The production tries hard in parts, with doses of wry teen humour and imaginative visual effects, but overall, the finished product has no more than a boring, dull veneer to it.
Comment
04/10/09
Dragonball: Evolution (2009)
13
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:53
Fresh:7
Rotten:46
Average Rating:3.4/10
Consensus: Executed with little panache or invention, Dragonball Evolution lacks the magic that made the books upon which it was based a cult sensation.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Apr 9, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $9,353,573
Synopsis: Based on the renowned Japanese manga/anime franchise, the live-action DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION follows the adventures of young Goku (Justin Chatwin of WAR OF THE WORLDS), who is drawn into the legacy... [More]
Starring: Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, Chow Yun Fat, James Marsters
Director: James Wong
Reviews for Dragonball: Evolution
Top CriticAction packed and well paced, the film delivers exactly what it promises in terms of its style and quality effects and should appeal to the 15 to 24 crowd
04/06/09
Top CriticThis film offers further proof, as if any were needed, that Western filmmakers cannot do justice to their Easter counterparts when it comes to retooling anime and/or Fant-Asia for Occidental consumption.
09/24/09
As far as 2009 flops will go, [this] could have been much worse to sit through...
04/30/09
A contender for the worst movie of the year was released in April.
04/18/09
I am no expert in the field of Dragon Ball. However... the first live-action, English-language film in the franchise is absolutely insipid.
04/18/09
For anyone writing it off as a kiddie film, Dragonball: Evolution should be considered child abuse. Put everyone involved with this catastrophe on the receiving end of a Kamehameha wave.
04/18/09
this first installment was actually entertaining enough that a sequel could work out the kinks to become a very solid franchise.
04/17/09
The story seems to have been made up as the film went along, and not by anyone talented. The fight scenes and special effects are shamefully pathetic.
04/17/09
Faced with the choice of watching Dragonball: Evolution again and perishing in a fiery apocalypse, I'd take Judgment Day every time.
04/17/09
A rather tame live-action sci-fi flick.
04/17/09
The producer, Stephen Chow, made the funny and original Kung Fu Hustle, but here he and director James Wong get into a terrible mess.
04/17/09
Having been blandly adapted from a Chinese folklore-inspired Manga, that's about as much of the story that makes sense. Gibberish in the extreme, it has all the narrative cohesion of a trading card game.
04/17/09
[Chow's] hamminess doesn’t make Dragonball Evolution make more sense, but it’s a great way to cope with an otherwise inexplicable kitschfest.
04/15/09
Dragonball's value -- such as it is -- is that it's too dumb to actively hate.
04/15/09
Poor Emmy Rossum went from "Phantom" to this. Now that's a career decline.
04/14/09
Evolution is far more entertaining than it deserves to be, unless you're a 10-year-old boy, in which case it's only the greatest movie ever made.
04/13/09
just another dull teen action film
04/13/09
There are a few entertaining fight scenes. But there is also uneven CGI, bad dialogue and a host of clichéd moments that make Dragonball Evolution just another disappointing matinee movie.
04/13/09
The film is crammed with treats for old-school Dragonball fans. For everyone else, this amounts to another seen-it-before, probably-willing-to-see-it-again distraction, a passable collection of ’splosions and special effects for a slow film weekend.
04/13/09
Latest News for Dragonball: Evolution
April 10, 2009:
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April 08, 2009:
Jamie Chung Stands Up for Dragonball Evolution 
For months, any bit of news about "Dragonball Evolution" has been greeted with snorts of derision from fans of the anime series -- but Jamie Chung, who plays Chi Chi in the... More...
April 07, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with James Marsters
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