Dragonball Evolution

Dragonball Evolution is a 2009 American science fantasy martial arts action film directed by James Wong, produced by Stephen Chow, and written by Ben Ramsey. It is loosely based on the Japanese Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama, and stars Justin Chatwin, Emmy Rossum, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Chow Yun-fat, Joon Park, and Eriko Tamura. In Dragonball Evolution, the young Goku reveals his past and sets out to fight the evil alien warlord Lord Piccolo who wishes to gain the powerful Dragon Balls and use them to take over Earth. The film began development in 2002 and was distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first official live-action adaptation of the Dragon Ball series. Dragonball Evolution was released in Japan and several other Asian countries on March 13, 2009, and in the United States on April 10, 2009. The film was both a financial and critical failure. It received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and was panned by fans, particularly for its script, cast, and unfaithfulness to the source material. Additionally, it performed poorly at the box office, grossing only $9.4 million in North America and a worldwide total of $56.5 million against a budget of $30 million. The film was meant to be the first of a series, though all subsequent films were canceled. It is often referred to as one of the worst films of all time. The film has been accused of whitewashing and has had a negative effect on future anime-to-cinema adaptations, due to its poor casting, lack of loyalty to the source material, and failure at the box office. Plot Two thousand years ago, the Namek King Piccolo came to Earth and wreaked havoc. Seven mystics were able to seal Piccolo away using a powerful enchantment called the Mafuba. However, he breaks free in present day, and with his ninja-like henchwoman Mai, begins searching for the seven Dragonballs, killing anyone in his path.