I knew Dead Zone was an older movie-- I think I tend to forget in general just how long ago Dragon Ball first aired-- but for some reason, it didn't occur to me until I was watching it that how well it held up over time might factor into my enjoyment of it. I know the movies aren't exactly canon. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not super well-versed in the timeline of when everything first aired. But I figured Dead Zone would have had to take place before Raditz showed up, which would have made Goku and Piccolo teaming up a huge selling point. These days, it's kind of an afterthought that Piccolo was ever a villain. In that sense, Dead Zone definitely felt a little dated. It just didn't have the effect it was supposed to. And I personally, don't have much nostalgia for any of the DBZ movies. It was very familiar, so I'm sure I'd seen it sometime during my childhood... But it didn't have enough of an impact for me to really remember the way it first felt to see that truce.
But in general, it was still perfectly enjoyable. Maybe a little mindlessly enjoyable, but I don't exactly look to the DBZ movies in search of something thought-provoking. I'm here for a handful of scenes of these characters getting to just live their peacetime lives-- before it all goes to hell--, maybe a little crude humor, and a few good fights. And sometimes, that's enough.
