Monday
14Jul2008
Lord Piccolo Says 'Dragonball' Movie Won't Mirror Original
Monday, July 14, 2008 at 12:12AM 
To my surprise, one of the more heated debates we hear
about at The Big Picture is over
Dragonball. The movie is slated to open
next April, and of course, it's a live-action version of the anime classic.
Well, it's sort of a live-action version, anyway. It's definitely got living,
breathing actors, but some of our readers don't like the direction they think
the movie is heading, insisting it won't be a true version of the story.
James Marsters, who plays the villainous Lord
Piccolo in the movie, recently told the Japanese magazine Jump Square
(via the
Dragonball movie site) that there are plenty of
changes. "Definitely the story of this movie is different from the original." Uh
oh. "But it’s a necessary change," continues Marsters, "because we need to
condense the long story of the original for a movie."
Another bad sign for the purists is Marsters' admission
that "some characters in the original don’t appear in the movie."
It is next to impossible to communicate everything
everyone thinks is important from an original text, no matter the medium, in a
film. The primary reason for that, of course, is the time constraint. But what
about a trilogy? OK, maybe, but that's usually going to be predicated on the
success of the first film. Even then, with a case like Dragonball, where
you have I don't even know how many years of comics, three TV series, a bunch of
animated flicks, and even video games to draw from, you still won't get to
everything.
Plus, even though this thing has millions of fans, at
least part of the movie will be dedicated to the new audience. And don't bitch
about that, Dragonball devotees, because if not for the casual fan or the
uninitiated, most movies wouldn't be successful. Do you really think Iron Man
only made money off readers of the comic? Do you really think 30 million
Americans - or one in ten - have read a lot of the comics? So, financially, the
movie is too big to make just for the usual suspects. If it can't broaden its
scope, there's no need to make it into a movie.
Besides, as Marsters points out, "Though there are
differences between the two, I think it is all right if the core part of
Dragonball remains."
Hopefully, that'll be good enough for the diehards and
the newcomers, as well.
In the meantime, please enjoy this hip Japanese teaser
poster for the film, with our compliments.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Dragonball | Print Article | Email Article | 12 Comments | Share Article
Reader Comments (12)
Well, I always watched the movies and enjoyed it a lot. But I can understand that they can't put EVERYTHING in the movie. It's a hell of a long story.
I do hope that they haven't changed certain things. Like how naive Goku is and how Master Roshi is a sex maniac :P.
The poster is nice by the way, but what's wrong with his hair?! That doesn't look a thing like Goku's.
No more complains though, I first like to see the movie before I can judge it properly :).
Thanks for posting!
Giant energy flying balls of kamehameha death, and all the crazy asian hair.
the screaming while the characters are situated against a moving background would be nice too, but its optional :P
however, i do think its lame that they are counting out krillin. they better make a sequel with hat one guy from pirates playing krillin.
i just dont think its cool to take out core aspects of the comic, like i hear goku is gonna be some outcast in his high school. but he never even went to school, and he's probably going to b all depressed and down in the movie when he's suppose to be the happiest guy in the world.
changes are necessary, but changing the personality of the main character is something that is very disappointing. I hope the movie bombs so i dont have to watch them butcher vegetas character, i cant imagine what theyll do to him.
It IS a really long story to try to squeeze into 90 or so minutes. That's a LOT of plot to cover. Keeping Master Roshi a pervert is a MUST. That's such an anime thing to have at least one pervert character. Like Jaraiya in Naruto. It must stay.
I agree about condensing the movie for the source material, but I can't understand Krillin not being around. I mean - he was Goku's training buddy and best friend.
The fact that Mai is a major character means the Emperor Pilaf saga should be major which means Pilaf bungles his dragonball wish and gets a pair of underwear. This means Oolong should be in the story. This also means we should see Goku turn into an ape. But here I go un-condesning what will probably be condensed.
I'll still see the movie
I still cant even see how they can be making this at all, there is just so very very much to try and cover. Even to create the basics.
This movie's gonna suck, but if if does survive into a 2nd and 3rd movie, Jonathon Rhys Meyers for Vegeta!!
I predicted this happening when I saw the first trailer for Transformers, and that inkling intensified when along came Mahou no Go Go (Speed Racer). My stomach nearly dropped out when I saw the poster--- Goku-kun is not some scrawny white kid! Then I realized, he has the jaw, he has the eyes, the neck, and even those weird little Goku ears. Teen goku? Perhaps done well enough. I think that the movie will come off as more of a spin-off of the series, but the whole thing will come crashing down around its own ears if they don't paint Marster's ass green.
I don't know I think it could be good, if only for the fact that James Marsters is HOT!!!! haha
But seriously, I'm a mega -diehard DB fan and I have my concerns. but i think we really have to go into it not expecting it to just be a live remake of DB. Because, well for one reason they couldn't really capture in live-action the original DB, and im not talking about time wise. Think of it more as a seperate story with ties to DB.
And can i jst say, its about darn time hollywood starting realizing how awesome of concepts are in anime! Cuz i don't know about the rest of you but I've been finding most of what they've put out of late pretty stale.
but i agree on the hair....that might take some getting used to O.o
I love the anime and manga, and am sad that there is no Krillin, but aside from that I think it is good that they change the story a bit from the source material. It would just be awful if the filmmakers tried to make it exactly like the original. From the sounds of things though they are keeping to the core characters from the first arc of the original series, but using Piccolo instead of Pilaf.
I also like that they are creating their own Dragonball universe, just like Smallville is it's own DC universe. And don't worry about Goku I doubt he will be broody, he's probably an outcast because heck it's Goku what is normal about him?
Got a pleaseure with you. Thanks.
simple site.