Xin qi long zhu (1991)

User Rating:

3.6/10   

Directors:

Joe Chan
Leung Chung

Writer:

Akira Toriyama (character)

Release Date:

1991 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Fantasy | Action

Plot:

This live-action version of the popular Japanese animated series Dragon Ball. A villainous king known...

Plot Keywords:

Manga | Remake | Based On Comic

Cast

Charles Chen Zi-Qiang	...	Son Goku (Monkey Boy)
Jeannie Tse	...	Bulma (Y-Tou)
Tung-Chuen Cheng	...	Yamcha
San Pan	...	Oolong
Zhong Yu Huang	...	Turtle Hermit Muten Roshi
Kam Tao	...	Son Gohan
Yi-Juan Li	...	Pansy (Jen Jen)
Ruan-Feng Su	...	Gourmeth (Horn King)
Long-Sheng Jiang	...	Vongo (Zebrata)
Eveline Oranje	...	Pasta (Maria)

Also Known As:

Dragon Ball: Ultimate Edition (International: English title) (DVD title) (USA) (new title)
Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins (International: English title)
Dragonball: Ultimate Edition (International: English title) (DVD title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating) | Australia:PG

Company:

Filmswell International Ltd.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Turtle Man (Roshi) is being apparently being pulled by Magic Cloud (nimbus) across the water on a surfboard. The undertow and wake made by the boat pulling him are clearly visible in all of these shots.

Quotes:

Jito: Hey, did you buy your license?

Movie Connections:

Version of Dragonball Evolution (2009)

If you need a good laugh, then this is the movie for you.

Man, I have never laughed at any one single movie before than the way I laughed at this one. It was absolutely ridiculous. Was the movie bad, no doubt, but it had every person I showed it to nearly crying in laughter.

There are a lot of miscommunication here though. In the English, Dubbed version, there are numerous name changes. The real, original names are followed by the movie names:

Monkey Boy - Goku Sparkle - Father Gohan Seito (i'm sure thats the name) - Bulma Piggy - Oolong Mrs. Knowitall - Puar Lord Horn - Pilaf Mr. Westwood - Yamcha Turtle Man - Master Roshi I can't remember chi-chi's name, but it doesn't matter

Anyway, there is a good reason the names are translated so poorly. This is Japenese being translated into Chinese. Monkey Boy makes perfect sense. DB is based off of a Chinese legend of a Monkey-like boy named Goku after all. No one really wanted the names to be that dumb, but I'm sure there was a good reason for it.

The effects are hilariously awful. Strings are very visible. Grenades are no-more than rubber balls. Westwood's sword seems to be rubber (lol). The Velcro on Monkey Boy's and Sparkle's outfits are visible. When sparkle is shot out of the well, the body is a stationary doll of some sort. When Lord Horn's mouth moves, the face seems like it is falling off. When Lord Horn releases the spell on all of the citizens, they are all supposed to fall, but a whole group of people can be seen standing up, looking very confused.

The sound effects are also hilarious. It seems as though the production team was running out of money. Pac-Man noises can be heard everywhere.

Anyway, I can't really bash this movie. I love it. It is so bad that it can make me laugh, just by thinking of it. Every time I think about the bad animations and paper airplane attacks, I can't help but crack a smile.

I'll give it a 5 on a completely objective point of view. I would give it a 10 because I love it so much.