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.

Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge Review

There's a term for anime-based-on-manga films. They call it 'a filler episode with a bigger budget.' In many ways, that's true. A film can't really affect the show, cause it would most likely cause contradictions. Dragon Ball Z has arguably the most famous anime films. Take the fights from the show, but put in a lot of cringe-worthy dialogue. Cooler's Revenge is no different, but it's step above the average DBZ film.

The story begins with a flashback to when Frieza destroyed Bardock and the rest of the Saiyans. A little pod carrying a being who would grow up to become Goku is the only survivor. From his ship, a being called Cooler, who happens to be Frieza's older brother, is watching the events. Years later, after the death of Frieza, Goku, Gohan, Krillin, and Oolong go camping. However, when Cooler realizes that a Saiyan destroyed his brother, he heads to earth to destroy Goku for humiliating his family.

Ah, this is how it should be done. The opening featuring Bardock and Frieza was definitely one of the most interesting scenes in the DBZ universe. I like how it fills the gap of back-story in the universe. The intro captivated me, and I was set for the rest of the film. That's how you start a DBZ film. The introduction of Cooler was amazing, I love the differences between him and Frieza and how he dislikes his brother. The beginning itself is worthy of five stars. (The music in the intro is also equally amazing.) After an amazing intro, we head back to earth for some generic dialogue between Gohan and Chi-Chi. Nothing too awful, just your run-of-the-mill DBZ film stuff. The scene with Cooler explaining how he wants to eradicate Goku makes up for it.

The DBZ films have some memorable (Cooler, Broly) and some unmemorable (Slug, Garlic Jr.) villains. Unlike the villain in the previous DBZ film I saw, Fusion Reborn, the villain here has actual character and great back-story. Him being related to an established villain is a great concept. His differences between him and Frieza is both interesting and fun to watch. I especially liked the scene where he's watching his brother destroy the Saiyan planet on the screen and he says "Look at him gloat, his arrogance will be his undoing." Goku is great as always. The other characters, such as Gohan and Krillin are fine. I liked the scene where Cooler's henchman Salza destroys a bag of senzu beans then Krillin goes all crazy on him. Piccolo is especially cool in the film, defeating every single member of Cooler's henchmen. (The scene where Cooler shoots a beam right through him is definitely the most dramatic scene in the film.)

However, probably the greatest thing about the film is FUNimation's dubbed soundtrack. My gosh, the music really carried the film. It brought the term "dramatic atmosphere" to a new level. It's just amazing. The music brought the character's intros and fights to a whole new level of awesomeness. The music itself is triple A+. DBZ has always been known for it's great music, but this film takes it up a notch, easily beating its sequel's, Return of Cooler, soundtrack, or for that matter, DBZ films in general.

Overall, Cooler's Revenge is a step above the average DBZ film. It features an interesting plot, amazingly fluid fights, a great villain, and a stellar soundtrack. It's no masterpiece of course, but it's good stuff when you're a fan of the franchise. Though the only thing I didn't get is why Goku waited until the very last second to transform in Super Saiyan. Considering he's able to transform into it easily, it didn't make sense why he waited so long. Also, Cooler's final form is probably has probably the most awesome appearance from any character in the franchise. Cooler's Revenge is better than its sequel, Return of Cooler, and is far superior to the last one I saw, Fusion Reborn. Cooler's Revenge is definitely a worthy entry in the Dragon Ball Z franchise.

7/10.