Forum - View topicNEWS: English Dragonball: Evolution Trailer Officially Posted
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GATSU
Posts: 15345 |
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I'm just curious. For anyone who saw the trailer in front of that new Keanu movie, what was the audience reaction?
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tygerchickchibi
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o_o;; pfft. Can't we all like DB anyway? I guess the female equivalent to Dragon Ball is Sailor Moon. I don't think I see much difference then, honestly. your quick synopsis reminded me of One Piece. I think some others could think of shows with the same theme that you had posted about. |
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Cliffjxn
Posts: 35 |
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Actually by "boy" I kind of meant that in the universal sense. As in the that part of us that actually wants to go to Narnia or visit OZ or hang out with Inuyasha and Kagome. One of the things I know from actually talking to people who have lived in Japan is that Dragon Ball transcends it's Shonen image in the minds of many. lots of women grew up watching it. Although, you might have a hard time getting a few of them to admit it. I remember, about 20 years ago, reading a letter to a Akira Toriyama from a 10 year-old girl. She asked a question about Yamcha. As for One Piece, lots of girls/women love it too. Check out Mari Yaguchi's blog for 2008-12-04. She's got a thing for Chopper. 
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tygerchickchibi
Posts: 1455 |
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I see. xD Okay, well, if that's the case....I have nostalgia in a sense, but it's been replaced by a full time job, college, and stress that occur in the real world. =P We may not speak of it openly on the forums, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I would think Sailor Moon would still fit this category too, you know. |
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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There's one thing that can redeem this movie. One thing that will make it worth seeing in theaters.
If at the end, the announcer who used to announce between DBZ episodes says, "NEXT TIME ON DRAGON BALL Z!" ...and then it turns out the sequel is called Dragon Ball Z: The Balls are Inert. |
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Cliffjxn
Posts: 35 |
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A trailer for a bad movie in front of a bad movie? Genius! |
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14795 |
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LotR is close, but not so close. 
It just depends on the rest of mainstream America opining on the movie --despite the fans-- whether this movie succeeds or not. Kinda like what happened with Transformers, which many fans didn't like up to its release. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15345 |
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I think it's gonna depend on how many stupid "Gawlee! That CG is awesome!" fans are interested in this flick.
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Cliffjxn
Posts: 35 |
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I think one of the big reasons why we're getting this crappy version (besides the reasons I mentioned before) is the writer's strike. This movie was green lit during the writers strike. Back then Fox thought that they were going to need it to fill in the release schedule for a week if the strike went on for a while. So, they took whatever draft of the DB script they had lying around and fast tracked it for release last August. They wanted to do a movie that had a built in fan base, quick and "cheap" and that's what they did. Than the strike folded and plans started changing. . . The August release became a November release, then an April release (almost never a good sign BTW). Anyway, given the amount of time they actually worked on shooting this thing (principal photography was finished back in March/April of last year) it really doesn't seem like they enough time to develop it into anything other than a generic teen action movie. |
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Cliffjxn
Posts: 35 |
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LoTR, like any really good adaptation would be, was 10,000 miles closer to it's source than DBE is. As for "mainstream" America, which I consider myself part of, you have to consider the hype factor. Transformers had a ton of it, Dragon Ball does not. I don't see any tie-ins. I don't see any toys. I don't see anything at all based on DBE. They spent more on ads and tie-ins for Transformers than they spent making DBE. They made trailers that looked awesome, plastered images of the robots everywhere, and at least a year before the movie came out they started running an intriguing teaser trailer. None of that stopped the movie from sucking, but, it did get people to think of TF was an event instead of 300 million dollar toy commercial. A bad 300 million dollar toy commercial that a lot of fans didn't like, but, supported anyway in hopes of there being a (much) better sequel. I, on the other hand, would rather the first movie had, flopped. I mean, if you support one bad movie what's to stop them from making another? And that brings me back to DBE. A lot of people have said that they are going to support it even if it stinks. They say that they want the movie to be a success so that there will be a bigger better movie next time, a la, X2 or the Empire Strikes Back. That's all well and good, but, let's face it, that ain't gonna happen. For, one thing, they are ignoring the fact that great sequels, are always preceded by good or great movies. DBE is going to be a mediocre cross between Bullet Proof Monk and the Karate Kid at best. Also, it's pretty much unheard of for a movie that's not very good (I'm being generous) to get a sequel that's actually better. Look at the Resident Evil movies for example. Can you honestly say that RE2 is better than 1? No. If you reward people for making bad movies they will just keep making bad movies until they get tired of making them or you get tired of seeing them. |
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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Cliffjxn, you make some good points. While I don't necessarily agree with you on Transformers (for what it was, I enjoyed it, but I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea), I DO understand where you're coming from with crap begetting crap. Look at the idiots who make Epic Movie, Date Movie, Disaster Movie. Somehow these massive turds turn over a profit, and therefore the studios keep OKing more of that putrid garbage. It's an irritating cycle, but Hollywood latches onto whatever makes the most money, not what seems like it would actually be a solid piece of entertainment.
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enurtsol
Posts: 14795 |
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So then..... uh........ when will anime fans stop supporting loli moe titles just because it makes the most money? 
Anyways, I'm sure ya guys would like to make more movies like Steel Magnolias, Brokeback Mountain, etc. How many fans actually paid to see those critically acclaimed movies? 
Edit: Besides, what makes us an arbiter of how a solid piece of entertainment should be? Let the democratic people vote with their wallets?
Last edited by enurtsol on Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:13 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Cliffjxn
Posts: 35 |
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I don't want to offend you, but, on what criteria are you judging TF? I mean, it's pretty much a horrible movie on every level. I've talked to a few people how have said what you just said, "It's not bad for what it was.", or close to that. But, what does that mean? A couple of people have said that it's a good kids movie. Is it good for a kids movie? I don't think so, because the heroes seem to be intentionally trying to put people in danger at every turn. "Greetings human, I'm Optimus Prime. I'm here to defend the weak and protect the innocent. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm off to off to get into a fight on a busy highway." I don't even think that it's a good action movie. The fights are too short and too confusing with too many close-ups and quick shots. Sure, the effects are well done, but, that doesn't matter because there's too much going on visually to appreciate. |
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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It was based on a cheesy '80s cartoon whose only purpose was to sell toys. I mean, if you don't look for anything beyond that, hey, whatever. I don't feel like getting into an argument about it, since that would cause a topic drift. Let's just say I didn't hate it.
But regardless, after watching the trailer I can't help but do a thousand face palms because this is just so wrong. Why is Goku living in a normal house? Why is the wire work so horrible and does nothing to suspend one's disbelief? Why isn't Roshi a bald, gray-bearded old dude with shades? Why is Spike playing Piccolo? Why did they come up with a stupid new origin for the Dragon Balls? Why do I get the feeling that any measure of success will lead to an even crappier DBZ live movie? |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I really enjoyed the 2007 Transformers movie. I'm not alone; everyone else in the audience in my theater seemed to really really like it. Sure, the final battle went on too long, it took too long in getting going, and the cast could have been cut down. But it was actually still a good movie.
Was it a good adaption of the Transformers franchise? Actually, yes it was. You see, I never bought into the idea that the Transformers should change size when going from vehicle-mode to robot-mode (or vice versa). I felt it struck a good balance between focusing on the humans and the Transformers. Just because the fans were up in arms did not make the movie a flop. The average movie-goer would rather go to movie they think is good, and there are far more of them than Transformers fans. They - not the fans - are the ones who decide whether or not a movie will be a commercial success, especially for an expensive blockbuster. I sincerely doubt that anyone could have made a faithful live-action Transformers movie without spending a small fortune. And that's the conundrum, because having spent $300 million on a movie you have to recoup costs, and the only way to do that is to make a movie that will appeal to a wider audience. But is that so bad? You can argue till your face turns blue that it was a bad Transformers movie, but it still repaid itself just in the box-office returns, let alone merchandising or DVD sales. That suggests that the wider public thought it was a good movie. Well, good enough to spend their money on it. Now, this Dragonball movie is in a bit of a pickle. But first, the positives. It doesn't have the huge budget, which means that it doesn't have to compromise itself. It also has a huge potential fanbase; I wonder how many males between the ages of say 13-26 have heard of the character "Goku". Quite a few, I'd say. But then, the negatives. The first is that they have made drastic changes to the story, setting and characters. What is up with that? We aren't taking about small improvements, nor are we talking about the necessary changes needed to make an animated series into a live-action movie. The incredibly naughty humour yes, it needed to be toned down. But the personalities of the main characters? Hmmm. The second is that the small budget actually harms the movie. Animated shows can get away with cutting corners, and the Dragonball franchise is legendary for doing so. But you just can't cut corners in a movie, unless you are going for the camp feel or the original. And, ah, this new seriousness they have introduced in the movie will clash will the (for the most part) laughable special effects. This is a movie that they could have gone on a nostalgia-inducing trip. I question just how successful they will be with all these changes. It is not just a poor adaption, it looks to be a likely commercial and critical flop. Still, I plan on going and watching it, so at least I can determine for myself how good (or bad) it is. I refuse to be just another person on the Internet lambasting a movie that I have no intention of watching. |
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