Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F Review

Resurrection F is the next instalment in the Dragon Ball Z movie series. Toriyama continues to refresh his franchise, but takes a nostalgic turn as he reintroduces an old enemy, Frieza. His passion for the character is something the audience can empathise with and acts as a great hook for them. This is especially true when you consider the effect the character has had on the series. The downside is that this movie is just that, a nostalgic trip, and the villain therefore, lacks an intrinsic execution. Resurrection F is an attempt to continue where Battle of Gods left off, but it doesn’t offer much of an improvement.

Frieza’s forces are on the verge of military impotency and are desperate to resurrect their leader. A feat that can only be accomplished through the dragon balls. The prospect of military stability is quickly cut short as Frieza expresses his want for revenge, and is willing to exhaust the remaining resources he has left. But this isn’t a problem it seems, as the evil emperor has a trump card that will assure his victory and re-establish his place in the universe.

When Earth learns of an incoming invasion, it must assemble its forces. But its champions, Goku and Vegeta, are absent which ultimately bodes futility as Frieza is more powerful than ever.

The movie offers a lot more entertainment than its predecessor. This comes as a sacrifice to the plot. The first act is around thirty minutes which involves the assembling of Earth’s heroes. This includes Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, Tien and Master Roshi. Also Jaco the space cop. What follows for the next sixty minutes is fighting. It feels stretched out considering the absent of several other characters. But the audience is never left bored as the fight is well paced which sees it revved up to more exciting levels.

The resurrection scene is also played well. Frieza’s lieutenants, Sorbet and Tagoma, recover his bodily remains and use a healing chamber to restore his body. What follows is an exciting scene as Frieza makes his return, which is intensified by the song Frieza by Maximum the Hormone. This song actually served as inspiration for the film.

I found the reintroduction of Frieza into the series to be frustratingly unreasonable, especially in its justification. A few months of training can put Frieza on par with Goku’s god form. It sounds like a spontaneous excuse so he can fit in with much stronger characters. The movie doesn’t necessarily expound on this matter and is in fact glossed over much like Frieza’ training. But keeping to formulaic values, a new form is often the answer to problems like this.

In addition to Frieza’s new form, Resurrection F also sees the introduction of a new form for Goku: the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. I felt this was a disservice to the previous film. The problem I found with it was timing. The Super Saiyan God is too young to get overshadowed so quickly. Vegeta also has mastered this form as both characters have been training with Whis.

The characters in the movie also tend to make silly decisions. In the wake of Frieza’s invasion, it was Bulma’s decision for Goten and Trunks to be absent. If you are familiar with the series, you know they have the ability to fuse in Gotenks who would have been their champion fighter. Majin Buu is also absent despite the characters expressing desire to bring him (I guess they forgot). Their absence benefits plot convenience or the movie would have been less than ninety minutes.

Another silly decision was Piccolo and Gohan acknowledging that an evil presence was using the dragon balls and not investigate it. Nothing becomes of it.

Beerus role in the movie is quite inconsequential, he continues indulging his appetite. He also has a humorous moment with Frieza which makes the villain look almost petulant. Whis receives development as he mentors Goku and Vegeta, and we also see that he is a necessary character alongside Beerus.

Overall, I found this movie more enjoyable than Battle of Gods. It promises an exciting ride and delivers.