The time has finally come for the return of a TRUE Dragon Ball Legend (pun intended). Someone who fans have been waiting for for years (I know I have). That is none other than the Saiyan Savage himself, Broly!!!
Since the start of the Dragon Ball Super franchise, there have been several characters who have returned to be a part of this latest chapter of the Dragon Ball canon (Frieza, Android 17, Android 18, Hercule to name a few). There have also been some new additions to the Z Fighter Team (Beerus, Whis). We have also seen newly formidable enemies in the Tournament of Power (Hit, Jiren). However, one character that fans have been demanding the most is the Legendary Super Saiyan Broly. There has been a new character added named Kale who is an homage to Broly, but it is not acknowledged as such. The biggest problem with this was that Broly was not part of the Official Dragon Ball Canon. Now, things have changed with this Game-changing movie which is fittingly named after him. Recently, Dragon Ball Super has been putting out great quality content. The best we have seen since Dragon Ball Z itself. Now, they have taken things to even greater heights with the release of this movie. Now, time to dive in.
I saw this movie in a packed out Theater with other fans eagerly awaiting. The movie picks up with the Saiyan Origin Story on Planet Vegeta. The animation is amazing with the Frieza ships flying up to the Planet. The story starts off over 40 years ago. We see cameos from DBZ originals like Zarbon, Dodoria and Guldo who were, of course, part of Frieza's army along with the Ginyu Force. All of these characters played pivotal roles in the Namek/Frieza Saga, which was my favorite Saga of the original DBZ series. As Frieza and his Father King Cold land on Planet Vegeta with their army, they are greeted by King Vegeta himself along with his team of Saiyan Warriors. King Cold announces that he will be retiring as ruler of the Saiyans as he places his son Frieza in charge. As a long time DBZ fan, I did not even know this part of the story. I just thought that Frieza waged war with them and killed them while taking Vegeta captive. However, this movie gives more detail to the origin as Frieza supplies the Saiyans with Scouters. I did not realize how petty King Vegeta really was until I saw this. When King Vegeta sees Broly, he considers him a lower class Saiyan who could not possibly have a power level superior to that of his son (sounds familiar?). When the Saiyan soldiers scan Broly's power level, it goes beyond measure to the point where one of the Scouters got destroyed. King Vegeta sees Broly as a threat and sends him into exile to another planet to the disapproval of Colonel Paragus, Broly's father. Paragus goes on a journey with one of the fellow Saiyans to search for Broly. Paragus discovers Broly on a planet called Vampa living like a scavenger in order to survive. Broly develops a friendship with a creature called Bah. Paragus shoots Bah's ear off. Broly wears the ear around his waist as a tribute. They both learn to live on that planet throughout Broly's life until they are recruited by the Frieza force. We also transition to Goku and Vegeta and where they are now after the Tournament of Power with a very comedic element before encountering their next major threat.
We are also treated with flashbacks of Goku and Vegeta like never before in the DBZ series. Bardock's story gets tweaked compared to the original movie "Bardock: Father of Goku". The biggest difference is the inclusion of Goku's Mother Gine, who is also a Saiyan. In the Bardock origin movie, we see Bardock wearing a blood-soaked bandana on his head in honor of his fallen friend. However, Bardock does not wear a headband in this movie. In fact, his armor is totally different. This was the toughest scene for me in this movie, because I almost felt that pain when Bardock and Gine sent Goku to Earth. Goku even started crying. They also reference Raditz on a separate mission. However, they had to do it for Goku's safety because Frieza was ready to deliver his signature fireball to destroy them. In the original backstory, we see Bardock with his army behind him as he fires one final blast before Frieza destroys them. In this movie, Bardock just fires up the blast while they are still on the planet. The end result is still death. The retcon of Bardock was interesting as it had elements of Dragon Ball Minus. On the other hand, we also see a flashback of a young Nappa with hair along with the kid versions of Vegeta and Raditz. The flashbacks give fans the chance to see how the decisions of a few Saiyans shaped the destinies of Goku, Vegeta, and Broly. This movie gives Broly a fleshed out backstory because it gives this popular savage brute something that he never had before: personality. Broly not only has a defined character, but his tragic history gives fans a reason to feel sympathetic. He also develops a love interest in this movie. Cheelai plays a major part in helping Broly break out of his shell, as she takes the taser away from Paragus.
As we get ready for the battle, Goku and Vegeta confront Frieza and Paragus as they get off the ship. Paragus reveals that he wants revenge on King Vegeta through the death of Prince Vegeta himself. Frieza takes the seven Dragon Balls from Bulma. Whis tells Bulma that there is a larger problem than Frieza. He calls it the "blessing and curse" of the Warrior race. Paragus calls for his greatest weapon, Broly. There were talks of a "Legendary" Super Saiyan, but nobody knew who carried that power. It would be revealed during the battle. Broly had not had formal fighting or training experience except for his sparring sessions with Paragus. This was his first real test, and he was very impressive as Paragus and Frieza were there to observe. Vegeta was first up to jump into the fire, and he was incredible. Vegeta transformed from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan god as he got the best of Broly in the beginning. Vegeta's skill and technique got the best of Broly's raw power. However, Broly was not finished as he powered up once he fell into the water. It was revealed that Broly possessed the power of the Great Ape, but it was controlled. Goku was highly impressed by how much Broly kept up with Vegeta in his base form. This version of Broly adapts to his opponents which is what fascinated me about him. Vegeta observed that at the beginning of his fight. Meanwhile, the original Broly was in his powerhouse Legendary Super Saiyan form throughout the fight in the first movie. I actually like this difference in character because even though he is still formidable, it is not just a typical one-sided beatdown. When Broly makes his comeback, he gets the best of Vegeta as Goku warms up to get his share of the action. Broly even unleashes a blast from his mouth that destroyed one of the mountains. During the battle, Broly continues to power up but I noticed a glaring difference. Broly had never turned Super Saiyan at this point.
As Broly's rage continued to grow, Goku got into his mind and used his Super Saiyan god powers to freeze him in place. However, it did not work as Broly broke free and proceeded to decimate Goku. As Goku attacked, I noticed that Broly grew because of his power-ups. Broly even grabbed Goku by the foot and threw him around like the Hulk did to Loki in Avengers 1 and Thor in Thor: Ragnarok. It only makes sense considering that Broly's colors are green and purple. Much like the Hulk, Broly gets stronger when he gets angrier as the fight continues. Goku transforms into Super Saiyan Blue to mount a comeback. However, Broly turns the tide by releasing an Energy ball that destroys the icy mountains, turning them into a volcanic wasteland. Frieza observes the fight and finds a way to trigger Broly's Super Saiyan power. The tyrant alien has a flashback to when he killed Krillin in order for Goku to turn Super Saiyan. As a result, Frieza turns to Paragus and kills him with a finger laser. Frieza tells Broly that his Father was accidentally killed in battle. Vegeta transforms into Super Saiyan Blue to team up for a double Kamehameha wave. Goku and Vegeta draw Broly towards Frieza as a decoy so that they could escape meeting Piccolo for their fusion. After they teleport, Broly runs into Frieza to beat the brakes off of him. This buys Vegeta and Goku enough time to meet Piccolo to practice the Fusion. After two comedic fails, they finally have the proper alignment to form Gogeta. When Gogeta returns to fight Broly, he turns Super Saiyan Blue for the final battle. This Battle did not disappoint at all, as Broly was completely jacked in Legendary Super Saiyan form. Broly's transformation is a spectacle all by itself, because of the visuals. The longer Broly fights, the stronger he gets. Whis even jumps into the battle. Broly gets mad and attacks Whis, but he can't touch him. As Gogeta blasts Broly with the Stardust Breaker, Cheelai and Lemo make a wish for Broly to survive. Instead of dying, Broly is sent to Vampa.
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