Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods

I went into this movie not expecting much. I was a huge fan of the cartoon growing up, but it'd been so long I had no clue what I was getting myself into at the theater yesterday. I went with my youngest brother who inherited my DBZ VHS tapes so many years ago.

I really don't even know where to start with the things I loved in this movie. They showed you pretty much everything in the Z Universe in the span of 1 hr 30 minutes. It honestly felt like I got to catch up with friends I haven't seen in over 10 years, totally bizarre but lovable, quirky friends. This movie floored me.

The thing I love most about DBZ is that on the surface its an anime for bros, but underneath its deep, introspective, and full of symbols. The show is brimming with positivity and heart and sets incredible examples for any child growing up in the world.

When there is a fight and it's seemingly dragging on forever, the show is encouraging the viewer to think deeply. Goku, although daft and possibly insane, always makes the right decision in the end. Most times, his enemies become his allies, out of shear respect for the person he is, regardless of his power. On the surface there is nothing subtle about DBZ, but underneath there is a blueprint for life. Battle of the Gods captured that perfectly.

One thing I really liked about this movie was it was very self aware. You saw many regular people's reactions to what they would be thinking if the Z fighters really existed (mostly befuddlement), plus there were 4th wall breaking aspects littered throughout, which I always appreciate.

Yes, this movie was total fanfare, but still the most heartwarming movie experience I've had in a long time. I'm honored to have been able to see this film on the big screen, even if the sound wasn't made for that venue.

Loved it, just wish Gohan had put up more of a fight against Beerus, as he was the most powerful fighter at the end of Z and my favorite character. He definitely had his moments though in the film. I don't want to spoil anything.

10/10; I was a true fan of the DBZ cartoon and this movie made my week. Toriyama still knows what he's doing!