DragonBall: Magic Begins

Starring:Ruby Tse, Ju-Hee Lee, Kim Chu Che, Eddie Chan, Marilyn Chow, Wong Chung Yiu, Annie Lai, To Kim, Paul Kam, Chi Keung Chan, Don Wong, Heo Seong-Tae
Director: Leung Chung, Joe Chan
Studio: Tai Seng
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Definately a B-movie
Funniest movie in the entire monkey boy universe
Perfect Live Action Dragonball Movie
Dragonball is awesome
No, this is not based on "Journey to the West."

DragonBall: Magic Begins
Starring: Wong Chung Yiu , Chi Keung Chan , Annie Lai , To Kim , and Paul Kam
Director: Leung Chung , and Joe Chan
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305884862
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Customer Reviews:

Definately a B-movie.......2006-11-15

Watch this movie only if you like B-movies, because as a film by itself, it isn't very good. Graphics are laughable, and the dubbing at times was badly translated, not to mention the fact that the movie is clearly titled Dragonball, when the actual balls are refered to throughout the movie as "dragon pearls." The acting is worthy of daytime soap, and some of the make-up was a scary reminder of the 80's, but the movie is a fair representation of the anime series. Basically, do not buy this unless you have seen the series at some point, and can enjoy a b-movie.

Funniest movie in the entire monkey boy universe.......2004-09-26

This movie was definitely the funniest movie ever made. Nothing can compare to a little boy carrying a cardboard crocodile and getting shot by a gun that shoots out little sparkles. How can you imagine something funnier than a fat asian smacking his man boobs and his face and becoming a busty hawaiin drag queen? It's impossible my friend, and this movie takes everything. You have led a useless life if you have never seen this movie. I laughed to the point of not being able to breathe and felt dizzy with utter hysteria. I love this movie with all of my monkey boy heart. This movie will let all your dragon pearl wishes come true, my esteemed colleagues.

Perfect Live Action Dragonball Movie.......2004-05-19

This movie will make a lot more sense to you if you compare it to the Dragonball series, NOT to Dragonball Z. The Magic Begins includes most of the characters in the show and introduces Goku as a little boy still living with his grandfather in the woods. Goku is in possession of the four star dragon ball (called "dragon pearl" here) and the evil King Horn is out to gather the remaining six balls so he can summon the dragon and make an evil wish. Goku must find the remaining dragon balls before King Horn gets his hands on them, and in doing so, runs into a wacky cast of characters along the way.
The movie sticks very closely to the show: Goku has his power pole and later gets the flying nimbus from Master Roshi, when Goku and Bulma first meet she's the first girl Goku's ever seen, and they meet when Goku is carrying an alligator back to his home for dinner, just like in the show. Oolong is a shapeshifter and Yamcha is scared of girls and challenges Goku at every turn. The hilarious Master Roshi is a perv as always, and his scenes with Oolong as Bulma are also straight from the show.
You have to have a sense of humor to truly appreciate this movie. The special effects are lacking and the dubbing is awful, but the fight scenes are fun and the plot's pretty good. If you appreciate Toriyama's Dragonball at all, you're sure to find a good time in this movie.

Here's a list of characters as they relate to the show, as far as I can tell:

Monkey Boy - Goku
Grandpa Sparkle - Grandpa Gohan
Seetoe - Bulma
Westwood - Yamcha (Westwood's wise cracking bird is probably Puar)
Pig Fairy - Oolong
Turtle Man - Master Roshi
King Horn - Emperor Pilaf (Pilaf's cronies are probably Mai and Xiu)

Dragonball is awesome.......2004-04-01

Of course most ppl know about journey to the west, and that it is the story behind dragonball,if you don't know the story you should check out the book!This is a good funny movie with lots of fighting and comedy,if your looking for a movie more of the dbz and gt feeling I would not recommend this movie,check out the trailer of this movie before you buy it at http://badmovies.org just search for dragonball : the magic begins.

No, this is not based on "Journey to the West.".......2004-02-12

"Journey To The West" a 500-year-old novel with even older roots in Chinese legend, was the primary inspiration for Akira Toriyama's "Dragonball" series. In the original, Goku was a "Monkey King," a former resident of Heaven who had been punished for his arrogance and mischief. To make amends he was assigned as helper to a Monk whose task was to bring Buddhist scriptures from India to China, and help spread the new faith that was to replace Taoist and Confucian beliefs.

In Toriyama's original Dragonball version (later revised further for "Dragonball Z"), Goku is a monkey-boy in pursuit of 7 "dragonballs." It was only the character of Goku that was lifted from the classic; the rest is Toriyama's own myth-making.

While this movie does not follow Toriyama's conception exactly, it is a lot closer to it than it is to any traditional Chinese legends. The Dragonballs are called Dragon Pearls in the dub, but there is no Chinese legend about the pursuit of such things; nor is there any Chinese legend with a character named "Bulma," which is actually a corruption of the word "Bloomers" and is a reference to lady's underpants.

Most of the film's deviations from the manga and animation can be explained by two things:

1. The dub translation changed most of the characters' names, and changed "Dragonballs" to "Dragon Pearls." I suspect the dub was done before the Toriyama works were well-known stateside.

2. It is much more expensive to accomplish SFX in live-action films than in comics and cartoons.

So, contrary to other reviews here, don't take this as anything but an adaptation of Toriyama's work. If you are interested in a dumbed-down version of the already-dumb anime inspired by a Chinese classic, here's your ticket. But don't go thinking you are watching anything to do with ancient Chinese culture.

As to the somewhat high rating I am giving this, the whole movie fascinated me, and I loved it the same way I enjoyed the He-Man movie that featured Frank Langella as Skeletor, just a few years after he played Dracula. I would have rated it higher but that would mislead some people into thinking this was a good movie; it isn't. What it is, is a hoot.

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