Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, 2015.
Directed by Masahiro Hosoda.
Featuring the voice talents of Sean Schemmel, Christopher R. Sabat and Chris Ayres.
SYNOPSIS:
One peaceful day on Earth, two remnants of Frieza’s army named Sorbet and Tagoma arrive searching for the Dragon Balls with the aim of reviving Frieza. They succeed, and Frieza subsequently seeks revenge on the Saiyans.
Before I even begin to talk about Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, I have something to confess. While I watched Dragon Ball Z rather religiously in my younger days, revelling in the six episodes it would take Goku to charge up before a big battle and the cited wait to watch Iconic foes such as BOO and Cell change form again and again, looking ever more badass in the process, I lost my way and haven’t watched the series in some time. Nor did I ever get around to any of the movies. I may have dipped my toe into the opening of ‘that live action’ movie but I’m sure the world and his wife know how big a mistake that was.
I was whole excited then to relive my childhood with the latest movie which promised to not only bring back Frieza, one of the series my beloved villains, but do so in a way that made him a new challenge for Goku and his pals. Something that I can say with certainty that it delivered upon, making for a fun action packed film that I’d happily watch a few times over, despite some flaws which shone through a spectacle that ultimately chose to play things on the somewhat safe side.
Set a short time after the events of ‘Battle of Gods’, Lord Beerus has spared earth simply because of the wonderful food we enjoy, leaving our rock to spin peacefully on its axis.
This tranquility lasts as long as the time it took for me to explain the intro, descending into chaos as the dregs of Friezas army shows up to resurrect their master. Thankfully their plan is straightforward and one I’m surprised more enemies in the past haven’t utilised. Gather the Dragon Balls and have your evil, maniacal wishes granted by a giant mystical dragon.
After an enjoyable back and forth between Shenron and Friezas remaining forces, his body (or rather the pieces left of it) is taken off into space in order to recover and begin his intense training to stop the two super saians that thwarted his plans in the past. With Trunks already back in the future and Goku currently off on his holidays, training with Vegeta, Beerus and Whis however, it’s a while before we get to see Goku go toe to toe with his newly regenerated nemesis.
We’re treated to a brief glimpse into the session and while it doesn’t hold any revelations as such, it’s easily one of the most enjoyable thanks to some fun dialogue courtesy of Goku and Vegeta including some scathing remarks about Goku’s intelligence. Some I found myself agreeing with, but that’s besides the point really.
Goku’s absence during the initial invasion may seem like a typical trope to increase run time (I mentioned the multiple episodes of charging up right?) but instead it gave some breath to the pacing and allowed for one of the most enjoyable fights of the movie, if not the most enjoyable. As Friezes army descend onto earth in search of Goku, they’re held up by an army of well-known heroes. Gohan, Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, Master Roshi and my new favourite character, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman who manages to carry more than his fair share of weight in battle, despite being void of the ability to fly or fire blasts of energy from his hands.
This battle is delivered with grace. It’s fast and powerful, showing off some of the best fighting the series has ever seen as it keeps pumping up the action gradually and allowing each of the characters involved to shine both through their actions and dialogue.
Eventually Goku and Vegeta get word of the planets impending doom and thanks to some instant transference skills, they head into battle as the film ramps up into its final moments. As both Goku and Frieza show off their new colours and final forms, I was giddy with the same excitement I had as a child, seeing Goku’s new blue hair and thinking “Oh s**t! It’s about to go down!” but while the fight is great to watch, and really satisfying, it never quite gets as tense as usual, simply because the narrative seems to be very clear on the fact that Goku is still far stronger than Frieza and can destroy him without too much fuss at all.
Even when in his ‘Golden Frieza’ state, he still gets his ass handed to him fairly swiftly, only really turning the tide of battle with a little help from his dastardly friends.
This imbalance isn’t the only issue as despite my love for the transformations on show, seeing Goku move from normal, to “Super Saiyan God” and then finally “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan “ seemed a little bit overboard and out of pace for a series that seemed to offer transformations as a rare treat. I still loved the blue hair though so, swings and roundabouts.
Overall Dragon Ball Z Resurrection F carries the torch of the series heart and soul, with some great animation and amazing action sequences. We’re treated to some fun dialogue, a great new character in Jaco and the return of Frieza doesn’t disappoint, even if he’s not as terrifying as he once was. This is a fun return to the franchise, just don’t expect anything hugely groundbreaking.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ben Rayner
Originally published September 29, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
