"if I could sum up the film in one word it is this; joyous"

I must confess from the get go that I am not a big fan of anime. I don’t hate it, it’s just that I’ve never managed to get interested enough to fully immerse myself in the medium. However, I did watch Dragon Ball Z when I was young, and honestly thought it was awesome. It just had the right blend of fast-paced explosive action and a colourful surreal nature that just blew my mind at the time.

Several years have passed since then and I am greeted with the release of the ridiculously titled Dragon Ball Z Resurrection ‘F’, and if I could sum up the film in one word it is this: joyous.

The plot deals with the resurrection of the super-powered alien overlord Freeza who, after regaining his powers and training himself to become even more powerful, vows revenge on the heroic Goku and his friends as they battle to defend Earth and defeat Freeza once more.

The plot is as simple as that. The villain returns from the dead and the heroes battle to defeat him and save the planet, nothing more and nothing less. However, don’t let the paper thin premise put you off, for this film makes up for the lack of plot with some truly ridiculous action sequences. We have people punching each other through mountains and massive explosions that make a nuclear bomb seem like a firecracker. This is the ridiculous action that I loved when I was a child, and viewing it once more years later is just like a wonderful trip down memory lane.

What also brought back fond memories from my past are the hilariously surreal moments, such as the opening which depicts our villain in hell; a colourful cheery land with jolly fairies and a marching band made up of cuddly stuffed animals. It’s just wonderfully silly and I couldn’t help but grin through moments such as these, I loved them!

The film’s character designs and animation are excellent, retaining the over-the-top quality that is familiar to viewers of the original series. We have green aliens, classic heroes with their heavy metal rocker hairdos, a golden clad villain, a fox clad in a purple ninja outfit and a frog man (strange how this is not the first film I’ve reviewed with a frog man among its cast).

The film is not without its flaws however. The plot, as mentioned, is very thin and also seems tailored to the diehard fans of the franchise, with constant call backs to previous adventures and battles that could leave newcomers and previously absent viewers like myself feeling somewhat alienated. The voice acting is also clunky, with voices I consider to be ill-fitting, for example the films all-powerful alien villain, who can destroy an entire city by simply pointing his finger at it, is given a voice that would be more suited to a camp fashion designer. Also, there are plenty of frustrating moments, like our heroes stopping to catch up like a bunch of old friends reunited, all within ear shot of the aforementioned city destroying alien overlord, who just patiently lets them finish their conversation. It may be a bit nitpicky to point out, but it really irritated me and I found myself shouting at the characters to pull their finger out and kick some arse.

However, despite the problems I had with corny voice acting, the bare bones plot and its ludicrous title, I enjoyed Dragon Ball Z Resurrection ‘F’ a great deal. The film just made me feel the same way I felt when I was a child watching the TV show, I was just in awe of the sheer absurdity and exhilarating pace of some insane fight sequences and laughing at colourful surreal moments and some genuinely funny dialogue, with ‘too much money turns your kids into jerks or nightclub owners’ being one among many lines that made me chuckle.

Newcomers to the franchise may be turned off by the constant call backs to older outings for Goku and the gang, but if you’re a long-time fan of the series or, like me, you watched the series when you got in from school, you will enjoy it immensely.