Dragonball EvolutionMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Dragonball Evolution."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 45 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
9 OK for kids 9+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    Village Voice |

    Far more entertaining than it deserves to be, unless you're a 10-year-old boy, in which case it's only the greatest movie ever made. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Nathan Lee

    May or may not appeal to fans of the Japanese fantasy franchise it is based on, but aficionados of apocalyptic teenybopper kung fu extravaganzas are in for a real treat. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe |

    Nearly all the actors seem to be having a good time, and the action moves so fast that you don't mind when something nuts happens. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety |

    A popular Japanese manga series gets a pleasing if paint-by-numbers live-action makeover in Dragonball Evolution, which half-heartedly tries to keep the faith for its pubescent male fanbase. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly |

    Marvel at the fact that something this trippy made it to our local multiplex. Read full review

  • 42
    The Onion A.V. Club | Tasha Robinson

    The film is crammed with treats for old-school "Dragonball" fans, from the inclusion of all these characters (who don't actually do much) to the moment when spiky-haired Goku dons his orange gi. For everyone else, this amounts to another seen-it-before, probably-willing-to-see-it-again distraction. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle | Marc Savlov

    Bottom line: costumed Goku and Chi Chi cosplayers may argue the finer points of this adaptation, but it is fairly dazzling it its own overextended, futurist-teenpulp fashion, and Chow makes a vastly more entertaining Roshi than he did a King. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times |

    Director James Wong ("Final Destination") and writer Ben Ramsey are utterly blas in their approach to the series' mythology and structure, cobbling together an 84-minute movie that seems to exist only to rile up fanboys. On that count -- and that count alone -- Dragonball Evolution triumphs. Read full review

  • 38
    TV Guide |

    Just know there's a whole lot more great stuff out there than just what Evolution has in store for you -- namely, the anime that it was based on. Read full review

  • 20
    The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck

    Completely lacking in visual, narrative or stylistic coherence, the film also suffers from cheap-looking visual effects and poorly staged and edited action sequences that will not exactly please the fanboys. Read full review

View more reviews for Dragonball Evolution on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 9+ Movie based on anime series has lots of martial arts action.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this live-action adaptation of the popular anime/comic book/video game series has lots of martial arts action. There's not much blood, but expect plenty of fighting, weapons (throwing stars, staffs, futuristic guns, etc.), and even a couple of deaths (though one is reversed). Characters also flirt and kiss and use some mildly salty language ("damn," "hell," and the like). And while there isn't any obvious product placement in the movie, the film itself could be considered one big ad for all the existing Dragonball merchandise out there.
  • Families can talk about why kids want to see the movie -- is it because of the specific story or because it's part of the Dragonball franchise? 
  • Why do you think the filmmakers chose to make a live-action movie instead of an animated one? 
  • Does any of the violence seem more serious because the characters are real people? Why or why not?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Like other epic fantasy films, the movie's messages are generally positive: Have faith in yourself, you can do anything, willpower can triumph over anger, and so on. But whether kids will absorb that amid all the high kicks and karate chops is another matter. One character is a thief, but he's presented, briefly, as more of a lovable brigand a la Han Solo. There are several strong female characters.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: Constant martial arts action, with more emphasis on ducking, dodging, and diving than on brutality and bloodshed. Fights and scuffling, and two blodless deaths (one of which is reversed). Some futuristic sci-fi gunplay, but no impacts or blood. There's also lots of energy bolt hurling/combat and combat with martial arts weapons -- throwing stars, staffs, etc. When supernatural beings are cut in two, they regenerate before being hurled into lava. A martial artist is attacked with metal rods; he dodges the blows so adroitly that his attackers only hurt themselves.
  • sex false2 Sex: Mild kissing; some flirting, cleavage, and sexual tension.
  • language false2 Language: Words include "hell," "damn," "crap," "fart," "sucks," "oh my God," and an incomplete use of "s--t."
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: No real-world brands are mentioned, but the movie is an adaptation of the popular anime/manga series, so in a sense, the whole thing is an ad for the Dragonball franchise (which includes plenty of products).
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dragonball Evolution Movie Ratings + Reviews

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So-so 593 fan reviews

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