Parallels Between "Dragonball" and "Super Mario Bros."

[Serum]

I figured this is going to turn into more of a conversation about the live action "Dragonball" movie than the "Super Mario Bros." movie, so I'm putting it here in General Talk.

Has anyone noticed the striking similarities the ill-fated "Dragonball" live action film has to the "Super Mario Bros." movie? Both seem to have suffered from too many script-changes and studio pressure, whereas "Super Mario Bros." turned out fairly well as far as movies go, "Dragonball" didn't turn out well in any sense of the word.

Whereas we've unearthed much of the history behind "Super Mario Bros.," ranging from pre-production scripts that range from terrible (the first Dick Clement and Ian la Francis script from March 3 of '92 springs to mind) to "OH MY GOD, THIS IS THE BEST MOVIE NEVER MADE" (the February of '92 Terry Runte and Parker Bennett draft), I've only been able to (so far) uncover one earlier version of the screenplay from "Dragonball," or, as it was inappropriately subtitled for the movie, "Dragonball: Evolution." That script can be read here.

Now, read this script and tell me it's not at least a little good. Ben Ramsey obviously got himself way over his head when it came time to rewrite it, and if I'm not mistaken, the finished film had a "rainbow draft" of sorts during shooting due to so many odds and ends being changed here and there. I'm more than positive that he had several uncredited writers do rewrites, and because this 2005 script for "Dragonball" completely blows the abomination of "Dragonball: Evolution" out of the water, I'm not going to blame someone like Ben Ramsey for the finished film, because I'm sure that just like "Super Mario Bros.," the live action "Dragonball" movie has an audience of fans who are both admirers of a fairly original product based extremely loosely on distant source material. The similarities are striking, if not prophetic in an odd way. Okay, now- Discuss!

[Redstar]

Has anyone noticed the striking similarities the ill-fated "Dragonball" live action film has to the "Super Mario Bros." movie? Both seem to have suffered from too many script-changes and studio pressure, whereas "Super Mario Bros." turned out fairly well as far as movies go, "Dragonball" didn't turn out well in any sense of the word.

Script changes and studio pressure is something that happens with every film, regardless of its success or quality. We just only ever hear of it whether the film turns out really badly (Super Mario Bros.) or really well (Casa Blanca).

These aren't so much parallels as just typical industry behavior.

[Serum]

Well, sure. But considering both movies' source material are so renowned, it's an interesting line to be drawn. I've heard a lot of people compare "Dragonball" to "Super Mario Bros.," which is primarily why I made this thread. I knew it was going to come up in conversation eventually so I'm just getting a jump-start, here. But it is odd when you think about it. These parallels can be drawn to other movies, as well, such as "Jonah Hex," or the original cut of "Exorcist III" originally just titled "Legion," which despite William Peter Blatty's objections, was cut to pieces and renamed. A similar phenomenon occurred on the home video release of "Grindhouse."

[ultimateemail5000]

After finally finding this thread here is a letter someone wrote to Ben Ramsey and what he had to resond with.









These were posted by a member on the Daizex forums (now Kanzenshuu) whether these letters are real or not, they look lidgit so I dunno.

[Serum]

Yeah, I can't really blame Ben Ramsey for this. I blame FOX. However, given the fact that the movie was written by a student of marital arts and directed by a guy who does martial arts and stars a martial artist is okay. Most people don't know, but the "Dragonball" series is based on an ancient Chinese story called "Journey to the West."

And, since China is the birthplace of martial arts, I can't say that the fact that the movie turned out the way it did is anyone's fault except for the coke-fiends in Hollywood who thought dumbing the story down to that level would help make them money so they can feed their habit.

[ultimateemail5000]

It very well is, we could have gotten something good like Ong Bak (though i never seen it but hear its really good. Even the Chinese and Viatnemese unnofficial DB movies were better than what we got. And they were very very low budget, though low budget is not always a bad thing.

[Serum]

Even the Chinese and Viatnemese unnofficial DB movies were better than what we got.

Eh, let's not muddy things up, here...

[ultimateemail5000]

Even the Chinese and Viatnemese unnofficial DB movies were better than what we got.

Eh, let's not muddy things up, here...

Well it's like saying the anime movie of SMB is better than the live action movie. I always get comments from fans of my dub saying this, and to a point I do agree with them. But if they are calling the live action movie shit then i disagree.

I think the reasons why these two movies have something in common is the fact they are both franchises that were once very hot, both movies came out when their madness was beginning to die down. Same goes with the He-Man movie, fans say that movie killed the franchise but it wasn't at all, the franchise was dying as the movie was being made. Both SMB and DBZ were not as hot as they were when the movies came out.

Now fans were mad over the changes made for the SMB movie, but can you blame them? Now a lot of fans look back and realise hey, the movie really isn't that bad.

DBE just took a huge crap all over the scrit, negative, and characters. I think the movie wouldnt have been so bad if Goku didn't go to school, wasn't a horny teenager, and a whiney little bitch. All of those things are not Goku, and as you said those drug addicted executives over at Fox were literly raping the franchise, they took Goku and bent him over, along with the other characters. It's such a shame too.

The movie could have been good if Goku wasn't white, Goku instead of going to school, instead could have later went to a school that was actually martial arts led by Master Roshi, when there he meets, Krillin but build that for a sequel. I do like the idea of Puar being a cat, that is Yamcha's that steals for him. That would have been nice, but in Yamcha we got....asian surfer dude with bleach blonde hair, and probably other body hair bleached as well. Oh and not to mention the lame action figure of him where he kicks his foot really fast, which we bought at toys r us last summer for 2 bucks. litterly, Yamcha was 2 bucks.The only thing good to come out of the movie was Goku's gi, and Piccolo, and even him they messed up. I could probably write a book about how wrong they went with the movie but I'm gonna stop there.

All in all what I am trying to say is, they atleast tried to make connections with the SMB franchise in the movie, whereas DBE, nothing. But I do give Ramsey credit for trying to do something fresh, but it's a shame what they did to his vision of the story.

[Serum]

The movie could have been good if Goku wasn't white...

I've got to stop you, right there. Goku is an alien, from the planet Plant. Why would he be Asian? Truth be told, Goku isn't white or Asian, he's a descendant of an extremely powerful race from deep space. Saying he should be Asian is saying that he's from Earth.

Personally, I think Goku should have been played by a Native American guy-- that would make much more sense in my opinion. But the idea that he'd be Asian makes zero sense.

[Redstar]

The movie could have been good if Goku wasn't white...

I've got to stop you, right there. Goku is an alien, from the planet Plant. Why would he be Asian? Truth be told, Goku isn't white or Asian, he's a descendant of an extremely powerful race from deep space. Saying he should be Asian is saying that he's from Earth.

While you have a point, Serum, that's the same thing as saying "Superman/Clark Kent isn't white, he's Kryptonian." The shit would still hit the fan if they cast a black man to play him, just as people called it a media stunt when Peter Parker's successor as Spider-Man was a black/Latino.

These characters (Goku/Clark) may not fit into the specific racial/ethnic groupings of the human race, but they still look it. Fox simply didn't respect the character enough to make an effort to cast an Asian actor in an Asian role.

[Serum]

These characters (Goku/Clark) may not fit into the specific racial/ethnic groupings of the human race, but they still look it. Fox simply didn't respect the character enough to make an effort to cast an Asian actor in an Asian role.

That makes zero sense. Why would there be Asians in space? The last time somebody did that in a movie, we got this...

[Redstar]

Again, why does Clark Kent look like a typical white-Caucasian human? It makes no sense, but it's established. If that premise can be accepted than why not aliens that look Asian?

[Serum]

Again, why does Clark Kent look like a typical white-Caucasian human? It makes no sense, but it's established. If that premise can be accepted than why not aliens that look Asian?

Okay, I'm only going to say this once: Clark Kent isn't white, he's Kryptonian. Just like you implied. Different races from other planets would not and cannot be classified as "Asians" or "Whites," or whatever because there is no Asia on Krypton and no Caucasus Mountains in space.

[ultimateemail5000]

I disagree there can be an asian alien race, though they wouldnt be asian, they would be Saiyajin, that have features of an asian. Goku would either have asian features, or greek, because of his black hair, until he becomes a SSJ who has the features of a german nazi, blonde hair nd blue eyes.

[Serum]

I wash my hands of this thread.

[Phlibbit]

While you have a point, Serum, that's the same thing as saying "Superman/Clark Kent isn't white, he's Kryptonian."

^^This.

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

I disagree there can be an asian alien race, though they wouldnt be asian, they would be Saiyajin, that have features of an asian. Goku would either have asian features, or greek, because of his black hair, until he becomes a SSJ who has the features of a german nazi, blonde hair nd blue eyes.

Green eyes.

[Redstar]

Goku would either have asian features, or greek, because of his black hair, until he becomes a SSJ who has the features of a german nazi, blonde hair nd blue eyes.

Green eyes.

Haha. Yes, the Saiyan have green eyes, not blue. Common misconception. I would have to look up the meaning behind the transformation, but I can assure everyone that (from memory) it does have a basis in the Journey to the West story or Chinese mythology.

[ultimateemail5000]

Green eyes.

Haha. Yes, the Saiyan have green eyes, not blue. Common misconception. I would have to look up the meaning behind the transformation, but I can assure everyone that (from memory) it does have a basis in the Journey to the West story or Chinese mythology.

It varies, sometimes they are colored teal, other time bright blue, in the manga they have blue, but as you can see here



blueish green

it just changes from different animators durring the series and movies. But they are definetly blue and not green.

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

Could have sworn I'd seen some colored manga art that had them green/teal as well... Usually they're green/teal in any good shots where the retinas aren't essentially dots to begin with. Dragon Ball Wiki seems to go with blueish-green as well.

If you've got official art or screens of blue-eyes Super Saiyans, though, I'm willing to look.

Haha. Yes, the Saiyan have green eyes, not blue. Common misconception. I would have to look up the meaning behind the transformation, but I can assure everyone that (from memory) it does have a basis in the Journey to the West story or Chinese mythology.

I heard it had something to do with green and gold (the hair) being considered royal colors in Japan.

[ultimateemail5000]

Theres a cover of the cardass volume 2 along with



the tv animation volume, which the covers are done by Akira Toriyama.

but here they look blueish green.



I dunno ho much DB knowledge you guys have, but Toriyama is very forgetful of his own work. Like forgetting about characters or even colors. There's even a time in the Majin Buu saga where he drew Dende as a child forgetting he was a teen at that time. It could be a mistake or could just be out of changing things upp a bit. who knows.

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

Those first two kind of go with what I was saying; it's hard to tell sometimes. It looks like it could be blue, but still kind of looks like the same teal as well... it's tough when they aren't all wide-eyed like in the days leading up to the Cell Games.

[SethRex]

Here is something else Dragonball Evolution and Super Mario Brothers have in common. I liked both movies

Although it's been a long time since I've seen Dragonball.

[ultimateemail5000]

I think Fox is trying to redeem itself since they are collaborating with Toei on the DBZ2013 movie, which comes out next year. The Japanese Govnt. has funded 636,000 dollars as well for this movie.