Dragon Ball : La Légende de Shenron

This movie is fantastic. In the original japanese version, the action and voice action was terrific! The dub was merely okay, but Saffron Henderson did an excellent job dubbing goku... The japanese version is better but the dub is okay. Look at your local blockbuster and pick it up!!!

I thought this movie served as an excellent introduction to the series, and because it's a semi original plotline, those who have seen the series will enjoy another outing with Son Goku.

The animation is good, and (while I prefer the japanese) the english dubbing isn't half bad. The story line is simple, involving basically the dragonball gang looking for the something while a giant army does the same, resulting in a multitude of exciting (and never repetitive) fights. Lots of humor, lot's of action, and excellent characters, what more could you possibly ask for?

I definately give this movie an A+!

Being a huge fan of the Dragonball franchise, I simply had to watch this, although I do just watch all available movies. Now, the weird thing is that I had no idea what the plot of this film was. It turns out it's actually a retelling of the original "Dragonball" series! I admit that I was kind of turned off by the idea that I would just see the same stories that I had seen before. I actually ended up enjoying this film because even though it doesn't really add anything new to a great franchise, it was enjoyable in its own right. It helps that the animation is so gorgeous.

It's great to see these classic characters even if it's not an original concept. It was weird how they replaced Emperor Pilaf and his minions with these new characters. I mean, they act nothing like Pilaf and his henchmen. It doesn't matter, because it still captures the spirit of the Dragonball series. It's always weird to see this much material being put in a 50 minute movie! I actually was impressed with the end result. I would recommend this to non fans if only so they could get a nice introduction to the series. It's just great to see the first in a huge movie series. This movie is definitely not canon. Puar's voice is as funny as ever. ***

"Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies" is Dragon Ball's first movie. The movie is a retelling of the beginning of Dragon Ball but this time it replaces the villain Pilaf with a new character named King Gurumes. Gurumes is a king cursed with an insatiable hunger, a hunger that he tries to satisfy through eating blood rubies. He wants to use the Dragon Balls to wish the hunger away, which is an interesting motivation for the villain. Arguably his wish is more noble than that of our heroes.

The main downside to this movie is how much it just repeats from the series. It adds very little to make itself stand on its own. If you have seen the series, there isn't much here to recommend. It is just interesting to see a different telling of the story. Almost as if you are stepping into an alternate universe of Dragon Ball. Maybe these are the events that happen in Universe 6 after Beerus wishes Earth back in their universe.

If you are using this movie as a replacement for the Pilaf Saga of the series, the main thing you will miss, outside intro of Pilaf, Mai and Shoo, is the introduction of Goku's future wife Chi Chi. Instead we have the "Snow" looking red head of this movie, Penny.

On its own, the movie is fun and charming just like the original series, but it doesn't do enough for me to place it above the series. And if you have seen the series, there isn't much of a point in watching it at all. But if like the King, you find yourself with an insatiable hunger for Dragon Ball content, this will tide you over.

This the first movie released during the Japanese TV run of Dragon Ball. Basically, this movie is a re-telling of how the main characters (Goku, Bulma, Oolong, Yamcha, Puar, and Master Roshi) of Dragon Ball meet. In the movie, however, as they meet, they help a farmer's daughter named Penny save her village from its wicked king, Gurumes, who's seeking the Dragon Balls to wish for lots of food to eat to satisfy his hunger. The movie re-creates some rather hilarious sequences from the Pilaf Saga episodes of Dragon Ball, giving it a generally family-friendly atmosphere. In the U.S., this movie, re-titled "Curse Of The Blood Rubies", was released on syndicated TV as a 2-part series pilot, but the editing and dubbing was done well enough that much of the movie mirrors its original Japanese counterpart.

GRADE: 4 out of 5 stars