‘Dragon Ball Z’ Is About To Get Its Best Live-Action Film Yet

Hollywood may try to forget, but anime fans cannot let go of the industry’s first live-action go [...]

By Megan Peters

Hollywood may try to forget, but anime fans cannot let go of the industry's first live-action go at Dragon Ball. Akira Toriyama's franchise was brought to life back in 2009, and Dragonball Evolution bombed in every sense of the word. Millions of fans were left jaded by the failure, but some rose up to show the world how Dragon Ball Z could be done right. And, in just a few weeks, Robot Underdog will prove to Hollywood how it should have gone Super Saiyan.

On November 14, Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope will release its full fan-film after over a year of work. The project came to light back in 2015 and garnered millions of views online. Now, the project's final product is getting ready to premiere, and audiences seem to be saying one thing:

This is definitely the best Dragon Ball Z live-action adaptation yet.

As you can see above, the official trailer for Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope introduces fans to the film's plot. The project adapts "The History of Trunks," an anime special from the Dragon Ball Z franchise that delves into Future Trunk's childhood. The live-action adaptation shows fans a post-apocalyptic world where Androids have brought mankind to its knees, and the only thing left to fight the two abominations are Gohan and Trunks.

Made on an ultra-low budget, Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope is a pioneering look into how anime can be turned in live-action and be done right. The project was made by die-hard fans of the Dragon Ball franchise, and their passion for Toriyama's story shows. The film's fast-paced action sequences capture the blitz fighting style that Saiyans excel with, and it makes room for several emotional arcs. With the world on its last leg, Gohan must live up to his father's revered status while Trunks is left embittered by the childhood forced upon him. And, when Androids 17 and 18 come to call, the fighters must step up or let their world's survivors die with them.

If you don't want to take my word about the film, then you can check out the reactions which other ComicBook writers had towards the film. Both novices and Dragon Ball die-hards agree this fan-film is on the cusp of something bigger, and any fan should be ready to binge the movie when it drops on November 14, 2017.

ComicBook's Reactions

"The makers of Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope" understand the kind of power-up visuals and battle action that fans of the series have always wanted to see in live-action." - Kofi Outlaw

"The production looks pretty strong! The action was really tight, well choreographed, and improved with the effects. From what little I know about DBZ, that looked like a faithful portrayal of the over-the-top battles from the series." - JK Schmidt

"I'm a bit, but this certainly looks like a more faithful adaptation than the abomination that hits theaters a few years ago. It looks like they have a great sense of the epic action of Dragon Ball Z, and the characters look recognizable without being too cheesy. Looking forward to seeing the full project soon!" - Christian Hoffer

"The effects and cinematography are fantastic, you can tell that they put a lot of effort into making it look right. Even though I'm not too familiar with the world and the story, the trailer definitely makes me intrigued to find out more." - Jenna Lynn

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Synopsis & Cast

"Hope is worth fighting for! Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope is a live-action adaptation of "The History of Trunks". It is a post apocalyptic future destroyed by two man-made Androids. Our main characters, Gohan and Trunks fight against the unstoppable Androids #17 and #18 to save as many human lives as possible. The young Trunks must grow up quickly and learn from his mentor, Gohan. But with battles to fight on both the outside and inside, how long can they endure, and where will they find a light of hope? In this timeline, Goku & the other Z Warriors are dead. This is the story of Gohan & Trunks in their battle to survive against the Androids. In addition, Bulma is fighting her own battles to create a Time Machine as well as cure for the deadly heart disease that killed Goku. Most of all, everyone learns a powerful lesson in gain and loss.


Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope stars Kenny Leu as Future Gohan, Amy Johnston as Android 18, Tyler Tackett as Android 17, Ruthann Thompson as Future Bulma and Jack Wald as young Trunks."

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