dragon ball evolution sucked. yes, goes without saying. actually it's better left unsaid. the entire movie that is... but i can't help wondering what the movie would've been like if it were both longer and the events unfolded as though it were starting off from reality.

they just chuck shit around like it's nothing. not to mention, i didn't really want goku to win. i wanted every character but piccolo to die.

in fact, the guy had 4 minutes on screen (it seemed...) which makes it hard for me not to want him to die.

still, i expected it to be worse.

that said... oh well. i believe they will try again. they'd be stupid not to. the movie is so easy to make and make well. they messed up the first time in ways that can be corrected. it's easy to imagine suitable solutions. i mean there are three elements that can make the movie exponentially better.

element 1: start off from reality.

have the characters begin from zero rather than 90 and go to a hundred. have them grounded. have everything grounded. don't start throwing magic shit around and expect people to give a damn. the main character has to retain some level of naivety as well. every single scene doesn't require someone getting their ass kicked. the characters can talk less too. Shooting ki is all fun and stuff but it doesn't need to be so friggen easy. there's no challenge. the events unfold with too much ease. you don't just squeeze a rock and get water. in fact, that's impossible. how do you make the impossible plausible? not by shoving it down someone's throat haphazardly. don't short cut it by having someone say "how is that even possible!?" and then have someone explain it.

element 2: take a breather.

save money by not using all that cgi every fucking frame. make up for it by progressing the story and plot. delving into a bit of back story or perhaps just have the character grounded by the environment. like having him living in a realistic world. have him get dirty. shoot it documentary-style realism. no need for hand held steady cams or shaky frame work, mind you. just lighting and composition. that'd be fine. it'd help the viewer feel like time is passing slower. the way it was filmed, every detailed and important element was presented with the same scale as every other in a single frame but all this does is act as a power point presentation. there's not visceral sense. no connection drawn between the viewer and the events on screen. don't be afraid to light it naturally. transformers 2 (as bad as it was according to some) was capable of capturing the natural lighting of the environment. this drew a connection between the viewer and the screen.

it's okay to make it believable, it doesn't make it any less applicable to children. it is a family film anyway but just because it would be shot as realistically as possible doesn't mean it can't still be fun and entertaining. for examples view films like the princes bride and the first 3 star wars. the visual tone is what we're aiming at.


element 3: return to the inspiration: [link]