Rating: 
Summary: No, this is not based on "Journey to the West."
Review: "Journey To The West" a 500-year-old novel with even older roots in Chinese legend, was the primary inspiration for Akira Toriyama's "Dragonball" series. In the original, Goku was a "Monkey King," a former resident of Heaven who had been punished for his arrogance and mischief. To make amends he was assigned as helper to a Monk whose task was to bring Buddhist scriptures from India to China, and help spread the new faith that was to replace Taoist and Confucian beliefs.In Toriyama's original Dragonball version (later revised further for "Dragonball Z"), Goku is a monkey-boy in pursuit of 7 "dragonballs." It was only the character of Goku that was lifted from the classic; the rest is Toriyama's own myth-making. While this movie does not follow Toriyama's conception exactly, it is a lot closer to it than it is to any traditional Chinese legends. The Dragonballs are called Dragon Pearls in the dub, but there is no Chinese legend about the pursuit of such things; nor is there any Chinese legend with a character named "Bulma," which is actually a corruption of the word "Bloomers" and is a reference to lady's underpants. Most of the film's deviations from the manga and animation can be explained by two things: 1. The dub translation changed most of the characters' names, and changed "Dragonballs" to "Dragon Pearls." I suspect the dub was done before the Toriyama works were well-known stateside. 2. It is much more expensive to accomplish SFX in live-action films than in comics and cartoons. So, contrary to other reviews here, don't take this as anything but an adaptation of Toriyama's work. If you are interested in a dumbed-down version of the already-dumb anime inspired by a Chinese classic, here's your ticket. But don't go thinking you are watching anything to do with ancient Chinese culture. As to the somewhat high rating I am giving this, the whole movie fascinated me, and I loved it the same way I enjoyed the He-Man movie that featured Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a few years after he played Dracula. I would have rated it higher but that would mislead some people into thinking this was a good movie; it isn't. What it is, is a hoot.
Rating:
Summary: No, this is not based on "Journey to the West."
Review: "Journey To The West" a 500-year-old novel with even older roots in Chinese legend, was the primary inspiration for Akira Toriyama's "Dragonball" series. In the original, Goku was a "Monkey King," a former resident of Heaven who had been punished for his arrogance and mischief. To make amends he was assigned as helper to a Monk whose task was to bring Buddhist scriptures from India to China, and help spread the new faith that was to replace Taoist and Confucian beliefs. In Toriyama's original Dragonball version (later revised further for "Dragonball Z"), Goku is a monkey-boy in pursuit of 7 "dragonballs." It was only the character of Goku that was lifted from the classic; the rest is Toriyama's own myth-making. While this movie does not follow Toriyama's conception exactly, it is a lot closer to it than it is to any traditional Chinese legends. The Dragonballs are called Dragon Pearls in the dub, but there is no Chinese legend about the pursuit of such things; nor is there any Chinese legend with a character named "Bulma," which is actually a corruption of the word "Bloomers" and is a reference to lady's underpants. Most of the film's deviations from the manga and animation can be explained by two things: 1. The dub translation changed most of the characters' names, and changed "Dragonballs" to "Dragon Pearls." I suspect the dub was done before the Toriyama works were well-known stateside. 2. It is much more expensive to accomplish SFX in live-action films than in comics and cartoons. So, contrary to other reviews here, don't take this as anything but an adaptation of Toriyama's work. If you are interested in a dumbed-down version of the already-dumb anime inspired by a Chinese classic, here's your ticket. But don't go thinking you are watching anything to do with ancient Chinese culture. As to the somewhat high rating I am giving this, the whole movie fascinated me, and I loved it the same way I enjoyed the He-Man movie that featured Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a few years after he played Dracula. I would have rated it higher but that would mislead some people into thinking this was a good movie; it isn't. What it is, is a hoot.
Rating:
Summary: Not what you Expect
Review: All in all it is not that good movie. It is a fun kung-fu movie. But it is not Sleeping Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It actually has almost nothing to do with Dragon Ball. The film is not based on DBZ so don't expect incredible fights. The film is based on the Chinese legends Dragon Ball was based on. It is an action movie with some humor. Thats all. If you expect more you'll be sorry. Many people gave the movie terrible reviews. They obvisously knew nothing about the Movies history. It's Different, it's mediocre, but you might enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: wierd
Review: cool but not cool stupid yet syupid, but I didint enjoy ... ...WHazUp?
Rating:
Summary: Summary off the back of the box
Review: Hi, I noticed Amazon.com gave no summary so I'll retype the one off the back of the box here. Summary: The evil King Sizkrath possesses two of the seven Dragon Pearls and needs the remaining five to rule the world. The battle for the pearls commences between King Sizkrath and his minions Zebrata and Malila, and the five heroes who must stop them. A completely live-action film based on the popular Japanese animated series, featuring all the action and special
effects you could want.
Rating:
Summary: Fixin' the misconceptions of DB.
Review: Hi, I'm a big fan of Dragonball, but what a lot of people don't understand is that Dragonball and Dragonball Z are two diffrent series. Dragonball is an adaption of the chinese book "Journey to the West," and stars the monkey boy Son Goku. It is a comedy adventure series with a little action. DBZ on the other hand is the story of the Goku's family. It is an action series with a little adventure and comedy. They are both very good however, but may not be everyones cup of tea. On a side note, try and get the uncut version of the anime, the cut versions are horribly butchered and look silly. Thaks for letting me rant. Your quite sad if you've read this far. To regain your life read a book ("Journey West" is a good start) ^_^0
Rating:
Summary: Fixin' the misconceptions of DB.
Review: Hi, I'm a big fan of Dragonball, but what a lot of people don't understand is that Dragonball and Dragonball Z are two diffrent series. Dragonball is an adaption of the chinese book "Journey to the West," and stars the monkey boy Son Goku. It is a comedy adventure series with a little action. DBZ on the other hand is the story of the Goku's family. It is an action series with a little adventure and comedy. They are both very good however, but may not be everyones cup of tea. On a side note, try and get the uncut version of the anime, the cut versions are horribly butchered and look silly. Thaks for letting me rant. Your quite sad if you've read this far. To regain your life read a book ("Journey West" is a good start) ^_^0
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad Good, Just Bad Bad.
Review: I'm not a huge Dragonball fan, but I am a huge fan of outlandish films, especially those from the far east, so I bought this film hoping to get a lot of good laughs at it's expense. What actually happened was me groaning a lot, and wondering just what the heck was supposed to be going on in this stinker, as I dozed off again and again. The plot is so threadbare that it's about as developed as an Power Rangers episode, and the martial arts are along the same caliber. The special effects are laughable at best (couldn't they do better than that rubber crocodile?) and the dubbing is just plain pathetic. I can't recommed this film to anyone, except people who enjoy suffering through absolute dreck. I would've given it no stars if it were possible.
Rating: 
Summary: magic begins review
Review: If you like martial arts and kung fu type movies, you will enjoy this one. It is a little bit campy, but good entertainment for the entire family
Rating:
Summary: magic begins review
Review: If you like martial arts and kung fu type movies, you will enjoy this one. It is a little bit campy, but good entertainment for the entire family
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