Dragonball Evolution (2009)

The review calls it a pleasing if paint-by-numbers live-action version that half-heartedly tries to keep faith with its young male fanbase and should do solid business with established fans. It praises Chow Yun-fat's hammy comic relief and the battle scenes while noting some production haste and that it avoids campiness.

The film could have been a lot worse; it resembles a souped-up episode of Power Rangers with a condensed Hollywoodised manga story full of trading-card mythology. The cast takes it seriously and the pace just about holds interest for its target audience, making it almost funny and exciting in patches.

The critic finds the film a goofy, unserious teenybopper kung fu adventure perfectly aimed at 10-year-old boys, even if it may not satisfy franchise fans. He singles out the second-rate special effects and Stephen Chow's producing touch for adding to the fun of the shenanigans.

The film feels polished but generic, competently but unimaginatively drawn from decades of special-effects movies focused on action over plot. It works as a passable collection of explosions for fans or a slow weekend distraction but offers nothing new.

The critic finds the film a bland adaptation that fails to capture the appeal of the source material despite some okay fight scenes and a twist. They single out the mismatch with the loyal fanbase and lack of crossover potential as key issues.

The critic deems the film puerile children's sci-fi of strictly B-movie standard and a bland Hollywood dumbing-down of the source material. They single out the underdeveloped spiritual elements and summarily presented mythology.

The review criticizes the film as a terrible mess despite the producer's previous work, noting it doesn't appeal even to the target teen audience. It singles out the failed attempt to adapt Japanese manga into live-action as the core problem.

The adaptation will displease fans and baffle newcomers with its lack of visual, narrative or stylistic coherence, cheap effects, poorly staged action and problematic casting. A post-credits scene hints at a sequel that seems unlikely.

The critic finds the film garbled and monotonous with no effort toward originality, excitement or plausibility. They single out the absurd dialogue for particular mockery.

The film is uninspired assembly-line fodder that loses any defining qualities through whitewashing, with aimless construction, no substance, poorly edited action and cobbled-together effects that land in unintended camp. The cast does what it can in this photocopied production.

The film is an example of Hollywood at its most calculating and cynical, a Pot Noodle of Asian influences with a paper-thin story about gathering mystical balls to avert disaster. It is utter drivel.

The film awkwardly mixes manga elements with an American teen story and fails at both, with weak lead performance and formulaic plot. It offers some unintentional laughs and brisk pacing that make it watchable if not taken seriously.