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The
Film:
If
you aren't already familiar with the world of Dragon Ball and its many
various
sequels and incarnations, I would be surprised. It's gone down in
history as
one of the most loved (and hated) anime series ever created. It's based
on a
Manga of great success both in Japan and now stateside, and there are
so many
devoted (and aggravated) fans that it's hard to remember a time when it
wasn't
popular in the US. Based solely on sheer expansiveness, it's the
equivalent of
Pokemon on steroids.
So
where does this Dragon Ball film take you? It takes you all the way
back to the
very beginning of the saga. To put it briefly for diehard fans: this is
the
beginning of the Dragon Ball TV series retold and with new animation in
a short
movie format. It introduces you to the concept of Dragon Balls. The
concept
being, for any potential newbies still out there, that when all seven
of the
mystical balls are collected you can call out a Dragon to grant you one
wish.
Then the Dragon Balls disperse around the planet Earth and Earth's
Mightiest
Warriors (some of them aliens like young Goku) have to find them before
the bad
guys do. You know... because the bad guys just want to use their wishes
for evil
and stuff. That's Dragon Ball's plot in a nutshell. However, when you
crack it
open, you'll find that the characters and the journeys they take are
way more
entertaining and enjoyable than you might have imagined them to be.
In
this film we are introduced to many of the key players. Goku (who you
may be
familiar with from Dragon Ball Z) is
just a wee lad. He's energetic in the best way possible. You can't help
but
enjoy this character, and I think that is one of the primary reasons
why the
series has continued to be so successful.
We meet him and Bulma around the same time. Bulma is a girl who
wants to
find the Dragon Balls and she has been tracking them down. She finds
one that
had been in Goku's possession, and, after they become acquainted with
one
another, they decide it's a good idea to team up in search of the rest.
Unfortunately, Goku's Dragon Ball gets stolen by henchmen working for
King
Gurumes. These bad guys are collecting them for the King so that he can
wish
for more food to chow down. In the process, we discover that these
henchmen are
also collecting Rubies in the King's Kingdom and that they are valuable
and
have covered the land in wealth. This wealth is not shared with the
people
though and is destroying the peaceful, earthy environment of the
kingdom.
As
Goku and Bulma strive to get the stolen Dragon Ball back we are
introduced to a
number of core characters from the series. The introduction of Master
Roshi is
in fact a film highlight - we can see how even from the beginning of
the story
he was just a perverted old man who also happened to be one of the most
well
respected martial artists in the world. He helps them on their journey
while
providing some of the more gross-out and juvenile adult humor. If
that's the
kind of thing that entertains you in an anime, this definitely has an
abundance
of that -- despite the focus of the film being on the action and
adventure.
I
won't give away what ultimately happens, but I will say that having
seen both
the series and this first film, things go down a slightly different
course of
storytelling. Not everything is as you remembered it. This is best
viewed as a
companion piece. It is enjoyable action-packed fun with a good heart
and sense
of humor but it does nothing to really progress or change how one
already feels
about the show or characters.
I
must say that I found the biggest drawback of the film to be its
runtime.
Honestly, it's so short you can hardly proclaim it to be a "Full Length
Feature
Film" as promoted on the cover art. It's an actual theatrical film
release.
That much is true and it won't be debated. Yet that hardly qualifies it
as full
length with a runtime of only 50 minutes. This is the same length, in
essence,
as two episodes of the television series and if you aren't prepared for
that
going in, you are definitely going to feel let down by how quickly the
fun
ends. It won't entirely 'fill you up' but will instead merely serve as
a nice
appetizer to the Dragon Ball universe.
The
DVD:
Audio:
The film is presented in both English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and
Japanese Mono. The English voice language track is a new dubbed version
and the
voice actors did a great job at updating the feel of the film for fans.
The
original language track is also a good dub, but I honestly was let down
by the
mono mix sound quality. It definitely sounded very 'sickly' and was
lacking in
definition. It was not a pleasant highlight of this release due to its
poor
quality. The surround audio on the new English dub was impressive
though, hence
a grade that should reflect my opinion when one considers both options.
Video:
Curse
of the Blood Rubies
is presented in its OAR of 4:3 (Full
Frame). This is truly a mixed bag. I think it's the best the film has
ever
looked as far as I am aware. I have seen it before on previous DVD
editions and
it definitely looks to have had some decent re-mastering work done.
It's been
years since I last watched it, and I no longer own the other Funimation
release
so I can't do a direct comparison. However, I believe that some work
was clearly
done to present the film better than before. Despite this effort the
film is
still riddled with dirt and scratches. None of these instances were
major
distractions from the experience, but it was definitely not as pristine
as a
full restoration would have shown. Given the age and source of the
material,
this may have been the best Funimation could do and we may not see a
better
treatment anytime soon. The colors look rich, and the video seems to be
free of
compression issues and other ailments. It's a pleasing if somewhat
underwhelming
presentation.
Extras:
No
bonus features are included on
this release whatsoever, unless you count some standard trailers for
other
Funimation releases. It's certainly disappointing and doesn't add much
value to
this DVD release.
Final Thoughts:
The
story is simple -- but entertaining -- and the characters are the same
ones you
probably already know and love. If you are starting with this film it
wouldn't
be a bad way to gain some familiarity with the Dragon Ball universe
either. It
is not, in my consideration, a better way to be introduced than the
series
itself, but you won't regret the time spent watching it regardless. I
also
suspect that this is the uncut release. It doesn't mention it on the
box itself
but the film seems edgier now than it did when I last viewed it on an
earlier
DVD release. If this is the case, fans will surely consider this to be
a
worthwhile upgrade. Recommended.
Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema, and a film student who aspires to make movies. He loves writing, and currently does within the Texas state. |
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