Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods

Title: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Director: Masahiro Hosoda
Released: 2013
Starring: Sean Schemmel, Jason Douglas, Ian Sinclair, Christopher R. Sabat, Monica Rial, Sean Schemmel, Chuck Huber

Plot: Four years on from the end of Dragon ball Z a new threat has awoken in the form of Beerus the God of Destruction and now Goku will need to tap into a whole new level of power if he’s to save the Earth from annihilation.

Review: The eighteenth Dragon ball movie which might make it seem like it wouldn’t be the most ideal starting place for the newcomer to the world of Dragon ball but fear not as you won’t need to have seen the 291 episodes of Dragon ball Z or the 153 episodes of the original Dragon ball series to enjoy this film which in terms of the series bridges the gap between the ending of Dragon ball Z and it’s current incarnation Dragon ball Super….Keeping up so far?

Picking up the story of legendary fighter Goku ten years after the end of Dragon ball Z now finds himself facing off with the God of Destruction Beerus who has awoken from his 39 year slumber to seek the mighty opponent the prophecy revealed he was destined to face. Now on a collision course with Goku he heads to Earth with plans to destroy the planet if Goku can’t defeat him.

While Dragon ball for the initiated which seem like that show with the burly guys screaming at each other for episodes on end and yes while there is more of that here, it is also a deeply rich world full of colourful characters and a great vein of humour running through it as demonstrated by the first hour. Opening with a handy recap for those who forgot what happened in Dragon ball Z while also introducing these characters to the newcomers little time is wasted throughout the tight runtime.

What makes this film so great though is that somehow it manages to walk the line between being a genuinely funny anime and an action packed brawl to the finish with the former coming from the hotheaded Vegeta is tasked with keeping Beerus happy when he gatecrashed his wife Bulma’s birthday party. What following being a stream of potentially hazardous situations that might risk upsetting Beerus’ good mood and inturn destroying the planet. The final showdown between Goku and Beerus baring all the usual over the top fighting antics and screaming power ups we have come to expect or the series.

Unquestionably with the feature budget behind it the animation is superb and even if you have seen the first 16 episodes of Dragon Ball Super which this would be broken down into for the series launch it’s fun seeing the subtle differences between the two like Bulma’s birthday taking place on a cruise ship in the series and her mansion in the fim aswell as an alternative take on the showdown between Goku and Beerus which includes the pair tearing thier way through a forest alongside all the usual screaming and power ups.

A fun fast paced watch wether your a long term fan or just looking for an entry point into the series this film certainly caters for both.