The Dragon Ball franchise has amassed a large fanbase over the years and Hollywood had its eye on adapting the popular franchise in live-action. There were a lot of expectations and with the negative track record of manga adaptations on the big screen, it was a big responsibility that 20th Century Fox and director James Wong took with the film.
Unfortunately, Dragonball Evolution was widely panned when it was released, with fans finding nothing redeeming about the project. Years later, the film’s writer Ben Ramsey apologized to fans for letting them down and acknowledged that he went onto the project for financial reasons and not as a fan of the franchise.
Ben Ramsey Apologizes to Dragon Ball Fans for Dragonball Evolution
Dragonball Evolution looked like a promising adaptation of the beloved Dragon Ball manga series. The screenplay of the live-action adaptation was written by Ben Ramsey and was directed by James Hong known for directing some of the Final Destination films. Actors such as Justin Chatwin (Goku), Chow Yun-fat (Master Roshi), Emmy Rossum (Bulma), Jamie Chung (Chi-Chi), and James Marsters (Piccolo) played iconic characters from the franchise.
The film unfortunately fell into the Hollywood curse of ruining beloved manga/anime franchises as it failed to live up to the expectations of fans. The film had horrible acting, a mediocre storyline, and no resemblance to its source material. It felt like the makers were trying to capitalize on the Dragon Ball brand and milk money out of it.
This sentiment was shared by Ramsey years later as he talked about the backlash that the film received, Ramsey apologized to the fans for letting them down and revealed that he got hate mail from fans, making it a dark point in his career. He also acknowledged that he was not a fan of the franchise going in and went into the project with a financial mind. The writer said (via UPI),
“I knew that it would eventually come down to this one day. Dragonball Evolution marked a very painful creative point in my life. To have something with my name on it as the writer be so globally reviled is gut wrenching. To receive hate mail from all over the world is heartbreaking.
I went into the project chasing after a big payday, not as a fan of the franchise but as a businessman taking on an assignment. I have learned that when you go into a creative endeavor without passion you come out with sub-optimal results, and sometimes flat out garbage. To all the Dragon Ball fans out there, I sincerely apologize.”
The film failed critically and commercially and is considered one of the worst films of all time. The failure of Dragonball Evolution also hurt the cast of the film, with lead star Chatwin recently apologizing to Toriyama for messing up his franchise. It has been a cautionary tale for the industry in how not to approach beloved IP.
Akira Toriyama Wasn’t a Fan of Dragonball Evolution Just Like Fans
Dragonball Evolution felt like a complete betrayal of the legacy of the Dragon Ball franchise with its insipid presentation of its iconic characters and narrative. Fans were furious with how Hollywood wasted the potential of the live-action film with its lazy adaptation. The creator of the Dragon Ball manga Akira Toriyama was also critical of the film just like fans.
Toriyama stated that the film had no resemblance to the world and characters he created. He also revealed that he suggested changes in the film’s script but the makers did not listen to him. In the end, the film disappointed him big time. Toriyama said (via Comicbook.com),
“At the time of the Hollywood movie, the live-action Dragon Ball, the script had too little of a grasp on the world and its characteristics, and on top of that, it had a conventional content that I couldn’t find interesting, so I cautioned them, and suggested changes; but in spite of that, they seemed to have a strange confidence, and didn’t really listen to me. What came out in the end was a movie I couldn’t really call a Dragon Ball that lived up to my expectations.”
While fans want that film to fade into oblivion, Hollywood has improved with its anime adaptations in recent years like One Piece and Alice in Borderland. While Dragonball Evolution forever scarred fans and the live-action potential of the brand, now may be the perfect time for another (better) attempt at an adaptation of the beloved IP.
Fans can watch/rent Dragonball Evolution on Amazon Prime.
