History Film / DragonballEvolution

''Dragonball Evolution'' is an American LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/DragonBall'' produced by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox and directed by James Wong. The trailer can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4t8PeqJ6E&fmt=18 here]].

An [[InNameOnly incredibly loose]] American LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/DragonBall'' produced by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox. The trailer can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4t8PeqJ6E&fmt=18 here]].

An American LiveActionAdaptation of ''Manga/DragonBall'' produced by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox. The trailer can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4t8PeqJ6E&fmt=18 here]].

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: At the end of the BeamOWar between Goku and Piccolo, Goku somehow uses the Kamehameha to propel himself towards Piccolo - while that is similar to what happens in the source material, the reason it's not an example of this trope there, but is in this movie, is because in the series proper, Goku used the Kamehameha as a means of propulsion, and charged Piccolo head-on to penetrate through him[[note]]in fact, the official name of the move that Goku killed King Piccolo with is Penetrate[[/note]]. Here, however, the Kamehameha somehow acts like a reverse tractor beam, despite the fact that, if anything, it should push Goku away from Piccolo.

[[caption-width-right:250:Left to right: Mai, Bulma, Goku, Master Roshi, and Chi-Chi.]]

* ThereAreNoRules: Mentioned a few times by Goku.

It has a tie-in video game. Not to be confused with the two unofficial live-action movies based on ''Dragon Ball'', ''Film/DragonBallTheMagicBegins'' and ''Film/DragonBallFightForVictorySonGoku''.

* DeadpanSnarker: Bulma

* DesignatedGirlFight

** Mai. In the anime and manga she was an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, while in the film she's much more efficient ([[spoiler:even if she does end up being a total AntiClimaxBoss]]) and also [[AdaptationalVillainy much more evil]].

* AdaptationDyeJob

* AnimeHair: Goku features a more {{downplayed}} realistic spin on this.

* BeamOWar: Sort of.

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Poor Grandpa Gohan.
* TheChosenOne: Played completely straight.

** Goku and Chi-Chi could just as well have been called Gohan and Videl, Goku here can also be called [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]].
** Piccolo, on the other hand, keeps most of his traits, but also gains a few possessed by Emperor Pilaf - most notably having Mai as his assistant (in the series proper, it would be Piano), his wish to take over the world (in the series proper, it was to become young again), and being the first villain fought. On top of that, his usage of the Saibamen comes from Nappa and Vegeta.

* EarthDrift: {{Inverted}}, if the PSP video game is anything to go by: it is stated that unlike the completely fictional Earth in ''Dragon Ball'', Dragonball Evolution's Earth is in fact our world in the future.
* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler: The last shot of the film shows us that [[BigBad Piccolo]] has survived Goku's attack and is now being nursed back to health by a woman whose life he spared earlier in the film.]]

* InNameOnly: The movie has ''some'' elements in common with the original manga, such as the presence of Goku and a girl named Bulma who are in search of the seven [[MacGuffin Dragon Balls]]. But nearly everything else is heavily modified from the original canon. Goku went from a twelve-year old [[ChasteHero Chaste]] WildChild to a sixteen-year old negative High-Schooler who wants to get with a girl. He learns the Kamehameha too late, and is too serious to even be considered the same character. Krillin, a highly important character in the original, was cut out (while [[FunnyAnimal Oolong and Puar]] may be understandable). Bulma and [[AscendedExtra Mai]] go the other way and TookALevelInBadass.

Creator/AkiraToriyama reportedly hated this movie so much that he returned to work on the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise to redeem his creation. This was one of the factors resulting in ''Franchise/DragonBall''[='s=] revival in the mid-2010s, starting with ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods''.

* CompositeCharacter: Goku and Chi-Chi could just as well have been called Gohan and Videl, Goku here can also be called [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]].

** In addition to Creator/MarioCastaneda and Crator/CarlosSegundo returning as the respective voices of Goku and Piccolo, Creator/IrwinDaayan, the original Dende, voices Agundas; Paco Mauri (Gara in ''Dragon Ball'' and Mr. Lao in ''Z'') is instead the voice of Master Roshi; José Arenas (who played various roles in ''Z'' and ''GT'' as well as Jeice in ''Kai'') is the voice of Fuller; Hermán López (the original Turtle) voices Mr. Kingery (the teacher who appears at the beginning of the film); and Creator/ArturoMercado, the voice of Karin, Zarbon and Babidi, voices Grandpa Gohan.

* RaceLift: The movie got a lot of flak by casting white Justin Chatwin as Goku, with fans claiming that Goku is supposed to be Asian. Most defenders noted that race in ''Dragon Ball'' is more along the lines of human/demon/alien (and Goku is an alien). Bulma is played by the white Creator/EmmyRossum, but her family is already from the West in the source material, and Creator/JamesMarsters[='=]s Piccolo is under so much makeup it doesn't ''really'' matter. Besides that, all of supporting characters (Master Roshi, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Mai, Grandpa Gohan) ''are'' played by Asian actors.

** The Dragonballs have the added ability to [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings make Goku see horrible things if he touches them.]] For bonus points, the old master (Roshi) wraps it in cloth to prevent this.

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragonball_evolution.jpg]]

Goku is a young high school student who must battle the evil space overlord Piccolo and retrieve the Dragon Balls in order to stop Piccolo's massive ape servant, Oozaru. Along the way, Goku loses his grandfather and meets an inventor named Bulma, a martial arts master named Roshi, and a bandit named Yamcha.

Creator/AkiraToriyama reportedly hated this movie so much that he returned to work on the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise to do what he felt was redeeming his creation. This was one of the factors resulting in ''Dragon Ball''[='s=] revival in the mid-2010s, starting with ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods''.

* AdaptationalCurves: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] is one of the most iconic example of Shonen heroes with a HeroicBuild and his physique is often idolized by anime fans and Gym goers (to the point that the ''Goku's gym'' [[MemeticMutation meme]] exists) and he constantly suffers ClothingDamage to show off his impressive physique. Movie Goku has a very average, slim build to the point that even [[ButtMonkey Yamcha]] is more muscular than him. Although the story arcs the movie is adapting had a less muscular Goku, but the reason for that is that Goku was a lot younger in the source material during the King Piccolo saga. The movie gives him an AgeLift, but leaves out his muscular physique, presumably to portray him as a loner/loser.

This movie is infamous for another reason as well, as Creator/AkiraToriyama reportedly hated this movie so much that he returned to work on the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise to do what he felt was redeeming his creation. This was one of the factors resulting in ''Dragon Ball''[='=]s revival in the mid-2010s, starting with ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods''.

Has a tie-in video game.

Not to be confused with the two unofficial live-action movies based on ''Dragon Ball'', ''Film/DragonBallTheMagicBegins'' and ''Film/DragonBallFightForVictorySonGoku''.

* StockFootage: [[FreezeFrameBonus Paying close attention]] during Goku's "premonitions" whenever he acquires a Dragon Ball reveals that the movie uses a fair amount of stock footage. Examples include {{Film/Armageddon}} and Film/IndependenceDay.

* PlotInducedStupidity: Piccolo is shown crushing a ''house'' with his mind. Later, when a Dragon Ball rolls out of his grasp, why doesn't he mind-grab it?

* AdaptationDyeJob: Played with in terms of Yamcha. Like his manga counterpart, he does indeed have naturally black hair, but appears to have dyed it blonde InUniverse.

This movie is infamous for another reason as well, as Creator/AkiraToriyama reportedly hated this movie so much that he returned to work on the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise to do what he felt was redeeming his creation. This was one of the factors resulting in ''Dragon Ball'''s revival in the mid 2010's, starting with ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods''.

Compare ''Film/GSaviour'' and ''Film/TheLastAirbender''.

* RaceLift: The movie got a lot of flak by casting white Justin Chatwin as Goku, with fans claiming that Goku is supposed to be Asian. Most defenders noted that race in ''Dragon Ball'' is more along the lines of human/demon/alien (and Goku is an alien). Bulma is played by the white Creator/EmmyRossum, but her family is already from the West in the source material, and Creator/JamesMarsters[='=] Piccolo is under so much makeup it doesn't ''really'' matter. Besides that, all of supporting characters (Master Roshi, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Mai, Grandpa Gohan) ''are'' played by Asian actors.

* RaceLift: The movie got a lot of flak by casting white Justin Chatwin as Goku, with fans claiming that Goku is supposed to be Asian. Most defenders noted that race in ''Dragon Ball'' is more along the lines of human/demon/alien (and Goku is an alien). Bulma is played by the white Creator/EmmyRossum, and Creator/JamesMarsters[='=] Piccolo is under so much makeup it doesn't ''really'' matter. Besides that, all of supporting characters (Master Roshi, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Mai, Grandpa Gohan) ''are'' played by Asian actors.

* AdaptationalVillainy: The Namekians were described as being conquerors from across the stars, when in the source material, they are mostly peaceful.

* AdaptationExpansion: The surprisingly-decent video game of the film takes a few chances to expand upon the film and throw in a few more elements from the actual franchise. [[spoiler: In particular, in the secret bonus chapter of the story, Piccolo returns in a very Lord Slug-esque form of "Neo Piccolo", and as he dies for good, he utters a curse at Goku's true identity as a Saiyan. Even as the chapter closes, Chi-Chi mentions a new technique, jokingly stating it would be "a beam from her forehead".]]

* WhamLine: In the videogame, [[spoiler: Neo Piccolo]] drops a rather important word as he perishes.
--> ''It's unthinkable... I regained my powers...only to lose to some punk... [[spoiler: Filthy...Saiyan...]]''

* CompositeCharacter: Goku and Chi-Chi could just as well have been called Gohan and Videl, Noku here can also be called [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]].