Appearing on screens in the United States for a limited run, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, the 19th Dragon Ball film, sees the return of the series’ most popular villain, Lord Frieza, as he seeks revenge against his nemesis Goku in this entertaining anime adventure.
Set between chapters 517 and 518 of Akira Toriyama’s long-running Dragon Ball manga, Lord Frieza is resurrected after Commander Sorbet finds Earth’s seven dragon balls and makes a wish. However, even the great dragon Shenlong’s powers are limited. Unable to make Frieza whole after being sliced and diced by Trunks’ sword, Shenlong reanimates the pieces of Frieza’s body and Sorbet uses his ship’s technology to merge them together.
Frieza goes into training for four months and arrives on Earth two months after that with his army. Goku and Vegeta are off world on Planet Beerus with Whis, who was introduced in the previous film Battle of Gods. Piccolo, Krillan, Tien, Gohan (who is older and out of practice), and a very buff Master Roshi take on and defeat the alien henchmen, but they are no match for the improved Frieza.
Of course, Goku and Vegeta show up just in time for the fight. Goku goes first, but due to his cockiness doesn’t completely level up. Vegeta can’t stand waiting and starts attacking Goku because he wants a turn to Frieza, but the villain tells him to wait. Both combatants power up. Goku goes to Super Saiyan God mode, and Frieza goes to his new final form: Golden Frieza (as seen in Funko’s new Pop Doll below). They are surrounded by vibrant auras at these new levels.
When Goku looks to be the victor, he lets his guard down to the detriment of all. Frieza triumphs in a massively overwhelming manner; however, Toriyama cheats the viewer with a literal deus ex machina that allows Goku to right things. Plots were never the strong points of the Dragon Ball / Dragon Ball Z series so it’s not a complete surprise, but it is still a disappointment to see the good guys win in such a contrived manner.
Yet fans should find Resurrection ‘F’ very enjoyable because regardless of how ridiculous the story is the movie delivers exciting fight scenes and plenty of laughs, which the brand is known for. The animation is colorful and energetic, and the soundtrack rocks. It’s also great to see these beloved characters interacting again.
