can’t say it really fixes the issues of tension for me. It does however make it really hard to actually qualify why those issues exist. Maybe it’s because fusion is an obvious out? I don’t know. Either way, this is really interesting stuff, and hopefully I can sit down with other fans and discuss it in a video soon! Thoughts?
I always thought of Broly as a really cool concept that severely lacked in execution, so it's really nice to hear that he got an overhaul in terms of his character. What you said in this video and what I heard about the movie until now makes me think of a more shonen-friendly version of Guts from later parts of Berserk, with somewhat similar traits and character development, which I can totally get behind
Your review is so in-depth that it really gives a separate review, in a way, to each kind of fan, knowing what to expect before, so we can prepare for the best/worst. This is what a solid review should look like. Well done!!!
I plan on going into this movie with Broly as the main protagonist and not the antagonist. I feel if you view it that way, the tension comes back because although he's probably not gonna win you'll still root for him. Especially if he's as sympathetic as he's being hyped up to be.
When I was watching this in the theater I got a real Tarzan vibe from Broly in this movie, and it is so cute and charming, I absolutely love it. I'm so glad you feel the same way.
Just appreciating how great this video and most others on your channel are. The scripting, flow and presentation is phenomenal, and you always convey all your points perfectly. Nice work!
Man, I'm glad Gogeta handles business in this movie. I feel like Gogeta gives Goku and Vegeta a versatile trump card on the fly when they're in combat. I mean think about it. When are Goku and Vegeta ever gonna have Potara earrings on the go?
@@philyhero33go I'm not subbed to him that's the thing, he's always on the top of my homepage with a new picture of the movie in the news bit, so annoying
Freeza being characterized as a court jester and puppet master sounds absolutely astonishing and exciting. Ultimately, the draw of this film, and of this franchise as a whole really, has been its spectacle and especially the heart of its subversive characters; if those are present in the film, narrative and theming criticisms simply become side-notes that I don't particularly feel was ever applicable to Dragon Ball ever since its conception. Especially once we heard Toriyama was at the helm; he's certainly talented, but not quite that type of talented to bringing meaning to something, and he hasn't brought any themes full-circle in a while now. Of course, that's what makes Dragon Ball all its own, and appealing to the myriad of fans it's bewitched. If I'm looking for something with narrative strength, I'd gladly watch something besides Dragon Ball to get my fill A great detailed review though; there is quite a bit that was glanced over and could use further elaboration, but those are nothing short of nitpicks
So what I'm getting is narratively, it's alright with some really strong character writing, albeit a bit clumped together at some points, until the action starts it kinds forgets it and becomes a wild balls to the walls fight after fight. So kinda what I expected. Sounds like Broly when he isn't fighting is actually a good character now.
DarkFalcon This is how I think of it. Broly obviously loses his mind when he fights, and turns into a beast. Frieza will take advantage of this to turn him against the Saiyans while Goku and Vegeta try to handle the main threat (The actual villian) while trying to convince Broly to aid them and break through Friezas grasp of it.
how is the character acting ? also your thoughts on Takahashi compared to the rest of the film? thoughts on the ost and how it fits the film? I have so many questions lmao I NEED TO SEE IT NOW!
After finally watching the film for myself I can honestly say I was blown away. I kept my expectations on story and character low but even if I hadn't I think this film would have exceeded what I expected from modern dragon ball. As far as one point you mentioned. I can understand feeling the fight somewhat lacked tension but I think that is only true if you look at vegeta and goku as the heroes. However in this case I almost feel that they are more obstacles meant for broly to overcome. I think we all can agree broly is the protagonist and as such he is framed as the relatable underdog through out the course of the film. We see this especially in the fight as he is the one repeatedly pushed to the edge in order to try and match his opponent. It honestly made me think of goku versus freeza. Of course we know the heroes will win it doesnt make sense for them not to considering the stakes. Instead the conflict is what will become of broly. Will he die? Will he end up with the heroes? Or will he end up with freeza. That is the real drama of the fight and when viewed through that lense it is much more interesting
Angel This version of Broly is suppose to be more primal and savage, he doesn't need to be another Frieza or Cell who talks a lot. Why the hell would he talk while fighting Goku? What would he say? This Broly is suppose to be an innocent gentle boy who's force to fight and can't control his anger.
Craig Jikumlambo Yes he doesn't need to be psychotic to speak, but again what would he say? This version of Broly is suppose to be pure rage and anger, you want him to act like Frieza or Cell in the middle of the fight?
@@holyflame2 look clearly you don't mind which is fine as we both have different preferences but without getting into spoilers, things happen to Broly in the movie that would be elevated by him speaking even if briefly, as we as the audience can gain more insight into his mindset. he doesn't need to monologue for like 10 minutes because he's not that type of villian. but Ajay says that he has absolutely 0 speaking lines, not even a word or 2 , that to me is a bit of an issue especially if we're supposed to feel some sort of emotion towards the character.
This is really weird. I've heard that toriyama accidentally thought 18s hair was purple but this is clearly a yamamoro design and its blue instead? What l led to this?
Interesting, so basically the biggest problem in this movie is the amount of stuff that got cut out resulting in a really messy narrative, tho, if it is just mostly that, i don't really care, i'm just happy that the movie somewhat lived up to the hype from what i'm seeing on social media... THO, I AM STILL GONNA WATCH IT!! HECK YA!!
Amazing review. I absolutely loved the film and was worried when you started getting critical, but I had to agree with all the points made. I’ve subbed now and I hope to see more from you soon!
Between Todd Blankenship, Ajay, and Totally Not Mark - literally n other voices are needed in the mostly TERRIBLE DB "community". Though, there are other great creators.
Whether you love them or hate them, Geekdom101 is arguable the most Influencial and important at this point, and Rhymestyle with his video game influences
Awesome thank you Ajay I'm so happy that I can hear this, I feel like I'm having a conversation with your breakdowns as my thought process is similar to yours
I can't wait to see how Broly is used in the future of Dragon Ball. Personally, I want to see his character personality more than his fight scenes. The fact that Broly is a kind and sentimental character makes him more interesting to see. So maybe in the future, we'll see that side of him more. And I hope they expand more on the past as well. There's just a lot of potential for the future of Dragon Ball because of this movie, that's why I'm so excited to see it.
The lack of tension was my biggest complaint about “Resurrection ‘F’”. There’s never a point where Freeza really has the upper hand. It’s a one-sided beatdown, especially once Vegeta gets involved.
@@purerage7963 This is also reinforced by the movie soundtrack. From what I can tell, the fight will likely include 3 songs which evens out to 7~12 minutes
Cool review dude, some of the points you brought up I didn't consider like the lack of tension. However, I do get what you meant about there not being enough time spent on certain story beats and character moments. Personally, I loved the film, it was one of the most beautiful, intense, hilarious and visceral experiences I've had in the cinema. I know a lot of my love is purely based on my overall love for this franchise, but I really did like the more dramatic and emotional elements added to the story with the stuff in the past or Broly's upbringing. The humour was great especially with Frieza and Bulma, and those action sequence almost melted my mind with how glorious it all was.
Ya know, I never understood the love affair DBZ fans have with Broly. The character has never interested me in the slightest. I find the entire story of Broly to be incredibly boring and underwhelming. Most fanboys will probably think i'm trolling but I most definitely am not.
I to watched the movie and full disclaimer there will be spoiler's. SPOILER'S NOW!!!! As a dragon ball fan i instantly fell in love with this incarnation of Broly, he's climbed the ranking of my favorite male character's incredibly quickly. Chilai is an amazing supporting character as well, she gives me the same vibe that Bulma did in OG dragon ball. In terms of Writing i can see where your coming from, the first part of the film does feel a bit disjointed but if your a long time fan the first 20 minutes or so of covering Broly's Birth, Dragon Ball Minus and the Destruction of Planet Vegeta is all perfectly within the lines of what i'd expect from the series in terms of time spent on it, it's not really that big of a complaint. I do think that time was severely cut but at the same time i also believe if the film does well we'll get an "Uncut" version with a lot more content in it, and i have full faith that the american release of the movie will give Broly more lines during his fight. All in all the backstory to the saiyans is better to me, the inclusion of broly as a cannon character is amazing in this incarnation of him along with his friends Chilai(who'm i absolutely love) and Lemo is very well done, the action is definitely top notch but it does get a bit hard to keep up with near the end. I really hope this movie does as well as Battle of Gods or Resurrection of F and i truly think it deserves it but i don't think the common person will enjoy this as much as a long time fan will. 9/10 from me, if it were longer on the non-fighting parts and the fight had more of broly talking before he goes full berserk it would be a 10/10.
Having watched the movie in English dub, I have to say, I agree with most if not all of everything you've said here. Broly's character was largely undeveloped and unutialized though reestablished well overall. The animation is sublime, superb, and spectacular, but ultimately in service to a plot that feels kind of rushed and shallow with little to no tension at all. ... And I'm not sure it was me or if it was just the translation from Japenese to English Dub put I often felt that there were serious moments in the movie that were ruined by the presentation of the dub. Such as a the crucial moment in the film when Broly transforms into his Legendary Super Saiyan form. The way Frieza sounds is so silly and overly dramatic (though I know that it can be argued that, that is the point considering Frieza's character and Toriyama's light-hearted style of writing) , but that could be forgiven if Broly's response to the situation was more human, or characterized, instead of him just yelling some more and hulking out! Anyway I've heard, though I'm not sure if it's true, there is going to be an extended version of the film later on. I'm looking forward to that as well as watching the film with subs to make my overall final judgement on the film. but I agree, as it is. I seriously hope that if there isn't an extended film version, that the TV retelling is done well and in depth.
The new animation is 100 times better then old Dragonball supers... don't get me wrong, DBS animation got a lot better towards the end, but i never got used to the shiny/plasticy look. This feels like DBZ but modern. honestly looks out of this world
Solid review, good work reviewing themes and the film making it's self without speaking too much soley about the animation and art. I look forward to seeing it next month. As I'd never get a chance to say this to you on twitter or in person. Thanks for the great content and sorry for what it is I did that pissed you off. Keep smashing out good content.
So if there was no mention of blue kaioken and the presence of God Vegeta, does that make the movie more of a continuation of the manga’s take on Super?
What DBZ movie ever hit all the prerequisites you've described? None. Not even the series was that deep. I love DBZ/S but what you seem to have expected was totally unrealistic based off of what all past movies have ever offered, even with it's creator at the helm.
I wholeheartedly agreed with you in terms of the stakes of this movie, but as someone in for some fighting thrill-ride on Saturday this film was an incredibly entertaining experience and i got a whole lot more than what I initially expected. I won't consider myself anymore than someone who has been following Dragon Ball to this day but not really a hardcore fan. Yet there were just some scenes from this movie that got me all stuttering to my friend especially some of the callbacks. I also just came back from your animation break down earlier and just gotta sum up the experience with your quote: "Dragon Ball has never looked this good".
To be honest I like that the film has a long backstory because it get out all the context needed so that people who have just gotten into Dragon ball won't feel too lost. Although an extended version would be friggin stellar, I hope we get that.
I knew Freeza would be a highlight after his wish was revealed. I loved that much more than i should hahaha. I'm glad you like it, and i hope everyone else does as well. After RoF *we needed something like this*
I really like your take on these things, you look at it as more of a gentle critic rather than a Dragonball hyper fan. I feel like the superfans (myself shamelessly included) wouldn't really give a damn about how the movie is paced and whatnot, so it's really nice to see it from a new perspective. I was thinking it would be more story driven even in the fight but I guess i was wrong, maybe their looking for a more like a coin, one side features great story and the other features amazing fights with spectacle.
Watched this movie a second time for today. I enjoyed it even more on the second watch. I love it but I also agree that some parts of it felt quite choppy. I wished there was more on Saiyans...Their culture, their history, their way of life...I also agree with Broly not being so well written during the fight scenes...Anyway, thank you so much on this super detailed review! Really appreciate you mentioning the creators. 😊
This honestly just makes me look forward to the movie even more, I feel I can deal with the flaws of this and enjoy this as a good progression of the Dragon Ball franchise
if this is the case, and the cutting of the story makes it more rushed and more black and white than it would be preferred, i think this is the one time having something like Super as a Tv series re-tell it would actually be an amazing option. unlike Battle Of Gods or Res F, which either didn't need to be expanded or simply didn't need to be mentioned, having the series be able to take those 3 hours into an extended arc would be perfect. there's no time limit, especially for Toei, and they can really focus on points if they want to. i just want them to not touch it. that's all. if they do this, and they change it around, i feel the experience can only be worsened. because it is Toei. also want to see Vic Mignogna get a chance at the Broly voice outside of screaming Goku's name. obviously this wont be during the fight scene, as you've established he has next to zero lines, but that introverted "i'm being forced to go shopping by my dad" Broly is one i'm happy to go see in theater's in January.
Why have the the films really had trouble with tension? Resurrection F also had a critical lack of tension. Are Goku and Vegeta too strong now? Is it that there's a lack of real consequences? I mean, if anyone gets killed they'll just be revived later, so what can the heroes be threatened with aside from their own destruction, which won't happen of course. Who knows, but it is something plaguing the films, or at least Toriyama's recent writing.
Yes I'm worried about that, I expected Goku and Vegeta to receive a brutal beatdown, wtf is happening? The last time I felt tension in Dragon Ball was the Black saga in the manga. This is disappointing...
Yeah I guess they made goku and vegeta a little too powerful which sucks to be honest,I absolutely hate it when a character becomes too powerful it just sucks out all the tension,now I think im not gonna see the only thing I loved about original broly movie which is the 1V5 battle where he just fuckin mowed down the Z fighters.
And see, the lack of Tension in DB/DBZ movies is why I don't particularly like any of them. Because Tension and Suspense are the two things that I truly love about DB/DBZ, and they are completely missing from pretty much all of the DB/DBZ movies.
When I was young I absolutely loved Dragon Ball for its action alone. Now I’m older, my tastes in anime/manga are more fine-tuned. It’s no longer enough to give me good action, I want a well-written story that makes sense, and characters that are well-written and do things that make sense for their character. Broly sounds like Jiren to me: a character who was written beautifully, but when it comes down the climax of the action, all that is thrown aside to make a thoughtless, overpowered behemoth who cares about nothing but winning the fight. It’s like they dumped their tragic, sympathetic character who has a lot to learn from meeting Goku and seeing what he did with his life, in favor the hulking, type A villain who only knows how to destroy. It’s like they were telling me, hey forget about this person you are now who wants your villains to make sense and be somewhat relatable, and remember that kid you were that just wanted to see nuclear ki blasts getting thrown everywhere. I’ll prob watch it some point, but I’m not falling over myself to see it. Nostalgia can only do so much for me.
It went to that form because. Of his mental state he saw Goku as the character who killed his clan and he couldn't stand to see himself lose to someone like that
Honestly, they were so close to getting Broly entirely right, just add a few scenes having conversations with Goku and Vegeta individually, and expand upon the tragic father/son relationship that he has and boom, perfect Broly. Normally I wouldn't have hopes of such good writing from Dragon Ball, but with so many reviews saying that it's so good and the fact that the film comes so close to addressing all these elements just makes me feel dissapointed with what we got.
You mention that the movie feels like it has a few scenes cut, but would an extended cut be able to fix those issues without adding a lot to the run time of the movie ? As for the movie itself, personally, I feel that if it's more of "Dragon Ball", I'll probably enjoy it regardless. Going back to the older movies, even the ones that really did not stand the test of time that well, I still feel some sort of enjoyment. It's nice to see someone giving good criticism of a movie without devolving into the whole "The power levels don't make any sense" argument. I subbed mainly for the animation break downs, but overall I like the way you present your arguments. Nice video!
i just saw the movie earlier this evening, and i think ajay puts into words what i couldn't. i especially agree with his points on the lack of tension and the lack of further character deveopment of broly. those are two things that at the end of the movie left me feeling a little like "meh...."
