Dragon Ball: Super Hero - Excessive Fun
Quick Thoughts: Dragon Ball Super Hero (2022)
The Red Ribbon Army attempts to re-run the cell saga.
Perhaps not as epic as Broly, but just as much fun, Dragon Ball Super Hero uses incredible 3D animation (with 2D overlaying) to conjure a smooth epic of nostalgia and new fun. The re-running of the Cell saga consciously cuts out all of the excess silliness and fat, presenting a short-hand of redemption for Gohan without falling into shameless self-referencing. That means Super Hero is predictable but not tasteless. It tells a basic Dragon Ball narrative, but shifts perspective slightly, presenting each and every character as a few degrees smarter than they otherwise would be. This of course cuts out a lot of nonsense and drama that would otherwise extend this into a saga dozens of episodes long, but it is also a breath of fresh air. I like, for instance, that we never have to see and hear of grown Gotenks properly, and that their one attack on Cell is actually effective; and also that Piccolo doesn't die again and holds his own throughout the film. Very much so a playful extension of Dragon Ball Super, in which we get more of a focus on side characters over Goku and Vegeta whilst reminiscing on times in which characters such as Gohan and Piccolo were more resilient and effective, Super Hero is not worth faulting in my view. Too much fun.
