Dragon Ball Z represented the quintessential anime for a generation of fans, most notably for its run on Cartoon Network's Toonami from 1998 to 2003. It has become something of a cultural phenomenon for anyone in their early to late twenties, broadcast with remastered visuals even today as Dragon Ball Kai.
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A new film set in the universe, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods was released in theaters across Japan last year and saw a limited, two-day theatrical release in North America earlier this month. It did well at the box office in its native Japan, earning about $30 million, and I was able to recently sit down with the film to watch the latest adventure of the characters I grew up with.
Battle of Gods was somewhat of a mixed bag, but still one that fans of the series likely won't regret watching. During its roughly 85 minute run time, the movie keeps the spirit of the TV series alive with heavy doses of light-heartedness, but never quite becomes the epic battle or story arc fans may have been hoping for. Your enjoyment of Battle of Gods may thusly rest on what you expected of it, but the film is still an overall fun--and attractive--experience.
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The story is driven by the mighty Lord Beerus, the cat-like God of Destruction. It's somewhat strange we've never heard of such a powerful being in the series before, who is now presented with an ominous air of authority, but it does create some interesting mythology in the Dragon Ball Z universe. Beerus is an immoral being who wakes from a 39 year sleep due to a premonition: his belief that there is a Super Saiyan God worthy of becoming his rival.
This quest leads him to Earth, where most of our well-known surviving Saiyans and their companions now live. We get to see Goku, King Kai, Bulma, Vegeta, and the rest of the cast once again, and this alone might be worth it for fans of the series. Something is slightly off about many of the characters, though--they often feel like caricatures of themselves. Goku (always light-hearted and silly) is almost child-like, and does not heed any serious-sounding warnings with any real regard. That might not sound very out of character for the series' protagonist, but it's taken to a mostly-unbelievable extreme given the seriousness of the context. Vegeta's personality is a bit all over the place, and most characters have some strange lines of dialogue (the English voiceovers are pretty hit and miss, as well, though generally good enough), while Beerus is at times confusingly aloof and flippant, for an all-powerful being set on destruction.
Still, if you're okay with the film not taking itself too seriously, there's plenty to enjoy. The animation looks great (clearly an upgrade from the old animation--everything is sharp and effects look nice) and there are several funny moments throughout, a couple of which drew chuckles out of me. While it never ramps up to the grand scale, fate-of-the-universe-deciding battle the name of the movie (and the plot developments along the way) suggests, the action scenes are as good as ever. You can't help but enjoy the characters powering up and flashing around the environments at breakneck speeds, or watching Goku fire a Kamehameha blast.
Without spoiling the events of Battle of Gods, there are some intriguing concepts and surprises throughout in relation to the overarching plot and certain characters. The story feels somewhat insular, but also seems to serve as a setup point for potential future events. I'm not sure what the intentions are for more films or story arcs down the line, but many of the implications toward the end of Battle of Gods seem to hint at something bigger yet to come. Perhaps it was only meant as food for thought, but deities and gods should potentially have much larger impacts than what was on display in this film.
Battle of Gods is an overall fun romp through the Dragon Ball Z universe that falls flat with some of its dialogue and plot developments, but provides humor, good action scenes, and looks great all the while. Given its relatively short run time, I would recommend it to fans of the series, as well as anyone willing to have a little fun with an anime.
