It is bizarre that this movie even exists. Watching it, it looks like it was recorded in somebody's backyard. There are fan films with better production value than this movie. I would have thought that what I saw was a hazily remembered fever dream if not for the fact that it is here on IMDb.
Where to begin? This does in fact have the official Dragon Ball seal of approval. Or at the very least bares its name through various Korean legal loopholes. But despite having its name, they don't give the characters their correct names. It is almost like the Harmony Gold Dub calling Goku: "Zero" or the AB dub calling Piccolo "Big Green". Maybe a more fitting comparison is the Bandai Nintendo game "Dragon Power". In that game they renamed Goku "Monkey Boy" and the Dragon Balls, "crystal balls". Because yes, in this movie called: "Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins" the Dragon Balls are called "Dragon Pearls". There are no Dragon Balls in this Dragon Ball movie.
OK, but if the naming thing was this movie's only problem that would be forgivable. Let's move onto the effects. This helps highlight the problem that will always arise when adapting an animated property to real life. In animation, you want to have Goku fighting a talking crocodile, go right ahead, just draw it. In live action, that whole thing looks incredibly silly and fake.
The movie seems to be an adaptation of "Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies" (1986). If you are wanting the story watch that, or watch the Pilaf Saga, or watch "Path of Power" heck watch a playthrough of Dragon Power, any of those would be a more appropriate substitute to watching this.
It is so entreatingly bad, I will not go through any more of a plot description of what happens. Anything I write, your imagination will do a better job filling in the gaps than this movie does at showing it. Watch it with friends to make fun of it, good times can be had, but that certainly doesn't make it a good movie.
There are no Dragon Balls, and there is no magic.
Where to begin? This does in fact have the official Dragon Ball seal of approval. Or at the very least bares its name through various Korean legal loopholes. But despite having its name, they don't give the characters their correct names. It is almost like the Harmony Gold Dub calling Goku: "Zero" or the AB dub calling Piccolo "Big Green". Maybe a more fitting comparison is the Bandai Nintendo game "Dragon Power". In that game they renamed Goku "Monkey Boy" and the Dragon Balls, "crystal balls". Because yes, in this movie called: "Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins" the Dragon Balls are called "Dragon Pearls". There are no Dragon Balls in this Dragon Ball movie.
OK, but if the naming thing was this movie's only problem that would be forgivable. Let's move onto the effects. This helps highlight the problem that will always arise when adapting an animated property to real life. In animation, you want to have Goku fighting a talking crocodile, go right ahead, just draw it. In live action, that whole thing looks incredibly silly and fake.
The movie seems to be an adaptation of "Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies" (1986). If you are wanting the story watch that, or watch the Pilaf Saga, or watch "Path of Power" heck watch a playthrough of Dragon Power, any of those would be a more appropriate substitute to watching this.
It is so entreatingly bad, I will not go through any more of a plot description of what happens. Anything I write, your imagination will do a better job filling in the gaps than this movie does at showing it. Watch it with friends to make fun of it, good times can be had, but that certainly doesn't make it a good movie.
There are no Dragon Balls, and there is no magic.