Dragonball: Evolution

PG

Released Apr 10, 2009

1h 26m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

List

14%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

19%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

On his 18th birthday, Goku (Justin Chatwin) receives a mystical Dragonball as a gift from his grandfather. There are only six others like it in the whole world, and legend has it that whomever possesses all seven will be granted one perfect wish. When the arrival of a dark force triggers a tragedy, Goku and his companions (Chow Yun-Fat, Emmy Rossum) are propelled into an epic quest to collect the seven Dragonballs and save the Earth from destruction.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Executed with little panache or invention, Dragonball Evolution lacks the magic that made the books upon which it was based a cult sensation.

Read Critics Reviews

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Dragonball: Evolution is my least-favorite film of all time. I hate it with every fiber of my being. If you were ever curious about the show Dragon Ball or the manga... please, avoid this cinematic disaster at all costs.

Feb 3, 2016

Full Review

Drew Toal

Time Out

Rated: 1/5

Nov 16, 2011

Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

A rather tame live-action sci-fi flick.

Rated: 1/5

Apr 17, 2009

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

It’s a hyperactive, eye-rolling affair.

Rated: 1/4

Dec 1, 2023

Full Review

Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

They clearly didn't know what they were doing, terrible. But hey, they made their money back? ... and I do like the movies, this was just really really dumb...

Rated: 1/5

Dec 12, 2020

Full Review

Charlie Jane Anders

io9.com

There are balls of lint smarter than Dragonball Evolution.

May 21, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Master G

This movie script was so bad it looked like the movie was from Pornhub

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Better than Star wars Acolyte not gonna lie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/24/24

Full Review

Derrick D

As a standalone film, it's pretty solid. It's obviously not perfect and has a good amount of flaws but if you have no understanding of the DBZ verse then it can definitely come off as a decent watch. If you do however, then you'll spend the entirety of the movie picking it apart. 2.5/5 from a newcomer perspective and 0/5 from a person with knowledge on how the story actually goes. Most of the negative critiques come from a stance of bias rather than true objectivism so fair warning

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/16/24

Full Review

Sam A

dragonball is a good anime but this live action one is very bad

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

AnyME m

Oh, look! Not even RT tries to lie about this movie being good!! Even the scriptwriter said he did it for a paycheck, there's no defending this piece of garbage

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/24

Full Review

Bobo S

Best Comedy movie ever exists.🤣🤣🤣🤣

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/25/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

James Wong

Director

Justin Chatwin

Goku

Chow Yun-Fat

Master Roshi

Emmy Rossum

Bulma

Jamie Chung

Chi Chi

James Marsters

Lord Piccolo

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Maleficent

54%

70%

Maleficent

TRAILER

for Maleficent

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

20%

56%

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box

Dragonheart: A New Beginning

40%

34%

Dragonheart: A New Beginning

Shorts

47%

32%

Shorts

Conan the Destroyer

29%

38%

Conan the Destroyer

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Weekly Ketchup: Dragonball, Hangover sequels announced

Critics Consensus: Hannah Montana Hits A Flat Note

Five Favourite Films with James Marsters

View more photos

Synopsis

On his 18th birthday, Goku (Justin Chatwin) receives a mystical Dragonball as a gift from his grandfather. There are only six others like it in the whole world, and legend has it that whomever possesses all seven will be granted one perfect wish. When the arrival of a dark force triggers a tragedy, Goku and his companions (Chow Yun-Fat, Emmy Rossum) are propelled into an epic quest to collect the seven Dragonballs and save the Earth from destruction.

Director: James Wong
Producer: Stephen Chow
Screenwriter: Ben Ramsey
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Star Overseas
Rating: PG (Intense Sequences of Action|Brief Mild Language|Intense Sequences of Violence)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 10, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.4M
Runtime: 1h 26m

Most Popular at Home Now