Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope

True to its source material and really interesting graphic effects. Kudos on the filmmakers for trying to get this right!

I have always been a major fan of anything Dragon Ball, having watched every episode of each series (yes, including DB GT) at least twice. I am not going to lie, I had been wanting to see a live-action version of the show for some time after watching the anime for so many years. I was hoping for something close to the show but with, well you know, real people. DB Evolution was the single greatest disappointment of my movie experiences and its memory still hurts my brain. DB Light of Hope episode 1 literally came out of nowhere one day when I was searching through YouTube and it blew me away. It was amazing what a group of people who had actual passion (rather than monetary greed) for the show on a budget a fraction of the Hollywood calamity.

Since episode 1 came out I had donated to their campaign and was eagerly awaiting episodes 2+3. I waited and waited, then waited some more. Then I forgot about it since DB Super came out. To my delight, I got a notification that episode 2 had come out this month and i watched it almost instantly.

DB Light of Hope episode 2 follows on nicely from episode 1 and continues along the storyline that parallels "The History of Trunks". As such, DB fans knew what to expect, but hoped for some new element that makes this standout from the anime. Aside from a couple of minor plot points though, it stays true to the origin movie which was somewhat disappointing. However, what I loved about this movie was that the action sequences were very well done, especially considering their budget. Of course, the CGI was of low quality, but you could appreciate what they were getting at.

This project has a number of positives that can be gleaned, however it is not perfect. The strengths of something like this depends on a solid cast and this is where DB Light of Hope falls flat. The actors who played Gohan and Trunks were just not very good. They just did not seem properly in character and it felt as though they was a barrier between their performance and what could have been. Turning to the androids 17/18, we all know that they are meant to be robot-like and devoid of emotion. In the anime this was done very well, but the actors here again felt like they were not all there. Things like CGI can be forgiven since this reflects their budget, but poor casting cannot I'm afraid.

Taken together, DB Light of Hope is an excellent fan film. It mirrors DB very well, unlike its Hollywood counterpart which tried to appeal to the masses. It is action- packed with great CGI and action sequences considering their budget. One could only imagine what the possibilities could be if Hollywood approached them so that fans like us can get the live-action version we deserve.

I suppose this would be more meaningful for me if I had ever seen more than, I don't know, maybe 1 or 2 episodes of 'Dragonball Z,' to say nothing of the special at hand. On the other hand, that almost total lack of specific knowledge lets me watch 'Dragonball Z: Light of Hope' with a fresh perspective. So how is it?

This is a fan film, a passion project borne purely of love for the anime. For being created on what I assume was pocket change, the visual effects look pretty decent. The assembled cast varies in the skills they display. Whether that's attributable to fault in the direction, writing, or acting abilities outright - or even just the very nature of DBZ as being over the top - is up for debate. At their best, though, the actors demonstrate more capability than one would expect to find in a production of this sort.

Just to glance at a synopsis of 'History of Trunks' one can easily tell that 'Light of hope' is a very loose and perhaps incomplete adaptation. For what it's worth, though, the narrative as a whole in this short is put together reasonably well, and again, I say that as someone broadly unfamiliar with DBZ. While substantially embellished with special effects, I do also like the fight choreography on display. It's clear that the film-makers knew visual flair and martial arts were the most important aspects to get right, and to their credit, it shows.

Maybe someone with a stronger investment in anime would have more to say; maybe I'm inflecting my impartiality with too much generosity. Still, one has to consider that 'Dragonball Z: Light of hope' was made purely by dedicated enthusiasts with limited means at their disposal. I can't readily speak for this short relative to the source material, but acknowledging it as a fan film - and recognizing that the intended appeal is for a very select audience - I can't help but think this is fairly well done. I'd be curious to see what all involved would be able to do with greater resources.

As a long time Dragon Ball fan and content creator, I have to say this is the best live-action adaptation of the series. The VFX are fantastic, especially for a 2017 Indie project. The casting is pretty great; costumes are so on point and everything to the settings is wildly accurate. These filmmakers have outdone themselves; they should be proud, everyone involved!

I wish they had the opportunity to continue to create this content. Seeing what they would do for the Bardock special or one of the other DBZ films would have been really awesome!