DRAGON BALL SUPER: BROLY (BOX SET REVIEW)
By: RogueSymbiote
Spoilers ahead!
Summary
If you're a Dragon Ball fan, you already know about the Legendary Super Saiyan Broly. Dragon Ball Super: Broly however marks the first official time the character's story has been written by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. The film centers around Broly, a Saiyan warrior who was banished by King Vegeta to a desolate planet due to his frightening latent abilities. After becoming stranded on a remote planet, Paragus molds his son Broly to become a weapon for revenge against their former king.
Many years later, Broly and his father are found by members of the Frieza Force. With a powerful new ally, Frieza sets sights on eliminating Goku and Vegeta once and for all. Goku and Vegeta must team up if they're going to defeat the seemingly limitless power of Broly.
Review
Dragon Ball Super: Broly provides a far richer and more meaningful origin for the Broly character. I have always been a massive Broly fan even though his motivations have been... less than stellar. This character reimagining adds depth and opens up many exciting possibilities for future Dragon Ball Super storylines.
While Broly's rework is phenomenal, Goku's origin has become even closer to Superman's which is less than ideal. With so many comparisons between these characters already, adding the loving parent element of sending their child off in order to save him is too similar.
The character development is spot-on. Not only does Broly receive a well deserved origin, but each character has moments that reflect why we love them so much. Frieza's wit and banter may be at an all time best. The parallels between multiple father-son relationships is so well executed. The writing makes you understand all character perspectives and leaves you torn with who to root for. The dialogue is so well done. "Have fun Frieza" has got to be an all time highlight. Goku telling Broly to call him Kakarot was both unexpected and profoundly meaningful.
The action sequences are incredible! Having the audiences visual perspective shared with Broly during his fight with Goku was genius. It added a gritty and visceral element that elevated the brutality of the battle. While the majority of animation was beautiful, the sequences that mixed in CGI (similar to the style from the Berserk series) seemed odd and out of place. Similarly, the music was brilliant aside from two strange songs that played during the two battles between Broly/Goku and Broly/Gogeta. The choice to have music that just repeated "kamehameha" and "Gogeta" over and over seemed inconsistent with the overall tone of the film.
Overall, Dragon Ball Super: Broly is a fantastic addition to the franchise and an absolute blast to watch. I personally can't wait to see what they do next with Broly and the series as a whole.
Box Set Review
The Dragon Ball Super: Broly box set comes with the film on Blu-ray, DVD and digital. In addition to the film, the set includes over 45 minutes of extras! Bonus content includes trailers and interviews with cast members Christopher Sabat, Sean Schemmel, Jason Douglas, Monica Rial and Ian Sinclair. The interviews are fun and hint at the exciting future of Dragon Ball Super. You can find your copy of Dragon Ball Super: Broly right here!
Note: Funimation provided us a review copy in exchange for an honest review
