The Fall of Men

Let's get one thing out of the way, in order to watch this, you need to have a good creative imagination to truly appreciate it for what it's worth. It's not trying to directly adapt the Dragonball/DBZ anime, but rather the content. Purists will probably be left frustrated, but that isn't a criticism I can put on this movie. It's more than just candy for the purists. At the end of the day, this is as what's described in the credits, a fan fiction. That said, this is a truly great fan fiction.

I am a huge fan of the original anime and manga. I consider myself very knowledgeable about the universe, its lore, and its characters. History of Trunks might be one of my favorite parts of the original anime, and I feel that this pays good homage and takes the original story in a riveting new direction.

The action is solid, and the exposition is great, with dialogue being handled by the narrator instead of the actual characters (a great choice, as English isn't the casts' primary language). I feel that this adds a nice twist, as the actors do a great job by just showing emotion and body language. Great job by the actors.

For a low budget film, this short is gorgeous. These people definitely have a future in feature film making and the cinematography is admirable. The fight feels truly like its telling its own story, one of the highest compliments I can give.

In summary, this is a great twist on the source material, with new dimensions added that feel like they belong. The acting is good, the voice acting is decent, and the action is just right. The music is fantastic as well. If you are a purist who wants a direct adaptation of the anime to the screen, with Trunks having purple hair and Bulma having blue, then this isn't the film for you. If you've got an open mind and would like to be taken to a place where it feels right, and the source material is still treated with respect, then don't pass this up.

Like many other fans of the Dragonball franchise, I am staunchly sceptical of any attempts to adapt content from the anime or manga into live-action sequences. I've long felt that the nature of the show (with its fast-paced fight scenes, wild hairstyles, transformations and ki-blasts) is not suitable for live-action. However, and to my surprise, Fall of Men has prompted me to reconsider my outlook.

Fall of Men is loosely based on the Dragonball Z storyline "The History of Trunks". However, Fall of Men gives the Dragonball universe a darker, grittier feel, unlike any live-action adaptation that has gone before it. In line with the themes of the History of Trunks movie, the sense of loss and hopelessness is conveyed very effectively throughout the film. This is perhaps amplified by the lack of dialogue; the film largely relies on visual cues to move the story forward, with the voice of Trunks dubbed over only to provide the audience with an insight into his thoughts and feelings.

However, this film's strongest suit is in its ability to filter out the details from the anime/manga that do not match its gritty tone. However, any details that are plausible in live-action have been retained, which will please any hardcore Dragonball fans. For instance, whilst Bulma is not portrayed with blue hair, Dr. Briefs is still portrayed with a cigarette and small black cat. In short, the film manages to stay loyal to the franchise, but has moved far enough from it to not appear parodical.

Further, when tackling sequences much more difficult to portray in live-action (such as transformations, ki blasts and movements at speed), Fall of Men manages to execute them in a tasteful way, triumphing where many live-action adaptations have failed (although a little more tweaking could be carried out in places).

For any Dragonball fan, this short film is worth a watch. Above all else, it has single-handedly demonstrated that a decent live-action adaptation of Dragonball is possible. The fact that this film did not have the backing of a major production company makes it all the more remarkable.

The film is slow and that's its downfall, it drags in places, while it does give you a the sense of the characters desperation and the danger that they're in, the rest of it is just boring. where this film really shines is the Fight scene. Although its the only one in the film it makes up for the first half.

The fight has great atmosphere, you really feel the stakes (the whole film has good atmosphere even the boring parts)the music fits perfectly , well paced, and its choreographed well easily the best part of the movie.

The SFX are passable, the CGI on Cell is OK but some shots of Super Sayian Trunks look just plain bad.

The acting is alright... the actor who plays trunks is OK if not a little of the bland side (when he's narrating) Not all that bad though same goes for the guy who voices Vegeta.

The production design and set are impressive for a Fan production

Aside from some pacing issues , not great SFX , and kinda bland acting I was left satisfied.

I accidentally bumped into this video on YouTube and was so surprised. It amazed me the way the story telling began, and immediately as a Dragon Ball Z lover it struck me that this could be the beginning of something very special. The way everything is put together and the way the producer and story writer started this movie is even beyond my expectations. This could become such a big and new chapter in film making history, even bigger than Star Wars! If you see how many Saga's Dragon Ball Z has. If you imagine how awesome GT can become. And the possibility to invent new extensions to the story, or to add prequels like George Lucas did with Star Wars.

There are endless possibilities and opportunities in the production of Dragon Ball. And the way it has started is really great.

It just needs to be funded with multi millions and i am sure everyone who loves a superhero movie will love this awesome story even more!

Can't wait to see Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, in action. Especially in there Super Saiyan modes.

Lets hope for the best. Peace out.

Ka-me-ha-me-ha! ha-ha

One of the best fan movies I have ever seen I wish it was a full length movie instead of a short