Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Strongest

Dragon Ball Z: Cooler�s Revenge (Battle of the Strongest)

FUNimation
Lenght: 45 minutes
Contains: 1 movie
Score: 3.5 out of 5 if you are a DBZ fan; 2 out of 5 if you are not.
Reviewed by: Assasin Zero

Warnings: Well, this is a DBZ movie, so you know there is going to be violence, blood,
and some swearing. The edited Funi version will probably tone down most of this, though.

What�s it all about?: Imagine Freeza died in Namek. Imagine Goku came back to Earth.
Imagine there is no Dr. Gero locked in his lab, planning his ultimate revenge against the
guy that destroyed his army. Now imagine Freeza had a big brother. Imagine said brother
was named Cooler and he was smarter, stronger, and dare I say it, cooler than Freeza.
Imagine a plotline where big brother Cooler finds out about Freeza�s death and angered by
the fact that lil bro was killed by a Saiyan, sends his henchmen to Earth to kill the cause of
his family�s grief. Now imagine all of this put together in a 45 minute movie and what do
we got? Cooler�s Revenge, DBZ�s 5th movie, brought to America by the guys at Funi.
What will happen when two of the most powerful forces in the universe collide, with the
pride of a family and the future of a planet at stake? Need to see the movie to find out.

What did I thought about it?: Whoa, 5 down, 8 to go. So, guess you want to know what
did I thought about it. Well, being the DBZ fan that I am, I must say that it didn�t suck,
but sadly, I must also admit that it didn�t rock my world. Full of flaws, with a recycled plotline, and below average animation; I know Toei and Bird (the guys responsible for the anime incarnation of Dragon Ball Z) can to better. Now, don�t get me wrong; the movie kicked ass and compared to the crappy Lord Slug, this is like mana from heaven; but when you compare it to any of the movies that follow, you can�t help but to think it could have been way better. Now, why don�t we get into the details.

First of all, lets talk about the characters. Representing the �good guys�, we have Goku. If
you don�t know who he is, my guess if you are on the wrong site. The so called �hero� of
DBZ; Goku is a kind hearted Saiyan (in the DBZ world, a proud race of warriors from
outer space; full blooded Saiyans sport a tail and have the ability to turn into giant ape-like
creatures by looking at the full moon) with incredible powers, and most of the ass kicking
is done by him. He just came back from Namek, so he is already a Super Saiyan (stronger
version of the guy with golden hair and green eyes; looks pretty cool); but he is not in full
control of his powers, so he needs to be angry in order to transform. Joining him in the
movie is Gohan, his 8 year old son and an impressive fighter himself. At least on the TV
series, he is. In this particular movie, he is a wuss, still hanging around that stupid Haiya
Dragon (his pet dragon during the first 5 movies), and not showing any of the skills that he
learned during his stay in Namek. The Gohan that we see in this movie is an insecure
weakling, and in my opinion, is more of a plot device than a main character. Truly a pity,
since he is one of my favorite characters; or at least he was until he grew up and Toriyama
tried to turn him into another Goku, a move that earned him a multitude of death glares,
forcing him to bring Goku back for another round of DBZ madness (yes, that is the reason
why Goku suddenly �comes back for a day� in the Buu Saga; Toriyama wanted to make
Gohan the main character, but pressure from the studio and the fans forced him to bring
Goku back, a move for which thousands of fans, including myself, are very grateful).
Anyway, back to the review. Krillin also makes an appearance in this movie, and his last
serious role; he gives us an awesome performance in a brief fight against one of Cooler�s
minions. In the next movie, he will revert to his comic relief role, and little by little, will
dissapear from the DBZ world, so enjoy his presence while you can. The same goes to
Oolong, who also makes a brief appearance in this movie as a main character for like 5
minutes before his role is drastically changed to that of a secondary character and plot
device for the rest of the movie. The last of the good guys is Piccolo. In this movie,
everybody�s favorite Namek gives an unforgettable performance, showing us why he�s one
of the strongest warriors in the universe. During his nearly 10 minute appearance, Piccolo
kicks butt and stars in one of the most impressive fight scenes in DBZ history. If you are a
Piccolo fan (like myself), you won�t be dissapointed with this movie, even if he is
conveniently removed near the end so that Goku can shine. His performance is pure gold.
Go Green!!!

Now, lets talk about the bad guys. First, we have Cooler, Freeza�s big brother, main evil
guy, and bad ass # 1. Faster, smarter, meaner, and stronger than his little brother; he comes off as a sort of noble villain, taking revenge against the guy that killed his brother. Unlike Freeza, he is able to keep his cool during battle and in his fight against Goku; manages to show us why he is one of the strongest beings in the universe. As far as character designs go; he is a taller version of Freeza with reddish skin and a different battle armor. In his ultimate form, he looks really cool and kicks mayor butt. His henchmen are this group of Ginyu Force wannabes named Doole, Neiz, and Sauza. Strong and cunning, they perform
Cooler�s dirty work, and easily rank as some of the best fighters in the universe. However,
there is a difference between being the best and being one of the best, and in this movie, they
will discover that when they meet the Z-senshi. As far as character design goes, this guys
are carbon copies of the Ginyu Force. Doole is your typical Burter, Sauza resembles Jeice
too much for his own good, and Neiz is an odd creation that provides comic relief for the
villains side with his odd abilities. All in all, not an original bunch, but as villains, they get
the work done.

Now, lets talk a little about the animation. This is DBZ, so you know it ain�t spectacular
and like most of Toriyama�s (Akira Toriyama, the guy that created the Dragon Ball and
Dragon Ball Z mangas plus countless other works like Dr. Slump and the recent Kajika)
work; it takes a while to get used to. However, once you do, it can be some of the most
kick ass animation ever seen. The backgrounds may be bland and the animation for the
characters is average at best (even the TV series looks better in some instances); but when
you take a look at the incredible fight scenes that populate this movie, those flaws are
easily forgettable. The fights themselves are some of the best I�ve seen in any DBZ movie
(and I�ve seen them all), and even rival stuff from popular fighting anime like Street
Fighter and Darkstalkers in terms of choreography and originality. The fight between
Piccolo and Cooler�s henchmen alone makes the whole movie worth it, but when you add
an Ultimate Cooler and a Goku who a couple of days ago, managed to achieve the
pinnacle of his race by transforming into a Super Saiyan; you know you are in for a hell of
a ride. Unless you have access to stuff like Flame of Recca or Yu Yu Hakusho; this anime
probably features some of the best fights ever seen in America. Now that is something.

Ok, so I am guessing this is the part where you recommend this movie for every anime fan
out there to own and treasure, and conclude the review, right? Mmm, not quite. You see,
as great as this movie is, it is still a DBZ movie. Meaning? It was done with the DBZ fan
in mind and people who has not been following the TV series will probably find it a waste
of their time. Sadly, it�s true. This movie is not for everyone. If you are a fan who has
been following the series all the way to the Freeza Saga; it�s amazing and a must buy.
However, for the otaku without prior DBZ experience, this movie is a no-no. If you really
want to watch it, I�d recommend at least watching some episodes on Cartoon Network
and reading a little about the Freeza Saga on the Internet. Otherwise, Cooler�s Revenge
generic plot, below-average animation, and extremely short duration will be nothing more
than a dissapointment.

All in all, if you are a DBZ otaku, you probably own this movie already. If you don�t, what
the hell are you doing here. Go buy it now! Uncut and in DVD! The Funi version won�t
do (unless you are a young fan or a concerned mother, in which case, I�d recommend the
wholesome, edited, cheaper, Funi version ^_^. However, in all fairness, the unedited
version ain�t all that in terms of violence, and except for possible cuss words and some
blood, it�s probably as safe as the edited one). For the rest of the anime loving community;
this is probably not the best way to start enjoying DBZ. Grab some episodes first or if you
are really in the mood for fighting anime, give any of the Street Fighter movies a try. I
promise you�ll be much happier.