Dragon Ball Z: Broly - the Legendary Super Saiyan Review

I have been looking forward to watching this one for a couple of reasons. One, fans seem to favor this one a lot, and two, the debut of fan favorite Broly. I've heard so much about him, how he's super cool, ultra powerful, and all that. After watching it, I can say that the hype is true. This was a solid entry, easily beating the last two I watched, Return of Cooler and Super Android 13.

The story begins with the destruction of an entire part of the galaxy by an unkown force. It is later revealed to be a being called "the legendary Super Saiyan." On earth, a saiyan called Paragus comes and tells Vegeta that he wants to rebuild their home planet, calling it 'New Vegeta.' Vegeta goes, but is unaware of a sinister plot....

After a dramatic beginning, (with a very unnecessary narration) the film deters a bit, but becomes solid again. This film had a high quality feel. It actually felt like a movie as opposed to a two-part special. I like the backstory they give, it's fascinating. The film gets better once the heroes head to New Vegeta, before that, we get Goku in a suit. You read that right. Gotta admit, it was priceless. My major complaint this time is how useless Krillin, Oolong, and Master Roshi were. They always are, but they could have been cut out of the second act completely, it wouldn't have affected anything. They were nothing but cringe-worthy comic relief on the planet, it was unbearable. (I did find the scene where Master Roshi powered up amusing however.)

Broly is an interesting case and fits perfectly into the DBZ universe. Arguably the most cold and sadistic of them all, I could see why he's a fan favorite. His backstory is interesting and well-plotted. Loved the flashback to when King Vegeta ordered Broly to be eliminated, then they fit Frieza into the whole thing, it's good stuff. Broly comes off as a crazy, and I mean crazy. He doesn't have any deep motivations, but it's fine here. He's the perfect villain for this kinda universe. His dialogue is nothing special, but it fits. Gotta say, the most dramatic scene in the film was when he blew up the planet of the slaves IN A SINGLE BLAST. Now that's dramatic, I mean wow. Good stuff. Broly's father Paragus is well-developed and interesting. The film did a very good job with the shift being on him then turning completely to Broly. Good stuff. Goku comes off in this film as a little too cheerful. I do like the scene where he's yelling for Vegeta for power, such drama. Speaking of Vegeta, he's a bit different here. In it, he actually shows fear, and I mean fear. It's interesting how he knows about "the Legendary Super Sayian" and fears him while the other heroes know nothing about it. Some really good dialogue from ol' Vegeta. However, I didn't like how he took so long to give Goku his power, I mean really? After stating how it's impossible to win, and then there's a chance, and he's reluctant? I mean really?

The soundtrack was very good, on par with Cooler's Revenge's. Finally, hardcore music that fit the movie atmosphere, good stuff. The fights were very good, easily beating both Super Android 13's and Return of Cooler's. Each blow is felt, the final battle on the planet is amazing. There were some scenes were Broly just kept pounding and pounding, it made me think "Wow, he might actually win." Piccolo gets a very nice appearance once again, and it was good to see Trunks. Four Super Saiyans against Broly, what more can a DBZ fan want?

Overall, Broly - the Legendary Super Saiyan is a high note in the DBZ films. It features an interesting plot, a great villain, amazing fights, spectacular soundtrack, and has the high-quality feel Cooler's Revenge has. Truly a great DBZ film, I can only hope that Broly's return in Second Coming is as good.

7/10.