I love Dragon Ball, and I mean, LOVE it. I grew up watching it every night after school, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, I watched them all. I had the toys, I had the games, I had it all. I haven’t seen much of Dragon Ball Super yet but I fully intend to remedy that soon. I hope my love for this franchise is clear when I say I was physically upset when I first saw Dragonball: Evolution.

I had actually forgotten this film existed until recently, perhaps I had scrubbed the experience from my mind, however a recent YouTube binge reminded me of everything wrong with this film. So, thanks to Nostalgia Critic, The Cosmonaut Variety Hour and Chris Stuckmann I’ve taken it upon myself to try and fix this dumpster fire of a film.

Unlike most other films I’ve tried to fix, this film has no redeeming qualities, it may very well be the worst film I’ve done this for so instead of listing all the issues I’ll just point out the main ones. Before I do that though, I’ll need to say which features I’ll be keeping. To start I will keep the condensed Dragon Ball story glossing over some of the arcs, leaving potential for sequels if they don’t want to head straight to DBZ (can you believe there was actually a Sequel teased for this film?). I will also keep the Casting of Chow Yun Fat as Master Roshi as this was the bright spot of the whole film. It’s a shame he had a poor script and direction because casting him was a stroke of genius.With that said lets move on to the first of many problems. Casting.

CASTING:

Now I know with anime adaptations, Hollywood tries to westernize the media a little bit to make it more palatable for a western audience, however when you are dealing with a franchise as popular as Dragon Ball, it seems like an unnecessary step. Also the whole story is based on a Chinese folk tale, so casting a predominantly Asian cast should probably be at the forefront, especially in today’s political climate with the whitewashing throughout Hollywood (Hellboy, Ghost in the Shell and more) So first things first lets get our new cast together.

Goku: Yoshi Sudarso

Yoshi Sudarso is not the most famous name around but unfortunately there aren’t many Asian American actors with big names, at least not ones that fit the age range. Yoshi’s most famous role is perhaps as Koda from Power Rangers Dino Charge in which he plays a naive caveman character. This could transfer well to Goku’s character and he could bring that innocent energy. He is currently 29 so at the time of Evolution’s original release he would have been 20 which is young enough to portray what we need. Add to this his martial arts experience and love for the Dragon Ball franchise (often cosplaying as Gohan/Goku) and it sounds like we have a solid lead.

Piccolo: Peter Mensah

To have a strong film you need a strong villain and although James Marsters’ performance was widely regarded as the best part of the original, that’s hardly a complement. He only looks good because everything else is so bad. My proposed change is to cast Peter Mensah. For those of you who don’t know him, Mensah is mostly known as the trainer in Spartacus: Blood and Sand. He is a cold, detached and cruel individual before finding a renewed purpose as the show progresses. This is an interesting character that could portray the true motivations and mindset of King Piccolo, not to mention Mensah’s imposing figure and martial arts background would come into play perfectly.

Master Roshi: Chow Yun Fat

As I said Chow Yun Fat was a great choice to play Roshi, he’s an accomplished actor and adds star power to the film. The only thing that would change would be script and direction.

Bulma: Alison Brie.

Fresh from her first season of Community, Alison Brie feels like the perfect choice to play Bulma to me. She has proven she can do smart with Annie and more recently she has proven she can do layered tough characters with Ruth in GLOW. And she looks the part, I don’t think much more needs to be said.

Krillin: Justin Chon

Typically cast as the comic relief Justin Chon is great foil to a lead, he does has done it in the Nickelodeon show Just Jordan, Disney Channel original Wendy Wu and in bigger budget projects such as Twilight. Not only this though, but more recently he has started to demonstrate his range as an actor gaining lead roles in Revenge of the Green Dragons and Seoul Searching so he could certainly pull it together in some of the more tense scenes. He is older than the other main cast (save for Mensah and Chow Yun Fat) however he has quite a babyface and has been playing younger characters for years so that wouldn’t be an issue.

Another issue would be that Krillin isn’t actually in the film so that would also be a big change I’d be making, but before we get onto that I’d like to take a look at another one of the glaring issues that ruined the film.

CHOREOGRAPHY

In martial arts films, typically there is a lot of wire work to give an exaggerated action feel. It is used heavily in Asian cinema and since The Matrix films did so well it has been employed in a lot of western films. However in Dragonball: Evolution, the wire work is horrific and overused to the point of everything looking ridiculous.

My remedy to this would be to employ a somewhat more grounded approach to action. Focus on strong fight choreography instead of grand exaggerated wire work attacks. If you limit the wire work and focus on the choreography you can replicate the fast and furious feel of Dragon Ball fight scenes. Imagine the fights scenes being something like Ip Man, it still features wire work but there is also a lot of grounded combat.

CHARACTER

I’ve already mentioned casting being an issue but something that stems from this is character. looking at the characterization of characters along with some of the casting choices made me realize just how little attention the screenwriters and possibly the director had paid towards the source material.

Goku in the original, is an innocent young boy obsessed with fighting and getting stronger but he isn’t hate filled or angry, he just really enjoys fighting. He is dedicated to his friends and a always puts himself on the line to protect them and prove himself. Pretty simple right? Wrong. If you’ve seen Dragonball: Evolution you how different their version of Goku is. In DB:E Goku is a whiny angst filled teen who wants to show his high school bullies what he can do to them. Obviously my version of Goku would more resemble the original incarnation.

The same issue continues with most characters however if you get the lead and the villain right everything else should fall into place. In the original Piccolo is a villain who is aiming to get his youth back to conquer earth after having been split from his good half. Obviously this comes with issues in a film as it would mean having to spend a lot of time on his back story explaining his other half but instead of a work around they simply made him a villain without motivation he was a generic big bad. My version of piccolo would be a villain looking to find out his history, he cannot remember anything before his split or even that he is split but his does not know his history and wishes to know where he comes from. It’s a goal that makes it easy to relate to the villain but his means of getting the Dragon Balls are what make him so villainous. If the film were ever to receive a sequel they could then explore the split some more and delve into the characters of Kami and Piccolo Jr.

NOTHING LIKE DRAGON BALL:

Finally my last change is more of a general complaint. The movie is nothing like Dragon Ball from the look to the characters. It’s just off, even the aesthetic isn’t remotely close. Honor the source material even a little and this issue is resolved and you actually make a Dragon Ball film, instead of a film that only really shares the name.

Obviously there is a ton wrong with the film and I have only addressed some of the issues, there are still tonal issues to be addressed as well as cliched dialogue littering the entire film. There are poor special effects as well as a ridiculous implementation of the Kamahameha and Uzaru. There are a umber of useless characters and I’ll just stop before i give myself a headache. With 30 Million USD they should have been able to do a lot better than they did, it was a mess… and I can fix it.

As i have now presented the issues I have with the film and how I would remedy them I’ll be writing my new plot summary. It won’t be a straight adaptation of Dragon Ball but it’ll certainly be more faithful than what we got, so without further ado… Dragonball: Evolution.

NEW PLOT SUMMARY:

The film opens with a Large dragon in the sky speaking with a hooded figure. The Dragon Shenron, asks for the hooded figures wish. At this point a voice over begins explaining the story of Shenron and the Dragon balls. Shenron grants the unheard wish before scattering the Dragon balls and the voice over is revealed to be an old man speaking to his daughter, a young Bulma.

Bulma is fascinated by the story and asks if the Dragon Balls are real, her father responds that he thinks so but nobody has been able to find them for hundreds of years. Bulma resolves to find the Dragon Balls and her father laughs before sending her on her way. The scenes progress in montage form as we see Bulma aging, going through school. She develops into a skilled inventor alongside her father and eventually gives up on the Dragon Balls in favour of helping run the family business. After some time, her father falls ill and on his death bed grants Bulma a Dragon Ball saying he wished he could have found more of them for her. With a renewed interest in the Dragon Balls she sets out to find them in order to cure her father’s illness. She manages to build the Dragon radar tracking the energy from the Dragon Ball she has. Seven dots then show up on her radar before the screen fades to black and the title card appears.

After the titles, we see Bulma driving along a country road following her Dragon radar when she finds herself in a stopped. Her car is hit by a large boulder and is surrounded by bandits. She pulls out a gun and tells the men to leave her alone. The men quickly disarm her and she screams for help. Far away we see a man’s ear twitch, prompting him to take off running. Bulma is running away, trying to escape the men when she trips. She turns to see the men approaching her when suddenly one of them is struck from behind and collapses. The others turn to see Goku standing before them, ready to fight.

Goku tells them to leave the girl alone and they try to fight him. Here is where we see Goku’s first demonstration of skill. He uses his martial arts to dispatch the men with ease before returning to Bulma and asking if she is ok. She reveals that she is but is embarrassed she was unable to defend herself. Goku says that’s fine because she is only a girl to which Bulma is extremely offended by but Goku seems to be oblivious to this. He asks what she’s doing so far out of the city, (judging her by her dress style) and she mentions to him that she’s looking for the Dragon Balls to which he responds that he has one and can show her.

Heading back to Goku’s house it’s clear he lives alone. There is also a single grave in the yard. Goku shows off his Dragon Ball and explains how he got it, receiving it as a gift from his grandfather before he passed away. Bulma explains how she got hers before asking if Goku knows what they do. He is distracted and eating but responds that he does not. Bulma explains that she needs them so she can summon a dragon and get a wish. Goku is fascinated and asks what her wish is. Nervous to share, she says that she loves strawberries and would wish for a lifetime supply. Goku responds that it sounds like a good wish before commenting how cool it would be to see a Dragon. Bulma asks if she can take his Dragon Ball but he refuses. Before Bulma can respond though he says he will travel with her, keeping his Dragon Ball. She seems apprehensive but ultimately agrees to travel with Goku, realizing he could protect her from further harm. They spend the night at Goku’s house before heading out to continue their search. During the night Bulma sits awake curious about Goku and his motives.

The Next day they set off on their travels and Bulma explains that all they need to do is follow the radar and they will be at the next Dragon Ball in no time.

Elsewhere we see a village that has been leveled. Smoke and fire are all around as we are introduced to Piccolo. He stands amongst the rubble with a stoic expression on his face and a Dragon Ball in his hand, he places the Dragon Ball into a bag before spotting a member of the village struggling to crawl to safety. He claims that the situation could have been avoided before going on to explain he’s not a cruel man and that he is in desperate need for the Dragon Balls and cannot afford to waste time. Finally he says to the struggling villager that the suffering will soon end. He flies off letting loose a Ki blast to destroy the remainder of the town, killing the villager.

Goku and Bulma arrive at a beach as she explains the Dragon Ball is nearby, they see a small house out in the ocean a few hundred feet from land. On the beach in front is a young man on his knees in a bowing position. Confused they approach and ask what is going on. He explains that he’s trying to train with the great Turtle Hermit. Goku asks what he means and Krillin introduces himself, explaining that Master Roshi is a great Martial artist. Goku rushes into the water to head to the house and Krillin starts freaking out. Goku says he wants to know just how strong Roshi is, as he loves to fight. Krillin cannot allow Goku to dishonour Kame house, as people need to wait for Roshi to reveal himself, and challenges Goku to a fight.

The two square up and begin to fight. Goku is clearly the better fighter landing a number of strikes in quick succession. However, Krillin is clever and manages to keep in the fight by avoiding attacks and keeping moving, landing hits of his own by employing a fighting style similar to Jackie Chan, using the environment.

As the fight continues Krillin starts to panic however the two men are soon stopped by Master Roshi placing himself between them. Goku is awestruck at him coming from nowhere while Krillin immediately gets to his knees and bows. Goku asks who he is to which he responds with a smile that he is the great turtle hermit and the man’s whose house Goku just tried to break into. Goku tries to explain himself but Roshi starts to walk back towards his house. Stopping part way he asks what they were after, Bulma explains that they saw he had a Dragon Ball. Roshi plays coy pretending not to know, although poorly. She asks what they need to do to to get the Dragon Ball. At which point a sinister smile comes across his face teasing the pervy nature of the character. Goku speaks up and says he will fight Roshi for the Dragon Ball and Roshi laughs. He agrees to the challenge and tells the Goku to prepare.

Goku speaks to Krillin asking how to beat Roshi. Krillin is shocked and tries to explain that Roshi is a world renowned master and he has no idea how to beat him. Goku shrugs this off and turns to face Roshi who gestures him to the beach. He asks him if he is ready to which Goku responds with a nod. The two spend a few moments preparing, taking deep breaths in anticipation for the fight. Bulma drops a flag and Goku takes a running step forward before stopping to see Roshi standing completely still. Curious, Goku watches him draw a circle with his arms.

“KA-ME”

Roshi draw his hands together at the side of his waist.

“HA-ME”

Goku takes a defensive stance as Roshi smirks.

“HA”

Roshi lets rip a ferocious energy blast whipping up sand from the beach and blasting Goku back a dozen feet, knocking him on his back. Goku looks up to see Roshi still unmoved from his spot. Bulma and Krillin watch on in amazement as Roshi declares himself the winner. Goku asks what happened and begs Roshi to train him. Roshi says he needs to learn patience as Krillin had been waiting for three days. Goku turns to him and kneels beside him stating he will wait. Bulma explains that they have a mission to find the Dragon Balls but Goku counters that he needs to learn that move. Roshi then tells them to get up and come to his house for some tea.

Inside, Bulma explains to Roshi that they are looking for the Dragon Balls . He asks why they need them and Bulma explains that she has always had a fascination with them. Roshi nods in agreement but then reiterates his earlier point about needing patience. She is invited to stay the night to which she agrees. Focus then shifts to Goku and Krillin and a discussion is had about the two joining Roshi as new students. As the night continues Bulma tells Goku she needs to continue her quest asking him to come with her but he says he has to learn Roshi’s move and beat him. Regrettably the two of them part ways but Goku hands Bulma his Dragon Ball stating that they will meet up again and he’ll get his Dragon ball back. He then says that he’ll beat Roshi and get his Dragon Ball so the next time they meet they will be closer to getting their strawberries. the two share a warm goodbye and Bulma heads out while the others sleep.

At this point we see a training montage of Roshi, Krillin and Goku cut with Bulma traveling, trying to find the Dragon Balls and being met with difficulty. Goku has a hair cut and he and Krillin seem to have a better grasp on martial arts. When the montage ends we see Goku and Krillin out of breath after training, sat on the beach. Goku asks Roshi when they are finally going to learn the Kamehameha to which he responds that patience is key again. Goku is frustrated and shares this with Krillin who explains that Roshi is right and reassures Goku that they will learn and become stronger. The two smile with a renewed determination.

While they are resting, Bulma returns beaten and bruised. She is scrambling and screaming for help. The boys race over to her when suddenly an explosion knocks them all flying. Piccolo has arrived . He towers over the others and declares that he has come for the Dragon Balls. Roshi rushes out of Kame House and tells the three of them to get away. The boys carry Bulma to safety as Roshi leaps forward striking Piccolo and the two of them start trading blows. They also share some dialogue indicating that they know one another. Roshi is visibly unable to keep up with the stronger Piccolo, though he tries his best. Goku spots this and says he needs to intervene, Krillin prevents him telling him to trust Roshi. He begrudgingly holds back as the fight continues. Roshi and Piccolo continue and Piccolo manages to lands some serious blows sending Roshi staggering backwards. He leaps forward to land a killing blow but is blocked by Goku diving into Piccolo, tackling him to the ground. The two regain their stances and Goku squares up to fight Piccolo. Roshi yells at him to get back but he does not listen. Piccolo comments on Goku’s strength and the two of fight though Goku is quickly over whelmed. He starts to panic and struggles to stop Piccolo’s attacks. Roshi yells at him to get out of the way and unleashes a Kamehameha toward Piccolo which he lands but Piccolo survives and flees. Roshi scalds Goku before they go to check on Bulma to ask what happened.

Roshi asks how Bulma ran into Piccolo when she comments that she found him with a Dragon Ball. Krillin asks how Roshi knows him and he explains that they fought in the past. Back then, He was able to defeat Piccolo and seal him away but somehow he has returned. Goku asks why he was after the Dragon Balls which Roshi does not know but he knows it must be trouble. Goku says they need to go after Piccolo and get the Dragon Balls before he does. Roshi comments that he still has his before Goku responds that Bulma has 2. Bulma explains Piccolo took them from her and Goku grows panicked saying that he needs to get his grandfather’s Dragon Ball back. Roshi agrees that they need the Dragon Balls but finding the others is more important first. They decide to head out together in case they are attacked again .Roshi then states that he’ll need to up the boys’ training.

Piccolo having fled from the battle is seeking refuge in a cave. He begins coughing and hunches over. He starts retching before something gets stuck in his throat. He doubles over and collapses as he begins to cough up an egg. Eventually the egg cracks open showing a creature similar to Piccolo but with scaled skin. This is Tambourine. Piccolo picks up Tambourine and supports him, carrying him over to a wall to lean him against. Exhausted he explains to his “son” who he is and why he has been born. He explains that he needs the Dragon Balls so that he can restore his memory and discover where they came from. Tambourine nods in agreement and dedicates himself to helping before taking off to search for Dragon balls. Piccolo then sits down against the cave wall to recover thinking to himself about his past and how little he truly knows of himself.

As things continue on the search for the Dragon Balls Goku and Bulma end up fighting as he blames her for the loss of his Grandfather’s Dragon Ball, this causes a rift in the group as Goku and Krillin pair off. Roshi puts Bulma at ease but she is worried about losing the Dragon balls and explains to him that the stories say that when used the balls scatter across the planet. as the journey continues and they find another Dragon Ball she confesses this to Goku and he grows even more angry but then she reveals that her father is ill and that is her real reason for seeking out the Dragon Balls. As the travels continue the two eventually re conciliate with a little push from Krillin before reaching a temple which is the location of the next Dragon Ball.

The group enter the temple and find that it is a maze of sorts. Goku and Bulma decide to head inside and look for the Ball. Krillin heads outside for some air and begins to look around. Suddenly Tambourine blasts the temple and it starts to collapse. Krillin tells Roshi go help the others and he squares off against Tambourine. They fight while the others try to navigate the maze to collect the Dragon Ball. Krillin has dramatically improved as a fighter and is able to demonstrate his skill but still cannot beat Tambourine. The group emerge from the collapsing temple and this distracts Krillin for a moment and he is impaled by tambourine. Goku cries out in anger and drops the Dragon Ball. He rushes over and kills Tambourine almost instantly in response. Piccolo feels this and mourns for his son as the three others mourn for Krillin.

Goku decides that they need to end things before any more harm can be done and Bulma agrees however Roshi says they need to return home to give Krillin a proper burial. Goku refuses and claims if they can get the Dragon Balls they can bring Krillin back. Roshi disagrees with using the Dragon Balls to bring somebody back from the dead and Bulma is concerned as she wishes to help her father. Goku apologizes and says he has to do this though Bulma understands. Roshi is angry and tells Goku he doesn’t stand a chance. In anger he leaves and takes Krillin’s body home while Goku and Bulma follow the Dragon Radar.

Arriving to find Piccolo, Goku and Bulma stand with their Dragon balls in hand and challenge him to a fight for all the Dragon Balls. Piccolo remarks that it would be wise and save anymore unwarranted death. He says a brief word in remembrance for Tambourine which angers Goku as he speaks of Krillin and what Tambourine did. Piccolo explains he is sorry that Krillin had to die but Tambourine knew that they needed to succeed. Piccolo then wagers his Dragon Balls against Goku’s and they get ready to fight.

In the climactic battle we see Goku employ his new fighting prowess against Piccolo and fueled by his rage he manages to turn the tide in his favor on a number of occasions. Piccolo being the more experienced fighter though still controls most of the fight. Bulma tries to take the Dragon Balls while the fight is going on but as soon as all seven balls come into contact, Shenron is summoned. Piccolo is distracted from the fight and knocked back by Goku who cries out for Bulma to make the wish. Bulma is torn but ultimately makes the wish for Krillin to be revived. The Dragon Balls scatter and Piccolo is inconsolable, in a rage he threatens to level the entire area killing everyone around. He charges a ki blast and Goku forces himself to attempt a Kamehameha. The two unleash their moves and have a classic Dragon Ball style beam struggle, with Goku eventually vaporizing Piccolo. In the aftermath Goku collapses with a smile on his face.

Goku explains that he will help get them back so Bulma can help her father and she thanks him. The two then return to Roshi and Goku apologizes for going against him but Roshi simply hugs him as Krillin steps out of the door to Kame house. The end

In a post credits sequence we see a baby piccolo being raised by a stranger.

So that’s it. My version of Dragonball: Evolution. It’s probably my longest fix so I apologize for that but i didn’t want to leave too much out in my explanation. Some may find it excessive but i think it’s alright. Let me know what you think and what you would have done different. If you would like to see a sequel to this version, make it known? Peg out.