Dragon Ball is one of the most resilient franchises in the world right now. Since the end of Dragon Ball Super, fans have been eager for any sort of news on a return from the popular anime. So far, no news has come out, but a new movie is on the way this year in the form of Dragon Ball Super: Super-Hero, which is said to be Akira Toriyama’s take on superheroes.
The Dragon Ball franchise now spans four animes, two specials, and twenty movies across nearly forty years! The film social media site Letterboxd gained massive popularity over recent years as more film fans find value in sharing their movie-watching habits in an easy social space. Fans can give their rankings of films in the form of 1-5 stars, and the site will deliver an average based on all of those.
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986) - 3.0
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Released a few months after Dragon Ball premiered in 1986, Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies was the first feature-length film of the popular Japanese anime. The is essentially an alternate take on the events of the origin of the series. This time around, the entire cast is looking for the Dragon Balls for different reasons and they come into conflict with King Gurumes who is also looking for them.
Most people talking about the film commend it for condensing so much of the anime into its runtime but the fact that it failed to live up to the anime was a major detractor for the film. While it keeps many of the same jokes and beats, its condensed nature just couldn't live up to the number of episodes it tried to adapt. But many did enjoy the fun new villain is introduced.
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge (1991) - 3.0
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Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge was the 8th Dragon Ball film and the second released in 1991. In the film, it's revealed that Frieza had a much stronger older sibling named Cooler, who comes to Earth to take revenge on the one that killed his younger sibling, Goku.
Fans enjoyed the design of Cooler and the look of the new form introduced to his species. Before the golden form would be introduced, Cooler had his transformation. While the Dragon Ball Z film sports some fun designs supplied by Toriyama, there isn't a lot of substance past the revenge angle for the character.
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993) - 3.0
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The 12th Dragon Ball film and the second released in 1993, was Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound. The film picks up after the events of the Cell Saga, where Goku and most notably, King Kai lost their lives. Since Bojack was an ancient villain trapped by King Kai's planet, he's now free to terrorize the Z fighters.
Many viewers appreciated how this film treated the Z fighters outside of Goku. Since Goku was dead, his role in the film was smaller than it would normally have been, leading Gohan and the others to deliver some standout action sequences. Some intriguing designs and locations were also of note in many Letterboxd reviews.
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (2015) - 3.0
Rent on Vudu
Two years after the release of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F sees the resurrection of the villainess, Lord Frieza. Frieza has been in hell since his defeat at the hands of Trunks at the start of the android saga and now he's bad to take his revenge, and he's been getting stronger as he sports a new golden form. But little did he know, Vegeta and Goku also have new power-ups.
Many fans loved the film for being primarily action-focused. Since Goku and Vegeta were sidelined for most of the run time, other Z fighters got a chance to shine. What stopped the film from receiving a higher rating seems to be the disappointing reveal of Super Saiyan Blue and not giving Vegeta the final say in the battle in favor of Goku.
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993) - 3.1
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1993 saw the introduction of a fan-favorite Dragon Ball villain, Broly. Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Legendary Super Saiyan introduces the Z fighters to Paragus and his son, Broly. They lure the Z fighters to a planet with the promise that prince Vegeta could rule it, but it's revealed that Broly can transform into a very unstable version of a Super Saiyan, implying that he has the power to tap into the Legendary Super Saiyan.
While Broly is the highlight of this film, especially when it comes to the action set pieces, the major flaw is that Broly doesn't get much in the way of motivation. Many reviews on Letterboxd mention how Broly just being mad that he was stuck next to Goku when they were kids and Goku cried a lot, is a poor motivation for such an intriguing villain.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013) - 3.1
Rent On Vudu
The last Dragon Ball film was released in 1996, and the last episode of Dragon Ball GT aired in '97, and that was that it for many. But 2013 saw the triumphant return of the franchise with Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. This time Goku and the gang have to entertain the god of destruction, Beerus, while they figure out how to summon a Super Saiyan God.
Many responded well to the humorous writing and the introduction of two powerful and entertaining new characters. What holds the movie back for some is the way Super Saiyan God is introduced to the franchise. While it's respected that Goku calls out this criticism it is a far cry away from the transformations of the original series.
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995) - 3.2
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Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon sees the Z Fighters open a box they weren't meant to that unleashes a new character called Tapion. But with Tapion, also comes a Kaiju-sized monster called Hirudegarn. Now Goku has to find a way to defeat him by learning a new technique.
Sometimes a simple story is all you need. Many reviews on Letterboxd point to this film being a good example of the best of Dragon Ball. It sets up a villain and Goku has to train to beat it. The villain, Hirudegarn, has a notable design that's unlike some others seen in the Dragon Ball franchise and was seen as a nice change of pace.
Dragon Ball: The Path to Power (1996) - 3.2
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To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dragon Ball, 1996 saw the final film in released called Dragon Ball: The Path to Power. This film retells the story of the first few arcs of the original run of Dragon Ball. But unlike the first film to do this, Dragon Ball: The Path to Power uses elements from the Red Ribbon Army saga.
Letterboxd users appreciated this as a fun way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the beloved show. The film strikes the right balance of humor and heart that Dragon Ball Z was missing, so in many ways, it was a welcome return to form. Dragon Ball: The Path to Power is seen as a solid reinterpretation that smartly condenses the material.
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995) - 3.4
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn was the first film to be released in 1995, and saw the return of many dead villains from the shows and previous movies. A demon infected with all the evil he was tasked with cleaning up becomes a major threat to the universe in the form of Janemba. Goku and Vegeta need to use the fusion dance making this the first appearance of the fan-favorite Gogeta.
The major draw for this film is in its weirdness. Many reviews on Letterboxd enjoy how strange and bonkers the film tends to be, with the ridiculous Hitler subplot seen as a surprising highlight. The movie is also notable for some solid action scenes with some of the bravest characters in Dragon Ball. The return of fan-favorite villains is something that was also a draw for many, as it features the only time Cell and Frieza interact.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018) - 3.6
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The status of canon for many of the Dragon Ball films has been a major point of interest for fans. So when Dragon Ball Super: Broly was announced to be the first canonical appearance of the fan-favorite villain, people were understandably exciting. Dragon Ball Super: Broly reimagines Broly as a more sympathetic figure taken down the wrong path by his father and Frieza who put him in the crosshairs of Vegeta and Goku.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is seen by many on Letterboxd to be the best that Dragon Ball has to offer. It sports crisp animation, incredible action sequences, and a story that is just enough for people to buy into. This movie also gains points for using many fan-favorite characters like Frieza and Broly, but the major draw was how this connected to Dragon Ball Super, making fans eager for more.