Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 26, 2015

There are hordes of anime fans who can trace their love of the genre directly to Dragon Ball Z, or at the very least to the redacted Dragon Ball Z Kai version, but even some of those diehard fans may not realize just how ubiquitous the Dragon Ball franchise has been over the years. Akira Toriyama’s original manga ran for an astounding 519 chapters which were published in 42 volumes, which were in turn adapted into the somewhat strangely lesser remembered original Dragon Ball anime, before the iconic Dragon Ball Z picked up the tale starting in 1989. Dragon Ball Z replicated the overwhelming success of the original manga, running for an amazing (and some would probably claim too long) 291 episodes, before coming to a close in 1996. The sometimes meandering ambience of Dragon Ball Z is what in fact led to the “only the good parts” reboot Dragon Ball Z Kai, but even before Kai started airing, there was another relatively short lived series called Dragon Ball GT that offered a kind of alternate universe take on some of Toriyama’s original conception. But Saiyans as Super as those found in the Dragon Ball universe couldn’t be content with simply owning the broadcast airwaves, and there have been a glut of Dragon Ball feature films over the course of several decades. While a number of these outings revisited storylines already covered in either the Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z series, 2013’s Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods started exploring at least ostensibly new plot arcs, something that 2015’s Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ continues mining. Boasting the creative participation of Akira Toriyama himself, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ features a lot of the patently goofy humor that made Dragon Ball Z so memorable, while also offering a glut of action and adventure for adrenaline junkies.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ gets off to a patently weird start, one that plays almost like the Teddy Bear’s Picnic as filtered through a gonzo One Piece sensibility, with some semi-surreal imagery and a discursive introduction not only to the idea of dragon balls themselves, but to one of the film’s titular plot conceits, the “reanimation” of notorious villain Frieza. The opening sequence details the sometimes silly efforts of Sorbet to collect the dragon balls in order to summon that wish fulfilling dragon, an aspect which itself plays out in a sort of winking way. The dragon does what it can, but Sorbet’s exciting new “high tech” gizmos are needed to completely reassemble Frieza, though of course Frieza is far from solicitously appreciative of these efforts, as evidenced by what happens to one of Sorbet’s cohorts shortly after Frieza regains control of his body and powers.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ can’t quite escape some of the ruts that have tended to be part and parcel of this franchise from virtually the get go, including of course a number of delaying tactics before finally unleashing the final battle. That tendency to explore tangents includes some at least relatively innovative aspects, as in Frieza’s somewhat reluctant admission that he’s actually going to need to train in order to take out Goku this time, but there’s also a somewhat tired plot machination that keeps Goku and Vegeta away from the fray in the early going (ironically because they’re in training themselves).

While some passing lip service is given to several of the characters (the film is a bit overstuffed, with hangers on in both the hero and villain camps, giving the outing a kind of The Avengers “all star” ambience), Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ never veers very far from its battle ambience, something that will probably delight longtime fans while perhaps frustrating newcomers, who may find that the skirmishes tend to be too hyperbolic and long lasting. What repeatedly saves Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ is its impish sense of humor, one which is supported here by some daffy animation touches.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The film doesn't really try to mimic the "old school" hand painted look of the original Dragon Ball Z, though the character designs are obviously nearly identical to their former iterations. Things can occasionally look a bit soft here, perhaps surprisingly so, but the palette is really vivid and excellently saturated. Some of the best elements are the highly detailed backgrounds, with things like evocative clouds soaring through bright blue skies offering some visual punch. Fight scenes offer good fluidity and no stability issues, and line detail remains generally very precise looking. Some of the CGI elements are a bit clunky looking at times, but don't offer a serious distraction.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' features Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes in both Japanese and English. The tracks are virtually identical save for the voice work, and both provide consistent and at times rather rambunctious immersion in the battle scenes, sequences where the film's good use of (sometimes goofy) sound effects is given full rein. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly, suffering only occasional prioritization issues in the noisiest scenes. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range very wide on both of these tracks.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Voices of Dragon Ball Z: They're Back! (1080p; 7:03) focuses on some of the voice actors whose sounds have been indelibly imprinted on legions of fans' minds.


• The Return of Dragon Ball Z (1080p; 40:33) is a good, in depth piece that features elements like footage from the film's Los Angeles premiere to discussions with some of the cast (both English language and original Japanese).


• Textless Closing Song (1080p; 3:43)


• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 1:15)

This Collector's Edition of Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' comes housed in a trifold digipack enclosed in a clear 0-card. Inside the digipack are a commemorative set of four holographic Frieza Force postcards. For those uninterested in swag, there's a standard edition available here: Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of the Dragon Ball franchise will find a lot to like, and myabe even love, in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', while those who have never experienced Goku, Gohan and the large aggregation of other characters may well wonder what all the fuss has been about for so long. The film is really no great shakes in the plot department, despite some passing efforts to invest the characters with a little—well, character, but the fight scenes are fun and the film's humor is one of its most consistently enjoyable elements. Technical merits are generally strong, the supplements have some good moments, and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' comes Recommended.