Dragon Ball may not have gotten a worthy live-action adaptation yet, but one epic Jackie Chan fantasy movie comes close to qualifying as a spiritual adaptation of the renowned anime. Created by Akira Toriyama in 1984, Dragon Ball went on to become one of the biggest and most internationally acclaimed shounen anime franchises in the 90s and the aughts. Over the years, the franchise has only grown from strength to strength, paving the way for newer additions, including video games, manga spinoffs, and films.
In 2009, Dragon Ball was also loosely adapted as a live-action movie, Dragonball Evolution, which turned out to be a commercial and critical disaster. Owing to its inability to get anything right about the original anime and manga, the movie was panned by viewers and critics worldwide, forcing many to grow skeptical towards anime-to-cinema adaptations in general. However, before Dragonball Evolution presented one of the worst live-action takes on anime, a Jackie Chan kung fu fantasy movie secretly showed how stories can seamlessly be transitioned from one medium to another.
The Forbidden Kingdom & Dragon Ball Are Both Based On The Same Story
They Are Loosely Based On A Classic Chinese Novel
When Akira Toriyama first started working on Dragon Ball, he was inspired by the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. Often touted as one of the greatest Chinese novels, Journey to the West follows the fictional pilgrimage of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who sets out on a journey to India to find Buddhist scriptures. Dragon Ball combines the novel’s story structure with borrowed elements from many popular Hong Kong martial arts movies. Interestingly, a Jack Chan-starring movie, The Forbidden Kingdom, does something similar.
Against a budget of $55 million, The Forbidden Kingdom grossed $128 million.
Directed by Rob Minkoff, The Forbidden Kingdom features an ensemble cast, including Jackie Chan, Jet Lee, Michael Angarano, Liu Yifei, Collin Chou, and Li Bingbing. Like the Akira Toriyama anime, it also draws inspiration from Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West but combines the classic story with contemporary elements. Unfortunately, despite being the first film that shows Jet Li and Jackie Chan sharing the screen, The Forbidden Kingdom failed to leave its mark at the global box office and also received a lukewarm reception from viewers and critics.
What Makes The Forbidden Kingdom Jackie Chan’s Best Kung Fu Fantasy Movie
It Honors Chinese Folklore While Blending It With Universal Themes
Unfolding like a typical Isekai anime in its opening moments, The Forbidden Kingdom follows an American teenager, Jason Tripitikas, who gets magically transported to an ancient Chinese village. With its opening setup, the movie seemingly riffs on every young boy’s dream of being thrust into a fantastical world where he encounters martial arts experts and trains to become “the chosen one.” Since most stories adopting “the chosen one” trope follow a similar hero’s journey template, The Forbidden Kingdom can be a little predictable.
Jackie Chan’s Forbidden Kingdom character, Lu Yan, based on a real Chinese scholar and poet, also practices drunken kung-fu, reminding viewers of other classic martial arts movies, like Drunken Master and Dance of the Drunken Mantis.
However, the brilliance with which it expands its ancient Chinese worldbuilding by combining elements from real myths and legendary figures significantly elevates its drama. It also draws inspiration from the awe-inspiring myth of the Monkey King while ensuring that its narrative and thematic explorations of a teenager’s self-discovery appeal to modern audiences. Jackie Chan’s Forbidden Kingdom character, Lu Yan, based on a real Chinese scholar and poet, also practices drunken kung-fu, reminding viewers of other classic martial arts movies, like Drunken Master and Dance of the Drunken Mantis.
The Forbidden Kingdom Might Be The Best Live-Action Dragon Ball Movie We’ll Get
After Dragonball Evolution, Another Dragon Ball Live-Action May Never Happen
Dragonball Evolution disrespected its source material by not only showing a shallow representation of Goku’s rite of passage but also getting the title wrong. The fact that “Dragon Ball” was spelled “Dragonball” in the movie’s title was enough to indicate its seriousness to deliver a worthy adaptation. Owing to Dragonball Evolution‘s disastrous reception, it seems unlikely that another live-action adaptation of the anime franchise would be received with optimism.
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Dragon Ball Evolution Key Facts |
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Directed By |
James Wong |
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Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score |
14% |
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Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
19% |
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Budget |
$30 million |
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Box Office |
$56.5 million |
Although some recent adaptations, like Netflix’s One Piece, have proven that shounen anime can work well in the live-action medium, audiences remain skeptical about them because many others, like Death Note and Cowboy Bebop, have failed. This is probably why even studios would be hesitant about investing in potential Dragon Ball live-action projects.
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Dragonball Evolution & 9 Other Worst Live-Action Movies Based On Anime
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The Forbidden Kingdom does not directly adapt Dragon Ball. However, the Jackie Chan movie’s ability to capture the sense of adventure, martial arts, and a young hero’s journey that one expects from a shounen anime offers a glimpse into what a worthy Dragon Ball live-action adaptation would look like. Therefore, viewers can embrace it as a Dragon Ball movie because it might be the only decent live-action adaptation of the anime they will ever get.
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A discovery made by an American teenager obsessed with kung fu sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins a band of martial arts warriors to free the Monkey King.
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Goku, a young, powerful boy with a tail, spends his days hunting and living off the land. His life changes when he meets Bulma, a teen genius on a quest to collect seven magical Dragon Balls that summon a dragon capable of granting any wish. Together, they set off on an adventure filled with powerful martial arts battles, formidable foes, and unlikely alliances.
