DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’

The DRAGON BALL Z anime movies from Japan have become the most popular Japanese anime movies in the United States since the Pokémon craze 15 years ago (but much less popular, by far).

DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ is a feature-length animated movie (one of 19) based on two popular Japanese TV series (1986 to 1989 and 1989 to 1996). The TV series is itself loosely based on the last 315 chapters of a 519-chapter comic book that itself was based on the classical Chinese novel JOURNEY TO THE WEST (circa 17th Century) describing the adventures of a Buddhist monk who travels to India in search of special Buddhist scrolls and has many fantastic adventures with many fantastical beings. The TV series focuses on one of the characters who helps the monk along his journey, a boy with a monkey tail named Goku who has become an adult by the time of the DRAGON BALL Z series (the earlier TV series was simply called DRAGON BALL [1986 to 1989] and focused on the boy and his adventures while growing up to be a man).

Goku is loosely based on the character Sun Wukong in JOURNEY TO THE WEST, a “monkey king” god born from a stone who achieves supernatural powers through spiritual, moral and physical practices associated with Buddhism and Taoism, and who accompanies the monk on his adventures. At the start of the DRAGON BALL Z series, however, it’s revealed that Goku is actually an alien, a member of “a nearly extinct extraterrestrial race called the Saiyans, who sent Goku to conquer Earth for them, until he suffered a severe head injury and lost all memory of his mission” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball).

In RESURRECTION ‘F,’ one of 15 DRAGON BALL Z movies, two elite soldiers in the Galactic Frieza Army use the five dragon balls and a regeneration machine to resurrect their dead boss, the galactic tyrant named Frieza. Frieza, Goku’s former nemesis, was killed by another character and sent to Hell. Hell is pictured as a large field of yellow flowers under Earth’s oceans. There, wrapped in a cocoon on a tree, Frieza is tormented by giggling winged creaturesm, who look like fairies but may be “angels” of some kind and a group of stuffed animals who play annoying children’s music on toy instruments.

Naturally, after being resurrected, Frieza is glad to be out of Hell. He decides he will train for four months so he can face Goku again and defeat him in battle. The four months pass, and Frieza and his army challenge Goku and his friends to a big battle on Earth applying their martial arts superpowers. Goku and his friend, Vegeta, are away training on another planet, however, so Goku’s other friends must first battle Frieza’s huge army before Goku and Vegeta return to challenge Frieza to one-on-one combat.

DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ isn’t as entertaining or as funny as the last DRAGON BALL Z movie, BATTLE OF GODS. In fact, it’s a bit boring and repetitious. Also, the jokes aren’t integrated as well into the story, or so it seems.

Though RESURRECTION ‘F’ doesn’t have the last movie’s polytheistic references, the ending shows Goku almost dying because he’s too merciful toward Frieza. Thus, one of the movie’s main messages is that you should be ruthless when it comes to fighting your enemies. DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ also contains some foul language, manipulation of time, a lot of pointless fighting, and a goofy, false vision of Hell that’s played for laughs. These things are ultimately inappropriate. Finally, the movie also teaches the attainment of supernatural, god-like powers through self-effort, a pagan concept that’s prevalent in martial arts science fiction and fantasy.