The beginning of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, brings hope and promise but ultimately falls flat in some places but makes up for it through the fighting sequences. The hype was huge surrounding the movie once fans learned Broly would become official canon for Dragon Ball Super, with the film taking place after the Tournament of Power in the Dragon Ball Super anime.

The film begins 41 years before the present day on Planet Vegeta. It gets the audience excited for what is to come since Dragon Ball has not touched thoroughly on the Saiyan race of Planet Vegeta. It was surprisingly well written and longer than expected. We get to see King Vegeta again but also the debut of Gine, Goku’s mother on the big screen. We know about Bardock and the absolute badass he was to stand against Frieza but we never knew much about Gine and we get a better look at her. We also see Broly as a baby that King Vegeta feels threatened by and decides to send away. When Broly’s father Paragus hears of this and of King Vegeta’s real intentions, his reasons for revenge are something we are already familiar with.

To watch Planet Vegeta get destroyed by Frieza again was even more devastating to see than the first time. Especially when the first half of the film just dives into giving us a feel of what the Saiyan race was like on Planet Vegeta. The origins of Planet Vegeta were familiar yet refreshing at the same time. The tone and consistency of this film then start to go all over the place. Dragon Ball Z has never been known for a complex or an in-depth storyline for the most part but I certainly didn’t expect a movie to feel like it just a very long episode of Dragon Ball Super at times. However, the fighting scenes are some of the best I have seen in animation, in any Dragon Ball movie, and on the big screen in general.

Broly’s now canon story was different from the first film he was ever featured in Dragon Ball and it is a good change of pace. Akira Toriyama writes his origin story differently and it’s one where Broly grows up being trained by Paragus to become a deadly threat. His fighting with Vegeta than Goku was astounding, to say the least. We slowly see the Broly we are familiar with and it’s one heck of a ride.

The long fight between Gogeta and Broly was great in terms of the animation and the action. To watch was breathtaking and honestly, it was just amazing. Gogeta really embodied both Goku and Vegeta to be an unstoppable force and it is awesome to see them fuse using the fusion dance. What Dragon Ball has always presented in the long and vigorous fighting were taken to a whole new level with Gogeta and Broly. It was visually entertaining as they fought. Fighting in Antarctica made for a realistic and amazingly animated sequence. Yet getting to the big battle felt a little too rushed.

The biggest critique for this film was the music choices used. It felt either out of place or unnecessary. The jokes also felt forced at times or fell short. The new characters we see felt a tad unnecessary and when used, underutilized. It was a film where it needed certain interactions between different characters and certain other things to not feel as silly as it did at times.

The ending of the film leaves you wanting more and not completely satisfied in terms of what we have seen so far of a canon Broly. That doesn’t mean it was not enjoyable it just means it had more potential. However, it does get one excited for what the future can hold for Broly now being canon. It’s a film I wish I had liked more but needed a better story structure and higher stakes. Despite that, we get a new origin story from original creator Akira Toriyama himself, of what happened to Planet Vegeta, fantastic fighting scenes and our two favorite Saiyans going at it again against a new foe.

Rate 7/10

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is now playing in theaters! 

–Jacqueline Lainez

A planet destroyed, a powerful race reduced to nothing. After the devastation of Planet Vegeta, three Saiyans were scattered among the stars, destined for different fates. While two found a home on Earth, the third was raised with a burning desire for vengeance and developed an unbelievable power. And the time for revenge has come. Destinies collide in a battle that will shake the universe to its very core! Goku is back to training hard so he can face the most powerful foes the universes have to offer, and Vegeta is keeping up right beside him. But when they suddenly find themselves against an unknown Saiyan, they discover a terrible, destructive force. Locked into battle with the formidable Broly, Goku and Vegeta face their most dangerous opponent yet!