“I knew that it would eventually come down to this one day. Dragonball Evolution marked a very painful creative point in my life. To have something with my name on it as the writer be so globally reviled is gut wrenching. To receive hate mail from all over the world is heartbreaking. I spent so many years trying to deflect the blame, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the written word on page and I take full responsibility for what was such a disappointment to so many fans. I did the best I could, but at the end of the day, I ‘dropped the dragon ball.’
I went into the project chasing after a big payday, not as a fan of the franchise but as a businessman taking on an assignment. I have learned that when you go into a creative endeavor without passion you come out with sub-optimal results, and sometimes flat out garbage. So I’m not blaming anyone for Dragonball but myself. As a fanboy of other series, I know what it’s like to have something you love and anticipate be so disappointing.
To all the Dragon Ball fans out there, I sincerely apologize.
I hope I can make it up to you by creating something really cool and entertaining that you will like and that is also something I am passionate about. That’s the only work I do now.
Best,
Ben.”
Source: The Dao of Dragon Ball. Click over here to read more and how this came about.
DBlog isn't a news site, but every now and then something happens with Dragon Ball where I feel compelled to respond in my own little way. In a world where Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Super exist, it might be hard to remember what life was like for DB fans in the mid-to-late 2000s. Dragon Ball's initial burst of popularity in the West from the late 90s and early 00s was winding down. Nearly everything that would be released domestically in the United States had already been so. And Akira Toriyama was seemingly forever insistent in his desires to leave the beloved franchise alone.
That's when Twentieth Century Fox officially announced they would be moving forward with the Dragon Ball license. Purchased during DBZ's height of popularity on Cartoon Network, it came off to many fans and entertainment speculators as Fox forcing the film into production before the license became ultimately irrelevant to pop culture. (The idea of DB having a nostalgia market having not entered into anyone's head yet in the United States.) And then the onslaught of similar official announcements came. Director, writer, cast, potential release date, pushed back release date, vague plot details and adaptions from the source material. The same stuff you'll see these days if you Google the upcoming Power Rangers flick (with a similar sense of foreboding).
Then the movie came out and it wasn't very good. I could go on and into further detail about how I feel about DBE, but I've covered it already during my rewatch. Fans feelings are well documented, and are as diverse as DB fans feelings about the franchise always hard. Akira Toriyama has trash talked it. Every internet film commentator worth their salt has had a jab at it. I remember, when it was still fresh in everyone's memories, non-fans going out of their way to express to me how bad they felt for me. It was a uniting experience, in the greater geek community. And it was seven years ago.
I ain't mad at Ben Ramsey. I'm not mad at Justin Chatwin or Jamie Chung or James Wong. They made a bad movie about something I love, sure. Seven years ago. A bad movie that Fox was going to have had made whether or not Ben Ramsey had signed on to write it or not. If anything, just over seven years ago was when we learned that, in order to really take a comic book and spin it into theatrical gold, you need everyone passionate about the project, from the top exec to the lowest extra. And splashing a little hot rod red on for subtly always helps.
We live in the golden age of comic book and geek filmmaking. By being passionate about the character, Deadpool went from the abysmal Twentieth Century Fox abortion known as Wolverine: Origins, to Ryan Reynolds pet project, Deadpool. Not only was it creatively fulfilling for those involved, but it was a massive financial success for the studio, despite breaking several rules of superhero and comic book movies. And that was this year. We're on a steady upward trajectory with geeky films. The idea of a good Dragon Ball live action flick is actually something that could happen, in a year like 2016. But in 2007, when DBE was simply words on a page in Final Draft, Ben Ramsey was just a man doing his job.
So for my part, Ben, I appreciate the apology. I didn't need to hear it, but I know in situations like this, it's more for the person apologizing. You wrote a bad movie. It's fine. We've all been part of shitty outcomes before, especially those of us who traffic in the written word. It isn't like Dragon Ball had some spotless record with its own fans before your movie came along, either.
As for my fellow fans, maybe it's time to let this one go. I dunno how many of you out there are still harboring strong feelings one way or another about DBE; Hell, most of you probably haven't even bothered to watch it before leaping onto the bandwagon. That isn't me defending it, either - it's a shitty movie. But maybe it's time we let it go and, like Son Goku, forgive our foes. How can we say we know DB anymore than the team behind DBE, if we forget Dragon Ball's core message of forgiveness and self improvement?
To Ben - and everyone else who worked on Dragon Ball Evolution - I sincerely wish you the best of luck with your current and future projects. You'll get nothing but love here on the Dragon Blog.
And besides, The Last Airbender makes DBE look like fucking Citizen Kane.
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