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Dragonball: Evolution
Metascore
45 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10
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  1. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    70
    Far more entertaining than it deserves to be, unless you're a 10-year-old boy, in which case it's only the greatest movie ever made.
  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Nathan Lee
    70
    May or may not appeal to fans of the Japanese fantasy franchise it is based on, but aficionados of apocalyptic teenybopper kung fu extravaganzas are in for a real treat.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Joel Brown
    50
    Nearly all the actors seem to be having a good time, and the action moves so fast that you don't mind when something nuts happens.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Adam Markovitz
    50
    Marvel at the fact that something this trippy made it to our local multiplex.
  5. Variety
    Reviewed by: Russell Edwards
    50
    A popular Japanese manga series gets a pleasing if paint-by-numbers live-action makeover in Dragonball Evolution, which half-heartedly tries to keep the faith for its pubescent male fanbase.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    42
    The film is crammed with treats for old-school "Dragonball" fans, from the inclusion of all these characters (who don't actually do much) to the moment when spiky-haired Goku dons his orange gi. For everyone else, this amounts to another seen-it-before, probably-willing-to-see-it-again distraction.
  7. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    40
    Bottom line: costumed Goku and Chi Chi cosplayers may argue the finer points of this adaptation, but it is fairly dazzling it its own overextended, futurist-teenpulp fashion, and Chow makes a vastly more entertaining Roshi than he did a King.
  8. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Glenn Whipp
    40
    Director James Wong ("Final Destination") and writer Ben Ramsey are utterly blasé in their approach to the series' mythology and structure, cobbling together an 84-minute movie that seems to exist only to rile up fanboys. On that count -- and that count alone -- Dragonball Evolution triumphs.
  9. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Jeremy Wheeler
    38
    Just know there's a whole lot more great stuff out there than just what Evolution has in store for you -- namely, the anime that it was based on.
  10. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    20
    Completely lacking in visual, narrative or stylistic coherence, the film also suffers from cheap-looking visual effects and poorly staged and edited action sequences that will not exactly please the fanboys.
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User Reviews

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User Score
3.9 out of 10

Generally unfavorable- based on 137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 65
  3. Negative: 37 out of 65
  1. grandpajoe6191
    2
    "Dragonball: Evolution" is a movie not for kids, but for kindergartners. Its a film you definitely want to skip and just watch the anime (the anime's way better than this crap).… Full Review »
  2. JoradT
    3
    The film is mediocre at best. It's an alright action movie but it doesn't resemble the franchise AT ALL. They messed up one of the greatest anime franchises ever. The only things that I can relate to the franchise were the names and the dragon balls themselves otherwise the whole story was completely wrong. What ever happened to Goku being a happy cheery kid flying and a yellow cloud? What ever happened to Goku killing Gohan by mistake (not Piccolo killing him)? Whatever happened to Roshi being a perverted funny old man? Whatever happened to Yamcha actually not being totally obsolete? What happened to Krillin? And the list goes on... So overall unless you know barely anything about the franchise, don't bother watching this shamble of a movie.… Full Review »
  3. krazeeKidd102
    1
    I was one of the lucky ones that only saw one ad of the movie, but didn't have time to go to theaters to watch it. However, there was no escape when it was played as one of those movies they show on international airplane flights. I will tell this right now: This movie is not only the worst adaptation of all time, but it's also one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. The plot is a hacking piece of horsecrap. Nothing but stolen cliches, plotholes, and few characters (not to mention that these characters don't even try to be adapted from the original sorce, neither appearance or personality). But the action makes up for it, right? WRONG! The fighting scenes are boring and choreographed, and the "energy" effects are nothing more than re-colored wind-effects. They even call it "airbending" in order to cover their own incompetence. The acting is also terrible. I would elaborate, but merely writing this review is throwing me into a torrent of rage and hate. To think that something of THIS terrible quality can be released in THIS day and age is a complete insult to humanity, and only proves that 20th Century Fox only dwelves into making money by rehashing icons of previous generations. **** you, Hollywood. Just **** you. The only reason it even has a single point is because it actually accomplishes BEING A MOVIE! Of course, a half-point would definetely be more accurate.… Full Review »
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