Reviews

To start i'm somewhat an amateur film maker with a few steps through the door of the industry. So maybe thats the critical eye i watched this film with.

Anyway I was a big fan of the Blair Witch Project. Thought the Faux-Docu way of presenting it was worth it, it added to the film and made it scary, making it look like raw footage. Not seeing what was going on was a very positive way of telling a haunting story you imagine your own fears in replacement to this.

Paranormal Activity uses these same techniques only it mixes them in the wrong way, it bumbles along for the best part building up, back-story etc which is fine with me as long as it has something it's building to, something to deliver.

This is where it fails. It brings in elements that were un-necessary (won't elaborate as to spoil) and almost brings in ideas that weren't thought of at the beginning, making it feel like it really was made up as it went along. OK so maybe it should feel like it's made up but watch the film you'll see no structure was pulled together at all and it is still a film, which should hold some sort of narrative even if it is supposed to be real footage.

Not to give away the ending, i really must say i didn't see it coming, simply because there was no cause for it to happen it came out of nowhere and just left it there, so ye i really didn't see it coming and was more blundered by the "what the hell was that" factor not shocking not anything. Almost like the director said "hey! hurry up and end this we're running out of battery" I really like to see small films do really well and can't blame the success of this film, though i think this is highly due to the marketing not so much word of mouth. There are many ways i would have done this film different but as you'll read above i know the industry and i know how to make films so i'll always look at it from a different perspective than the average cinema goer. So perhaps i'm wrong on all aspects.

As far as i'm concerned this film was marketed well and didn't pull any punches not nearly as much as was promoted, not scary on any level and fell flat. though i still expect a sequel this is Hollywood cash cow now.

OK so like many people going to watch this film i was a biased fan, though i am a fan of filmaking and understand and was prepared for some changes, its hard to replicate 150 n20 minute episodes into 2 hours.

But with an open mind i sat a watched, it was like having your favourite childhood pet tortured horrifically and having a huge company pay millions of pounds to make it happen absolutely devastating.

Firstly as a fan i knew the characters well knew the back stories and how they ended up in the predicaments they got into, but i still would have liked some insight whilst watching the film, there was no character study at all i didn't feel at one point anybody had any real existence before the film or even that Goku had been trained anymore than a week of martial arts lessons, chuck in a few acrobatics, but i let this slide at the beginning of the film as it was the beginning of his journey, no he just learn ed a bit of tai-chi and then he knew how to take out a super being that was really peeved he'd been imprisoned for 2000 years, no way? I will admit each actor had his/her moment where you saw the Anime character in them, but that was about a scene each before turning into the American drool we can expect. And as for piccolo he's the least feared villain in any film i've seen he should of had the presence of Darth Vader not Pee Wee Herman, you should fear for your life when you tick him off i got none of that.

Secondly the story, well i think there was a story, its too fast too rushed no depth no real insight into why anything they're doing matters okay so there's some big green meanie after the dragon balls, then again who isn't might i add, if i went at this film solo not knowing the story i wouldn't come out any wiser just befuddled plenty of questions. This isn't helped that you don't really know if Goku is or isn't human why he was found ditched in a field how the hell did he get possessed by a weird gorilla thing (which for the fans of the anime thats a lot to be answered for) the anime gave that sense without all the Jargon and changing the origin of his transformation.

Lastly and this is for the film makers really, WHO THE HELL YOU TRYING TO APPEAL TO! Special effects won't wash away all the plot holes and appalling crud you try pouring down are throats, the fans wanted to see DRAGONBALL not a film with dragon balls in it we wanted characters we loved watching like Krillin for instance you shot yourself in the foot to take him out along with all the other mythical beings, or everyone thats chasing the Dragonballs throughout Dragonball series, but no you stomped them out because obviously characters don't make a good story, so if you didn't want to take that path why didn't you just change the story completely and be done with it your half way between, no mans land, it could have been Dragonball or something else i think you all just confused youself in not knowing what to make which shows vibrantly.

To end Why wasn't stephen chow just given the whole film him and Akira Toriyama together on the script with Chow Drirecting, Wong should never have been considered the moment i finished watching Kung Fu Hustle there was no doubt in my mind who should make this film, but no, OK so he was attached as producer but thats not good enough for me Wong should never have even been considered, so don't watch and boycott fox perhaps after X-men Origins: Wolverine that looks quite good, but then Boycott Fox

Thats my Rant Don't waste your money Fan or Not.