Dragon Ball-the Magic Begins

This is one of the best movies I have seen. It puts life to the cartoons I have been watching for years.

This movie will make a lot more sense to you if you compare it to the Dragonball series, NOT to Dragonball Z. The Magic Begins includes most of the characters in the show and introduces Goku as a little boy still living with his grandfather in the woods. Goku is in possession of the four star dragon ball (called "dragon pearl" here) and the evil King Horn is out to gather the remaining six balls so he can summon the dragon and make an evil wish. Goku must find the remaining dragon balls before King Horn gets his hands on them, and in doing so, runs into a wacky cast of characters along the way. The movie sticks very closely to the show: Goku has his power pole and later gets the flying nimbus from Master Roshi; when Goku and Bulma first meet she's the first girl Goku's ever seen, and they meet when Goku is carrying an alligator back to his home for dinner, just like in the show. Oolong is a shapeshifter and Yamcha is scared of girls and challenges Goku at every turn. The hilarious Master Roshi is a perv as always, and his scenes with Oolong as Bulma are also straight from the show. You have to have a sense of humor to truly appreciate this movie. The special effects are lacking and the dubbing is awful, but the fight scenes are fun and the plot's pretty good. If you appreciate Toriyama's Dragonball at all, you're sure to find a good time in this movie. Here's a list of characters as they relate to the show, as far as I can tell: Monkey Boy - Goku Grandpa Sparkle - Grandpa Gohan Seetoe - Bulma Westwood - Yamcha (Westwood's wise cracking bird is probably Puar) Pig Fairy - Oolong Turtle Man - Master Roshi King Horn - Emperor Pilaf (Pilaf's cronies are probably Mai and Xiu)

This movie was definitely the funniest movie ever made. Nothing can compare to a little boy carrying a cardboard crocodile and getting shot by a gun that shoots out little sparkles. How can you imagine something funnier than a fat asian smacking his man boobs and his face and becoming a busty hawaiin drag queen? It's impossible my friend, and this movie takes everything. You have led a useless life if you have never seen this movie. I laughed to the point of not being able to breathe and felt dizzy with utter hysteria. I love this movie with all of my monkey boy heart. This movie will let all your dragon pearl wishes come true, my esteemed colleagues.

Even before realizing that this actually was an interpretation of the Dragonball manga (with which I am very familiar), this movie had me gripped. Every kung-fu battle makes you wonder if you're sitting on the fast-forward button, and every embarrassingly mistranslated quip and exaggerated facial expression is sure to draw a laugh. I was thoroughly amused throughout the entire film, despite its inconsistencies with the original manga. But hey, I'm no purist. I just like to be entertained.

"Journey To The West" a 500-year-old novel with even older roots in Chinese legend, was the primary inspiration for Akira Toriyama's "Dragonball" series. In the original, Goku was a "Monkey King," a former resident of Heaven who had been punished for his arrogance and mischief. To make amends he was assigned as helper to a Monk whose task was to bring Buddhist scriptures from India to China, and help spread the new faith that was to replace Taoist and Confucian beliefs. In Toriyama's original Dragonball version (later revised further for "Dragonball Z"), Goku is a monkey-boy in pursuit of 7 "dragonballs." It was only the character of Goku that was lifted from the classic; the rest is Toriyama's own myth-making. While this movie does not follow Toriyama's conception exactly, it is a lot closer to it than it is to any traditional Chinese legends. The Dragonballs are called Dragon Pearls in the dub, but there is no Chinese legend about the pursuit of such things; nor is there any Chinese legend with a character named "Bulma," which is actually a corruption of the word "Bloomers" and is a reference to lady's underpants. Most of the film's deviations from the manga and animation can be explained by two things: 1. The dub translation changed most of the characters' names, and changed "Dragonballs" to "Dragon Pearls." I suspect the dub was done before the Toriyama works were well-known stateside. 2. It is much more expensive to accomplish SFX in live-action films than in comics and cartoons. So, contrary to other reviews here, don't take this as anything but an adaptation of Toriyama's work. If you are interested in a dumbed-down version of the already-dumb anime inspired by a Chinese classic, here's your ticket. But don't go thinking you are watching anything to do with ancient Chinese culture. As to the somewhat high rating I am giving this, the whole movie fascinated me, and I loved it the same way I enjoyed the He-Man movie that featured Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a few years after he played Dracula. I would have rated it higher but that would mislead some people into thinking this was a good movie; it isn't. What it is, is a hoot.

This is a Terrible movie - and that's why we bought it. Ghastly costumes, incredibly lame special effects, 80s hairstyles that make Wham look stylish... you watch it, unable to believe that it truly is that bad. We specifically show it to friends to hear their horror. And the dubbing... Imagine, if you would, a live-action prequel to "Dragonball-Z", made cheaply in Thailand or Malaysia. Imagine that because of copyright problems, when it was dubbed into English it had to be changed to "Dragonpearl". The case still says "Dragon Ball", the music says "Dragon Ball", but all the way through they refer to "Dragon Pearls". Then imagine a grandfather with a wig that looks like a small rodent, a crocodile less convincing than the rubber octopus in "Bride of the Monster", and a dialogue that is excruciating. Location: Wildnerness near the crocodile pond. Boy is carrying crocodile across his shoulders - girl driving towards him. Boy: "That girl looks strange." (Assorted bits where he stops her car with his bare hands, she shoots him and he's not hurt) Girl: "I'm not a witch - I'm a human being." "You are?" "Look at me closely. Do I look like a witch?" (She nances around in a fashionable version of a safari outfit - those boots couldn't go very far in that terrain.) Boy: Maybe not. But I still feel that you're different from me. Girl: Of course we're different. You're a boy and I'm a girl, you know. (amazed) Oh! You're a girl? Are you really a girl? (remember, people, not 4 minutes ago he called her a girl.) Haven't you ever seen a woman before? No.... but Grandad told me that there are two different kinds of people. One is boys and the other is girls, so you must be the other kind of people. Girls, right? Yes. A boy and a girl, well, apart from some physical differences, are basically the same. Oh yes, I remember he said a girl's chest is bigger than a boy's. But that's strange. (approaching her with an investigative look in his eye) Why should your chest be bigger? (jumps towards her) Hey, can I take a look? Hey! You can't touch me! He retreats, looking disappointed at a lack of discovery. My Grandpa said that too. He said a boy mustn't touch a girl. He said that those that do are called ... (he's obviously searching for the right word here ) (Together they find the right word. Delightedly shouting:) RAPISTS! *******************************************888 And that's why we bought this movie.

I'm not a huge Dragonball fan, but I am a huge fan of outlandish films, especially those from the far east, so I bought this film hoping to get a lot of good laughs at it's expense. What actually happened was me groaning a lot, and wondering just what the heck was supposed to be going on in this stinker, as I dozed off again and again. The plot is so threadbare that it's about as developed as an Power Rangers episode, and the martial arts are along the same caliber. The special effects are laughable at best (couldn't they do better than that rubber crocodile?) and the dubbing is just plain pathetic. I can't recommed this film to anyone, except people who enjoy suffering through absolute dreck. I would've given it no stars if it were possible.

This surprisingly follows close to the source material. Some character's names and likenesses have been changed but only due to the limitations of the films budget. This is a must watch for any fan of Dragon Ball.