Dragonball Z - Movie Special 1: Son-Gokus Vater (Das Bardock Special)

Normally, Dragonball Z movies have weak plots, horrible dubbing, censorship up the wazoo, and pretty useless fighting. However, this one is an excellent example of what the movies SHOULD have been like.

Bardock is a saiyan who, like everyone else on his home planet Vegeta, works for Freeza. One day, his team of low-level soldiers take out a planet that was giving even Freeza's highest elite teams a run for their money. However, the last survivor curses Bardock by giving him the power to see the future.

Bardock begins to dream about Goku's future back on Vegeta, while the rest of his team is sent to another planet on Freeza's orders. Bardock dreams that Goku will become a great warrior, but thinks nothing of it. However, as the plot unfolds, and he learns what Freeza is planning, he realizes that Goku will be the only hope for the universe someday.

The stuff I can't give away is what really makes the plot so wonderful. There are only a few fights, but that's to be expected; the plot is the main focus here. However, two fights do stand out: a little Vegeta destroys a bunch of Saibamen, and Bardock's final confrontation with Freeza. Overall, I recommend that any moderate to hardcore DBZ fan get this movie sometime. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Bardock the Father of Goku is a great DBZ Movie because you learn everything about what happened before the series and all the secrets of Goku's past.

It's a very good movie, I saw this movie with my brother at his dorm at a college campus and I downloaded the movie to on my pc

Well, I only saw this two days ago for the first time - and as a newly recruited Dragonball Z fan (that is, a solid fan for the past 2 years), I have to say that this was fantastic. Bardock was beautiful (and that is a term I only usually use for Piccolo and Vegeta). I have to say, that at the start, I couldn't see much resemblance between Bardock's personality and Kakarot's (Goku's). But as the film progresses, you can't help but notice the same self-sacrificing and caring nature they both share – although Bardock's was kinda buried. They are both willing to die for the people and planet that they love. And Vegeta! Well, he was beautiful. Very true to character – arrogant and proud. (I'd like to take a moment here and point out how sorry I feel for Vegeta, named after his father and his planet!). As was Frieza. I couldn't help but find myself despising that cold-hearted lizard all over again – and I must admit I had a great laugh when he was defeated by Goku on Namek (albeit temporarily) and permanently by Trunks on Earth. But anyway, all I have to say is that this is a classic piece of Dragonball Z work.

Really enjoyed this one. It piqued my curiosity about Goku's history and the destruction of Vegeta. Bardock getting clairvoyance early on gave way to some great scenes and storylines. I especially liked the conversations Bardock shared with his son. There is a great similarity between Bardock and Goku's rage after losing their teams at the hands of Frieza. This set the stage for Bardock's redemption and an absolute badass final push to end Frieza. The animation during that final push was awesome and the destruction of planet Vegeta was just straight up beautiful. Baby Vegeta and Bardock's crew fighting as apes were my other highlights.

Goku's father, Bardock was a low ranking Saiyan soldier working for Frieza along with the rest of the Saiyan. His son, Goku was only an infant and is being schedule to be sent to Earth to destroy. But little did his dad know, is that his son will be a savor for the Earth in years to come.

This tells the full story of Bardock, who was only mentioned briefly in the anime. As well as featuring familiar characters including Nappa, a Young Vegeta, Zarbon, Frieza, and Grandpa Gohan.

It's highly recommended for those who want to see what Bardock was really like, and what was his thoughts on the son he hardly seen or knew in person.