Now in recent years, we've gotten movies related to the Dragon Ball Series thanks to the popularity of Dragon Ball Super and the two films before this one "Battle of Gods" and "Resurrection F". Both turning out to be cannon to the source material and actually kept the series going. And they were good. So after Super finished airing, and the announced the next one would star Broly as the antagonist, I got worried. But then I heard this movie would be cannon (Taking place not to long after Super's "Tournament of Power Saga") and that Broly would be re-written, I got hopeful. And after seeing the movie last night, I can honestly say they did an amazing job and it's become one of my favorite entries in the Dragon Ball franchise.
In this film, Broly and Paragus are given an actual backstory and much better reason behind their choices, motivations and characters. They become more fleshed out and actually become interesting and very entertaining. Heck, there's even some re-writes to Goku's voyage to Earth, Bardock (Along with Goku's mother Gine), and the destruction to Planet Vegeta that works out really well too. None of the rewrites destroy or make less entertaining the Dragon Ball mythos and only improves it in my mind. And the story is very good here this time around. Well paced as well, it kept moving forward and did amazing at telling the story.
And the animation... Sweet Jesus the animation. The art aesthetic and overall animation is phenomenal. This looks more among the lines of Bones or MadHouse productions and that is to the movie's benefit. So many moments of Sakuga in an already well animated and gorgeous film, it's a real feast for the eyes. And even allot of the experimental moments and shots I wouldn't expect (Like a POV shot for a bit from Broly's perspective during a battle) is really well done as well. So much detail is here, that I feel if you went through this movie an slowed it down and go at it frame by frame, you'd find so much. The character's fight animations, expressions, are so well detailed. This isn't your old Dragon Ball of quick flashiness of dude's punching each other. There is that, but it also has many a moment of beautiful animation and details throughout. One of the best produced Dragon Ball films out there.
Honestly, if you're a fan of Dragon Ball, please watch this. It changes elements of the mythos and history might rub some people the wrong way, but in my mind, it honestly helps build up a great future for Dragon Ball and gives one of it's more popular villains a re-write redemption adding him to the list of good Dragon Ball villains. This is honestly one of my top favorite Dragon Ball films and quite possibly anime and animated films in general. It's a feast for the eyes and did so much for me as a fan of one of anime's biggest titles.
