Review: 'Dragon Ball Super: Broly' delivers with a super humongous fight
The Dragon Ball series has always been about the spectacular, planet-shaking fights between epic level foes. Dragon Ball Super: Broly lives up to that expectation. Set after the end of the current Dragon Ball Super anime series, Broly sees the two protagonists, Goku and Vegeta, going up against a foe of the same species as them (the Saiyan race) — the eponymous Broly himself. Of course, all this is is the result of Frieza’s machinations, and we even get to see Frieza himself taking part in the fight.
The hyperbolically named Dragon Ball Super is actually a pretty apropos name, given that it centres around a set of fights against the nigh invincible Broly. It doesn’t quite top the destructiveness of Dragon Ball: Resurrection “F” (since the Earth was literally annihilated in that film), but it more than makes up for it with the tremendous power and violence that all three Saiyans bring to bear in the fight. It’s not just all about the fighting either. The battles against Broly take place in evocative environments that get chewed up in the course of the fight, getting just as battered (or even more) as the combatants in the movie.
It’s a clash of the titans that’s on par with films like the animated direct-to-video The Death of Superman (which pits Superman against an equally powerful Doomsday). Like all forms of Dragon Ball media, it sublimates your inner need for violence, allowing you to live vicariously through the mountain-sized kamehamehas (the energy ball that Goku shoots) and tectonic plate shattering punches. As a (fairly) child-friendly animation (it is rated PG-13 after all), there’s very little blood and gore, which makes it so much more satisfying when you see them levelling entire swathes of land in their attempt to beat each other up. After all, the last thing you want to be reminded of when watching a fantasy anime series is the real world consequences of such a conflict.
While the lion’s share of the budget clearly went into the high-octane fight sequences (the bulk of the film is a series of fights against Broly), it’s clear that the domestic scenes had a little less work done on them. Some shots are so heavily magnified that you can see the imperfections in the art lines and the resolution is a little less than stellar. And in some cases, the close-ups are far too tight for the cinematic format, leaving with you with a distracting sense of discomfort. Of course, this doesn’t take away from the humour of those scenes, and the focus of Dragon Ball has always been about the battles anyway.
New character Broly also suffers from a severe lack of exposition, especially if you haven’t seen his previous renditions or aren’t familiar with him. There’s a little bit more humanisation to the character and the outcome of the battle is less brutal than in other Dragon Ball series. However, his constant transformations and upgrades may leave some viewers in doubt as to the exact mode he is in, although it’s pretty much a linear progression (i.e., he only gets more powerful with each change).
The ever-escalating arms race is also hilarious (but amazing) to watch, as they go through significant increases in power level for each stage of the battle. Of course, this is no surprise to most Dragon Ball viewers. However, if you only know about the Super Saiyan forms (and not the later upgrades), it’s highly recommended that you read up about the Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue forms for more context during the battles.
Sadly, Dragon Ball Super: Broly comes to a rather anti-climatic end, with the battle ending in a lacklustre manner. That’s not to say there isn’t a sense of closure to the film, just that the spectacular battle sort of fizzles out with a whimper. There’s also the issue of Frieza’s portion of the fight. While he does take part in the battle, his fight scenes serve more as cutaways than actual combat sequences in their own right. But don’t worry, Golden Frieza makes an appearance.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is exactly what the title states it to be — a grand Super battle against new character Broly. If you’re looking for a fight, Dragon Ball Super: Broly delivers magnificently. Plus, you’ll get to see the Fusion Dance in the film!
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you are a Dragon Ball fan.
Score: 3.3/5
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 100 minutes
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is an animated action adventure film that’s the first in the Dragon Ball Super continuity, and the 20th overall in the Dragon Ball franchise.
The film delves into the backstory behind Frieza and the Saiyans, and reveals the atrocities that led to the creation of their most powerful opponent yet, Broly. However, the key to defeating Broly may lie in understanding his origins — and motivations.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is directed by Tatsuya Nagamine and written by Akira Toriyama. It features the voice talents of Masako Nozawa (Son Goku), Ryo Horikawa (Vegeta), Aya Hisakawa (Bulma), Toshio Furukawa (Piccolo), Koichi Yamadera (Beerus), Masakazu Morita (Whis), Bin Shimada (Broly), Katsuhisa Houki (Paragus), and Ryusei Nakao (Frieza). It is rated PG-13.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly opens in cinemas:
– 27 December, 2018 (Singapore, with sneaks starting on 21 December, 2018)
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Marcus Goh is a television scriptwriter, having written for popular shows like “Lion Mums”, “Crimewatch”, “Code of Law”, “Incredible Tales”, and “Police & Thief”. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site. The views expressed are his own.
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