Anime Review: Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 5 – The Broly Trilogy

Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 5 - The Broly Trilogy (UK Rating: PG)

The first movie in this set - Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan - opens on (guess what!?) the Z Fighters enjoying some downtime! Like almost every Dragon Ball film… This time they are chilling out at a picnic, viewing cherry blossoms and undergoing some slight torture as Krillin attempts to sing. They are saved from the auditory torment when a huge spaceship lands and waves of faceless cannon fodder come pouring out. These guys aren't here looking for a fight though, nor are they the latest group of aliens stupid enough to want to try and take over Earth. They are soldiers of a Saiyan, a survivor of Frieza's slaughter named Paragus who has come to Earth to beg Vegeta's help. Paragus is hoping to build a new world of Saiyans, a new Planet Vegeta with its namesake at its head. They want Vegeta, but they also need his help in stopping the rampaging "Legendary Super Saiyan." This "Legendary Super Saiyan" is not Goku, though, or Trunks or even Vegeta himself… there's another Saiyan out there slaughtering innocents. Meanwhile, Goku has been tapped to stop this Super Saiyan, too, by King Kai as he realises his galaxy is next in the path of destruction.

From here, the story is the same level of perfunctory that fans have come to expect from the Dragon Ball movies. Basically, an excuse to set up a huge fight scene, and that's okay. That's very much what the fans want. There are some issues with different parts of this story, though. When Vegeta realises just what he's up against, he acts like an absolute coward. It's disgusting seeing the Bad Man turn into this pathetic wreck, even considering how the character was initially.

This movie gives a bit of a classic Dragon Ball vibe as opposed to a Dragon Ball Z one, with the relationship between Videl and the Saiyan kids being reminiscent of Bulma with Goku from so long ago. There's a bit more to it than the usual quick set up for a 40-minute battle, more of a comedy adventure, and even the battle itself includes some old school Dragon Ball comedy.

The third and final film here is set during the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. As a result, the Z-Fighters are rather busy dealing with a little pink terror, so it's once again up to the next generation to save the day. This final film of the trilogy, Bio Broly, is almost best forgotten. Mr. Satan heads off to face off against a long-lost rival, although considering his lack of ability, he brings some of his "disciples" with him. What follows is the Goten / Trunks duo, along with 18 facing off against "Bio-Warriors." Satan's rich rival has been creating these warriors and it turns out one of the experiments happens to be a resurrected Broly, made by combining the rich fool's technology with a drop of Broly's blood.

Both the English dub and the original Japanese are available for all three movies. A perfect chance for fans to experience the iconic work of Hiromi Tsuru as Bulma after she very sadly passed away recently at only 57. Fans would be wise to check out the very moving memorial held in Tokyo earlier in the year.

6/10

Good

Including all three into a single package here was a nice touch for Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 5 - The Broly Trilogy but not all of these stories are even on par with the usual low bar of Dragon Ball films. The first is decent enough as an excuse to spend most of the running time and the budget on a fight scene. The second is a throwback to the glory days of the original Dragon Ball and the third is just awful. As a single package, though, it's enjoyable enough with some decent fights and genuinely funny moments. It just goes to show that Goten and Kid Trunks aren't always super obnoxious.