Dragon Ball Super: Broly

Blue Boys vs. Green Man: The Movie

In many ways Broly was the Boba Fett of Dragon Ball, with both characters having iconic designs that are undermined by shallow characterization. In his previous films Broly was little more than a raging giant. Luckily all those previous films are non canonical which now lets the series creator, Akira Toriyama, rework and reintroduce Broly into the series proper.

World building is given more focus than most previous DBZ films. Act one shows the origin of Broly while also giving more insight into the Freeza Force's history with the Saiyan race. There are slight retcons made like Goku's parents involvement in his departure to Earth which seemed somewhat unnecessary but welcome. The prioritization on character work in the first half was a pleasant surprise with the charm and personality of the returning cast being well displayed while the new characters get enough screen time to leave an impression .

Super Saiyan God Vegeta makes his onscreen debut and he looks so good!

The second half focuses squarely on unrelenting action. Amazing fight choreography and excellent, unique animation make this one of the most beautiful pieces of Dragon Ball media ever made. While the fighting is exciting it was disappointing to see Broly fall back into the familiar DBZ film formula after it had spent so much time sidestepping those trappings and exceeding what was expected out of a shounen movie. An increased focus on fisticuffs also meant less time spent on character interactions which was also sad to see. There are character moments sprinkled throughout the brawl but they take a noticeable back seat.

Luckily the climax and ending do renew the focus on character work, with the film's final moments demonstrating the franchise's trademark charm. While Broly is not the best Dragon Ball film ever made, that honor still belongs to Battle of Gods, it is easily the runner up due to how well it utilizes the cast to deliver an entertaining and engaging experience. While the action may have overly dominated its second half Dragon Ball Super: Broly was still a great time and a must-see for any fan of the series.