Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox Korea``Dragonball: Evolution,’’ the Hollywood adaptation of the internationally loved comic, topped the South Korean box office during its opening weekend after its world premiere here March 12, according to 20th Century Fox Korea.
Real-time tallies of nationwide ticket reservations by the Korean Film Council showed Sunday that the action flick held an iron grip on the number one spot over ``More Than Blue’’ -- despite the tendency of romantic films to dominate on White Day weekends.
The Stephen Chow production, directed by James Wong, catered particularly to young males in their teens and 20s, who, like millions of fans worldwide, grew up consuming the comic and/or cartoons. But the film’s classic teen romance-meets-martial arts superhero theme appeals to ``children’’ of all ages, which naturally includes adults. Also inviting is its weighty cast of fresh newcomers and veteran stars, including Hong Kong action hero Chow Yun-fat, former K-pop star Joon Park (Park Joon-hyung) and esteemed Korean-American actor Randall Duk Kim.
Real-time tallies of nationwide ticket reservations by the Korean Film Council showed Sunday that the action flick held an iron grip on the number one spot over ``More Than Blue’’ -- despite the tendency of romantic films to dominate on White Day weekends.
The Stephen Chow production, directed by James Wong, catered particularly to young males in their teens and 20s, who, like millions of fans worldwide, grew up consuming the comic and/or cartoons. But the film’s classic teen romance-meets-martial arts superhero theme appeals to ``children’’ of all ages, which naturally includes adults. Also inviting is its weighty cast of fresh newcomers and veteran stars, including Hong Kong action hero Chow Yun-fat, former K-pop star Joon Park (Park Joon-hyung) and esteemed Korean-American actor Randall Duk Kim.
Running an hour and a half, ``Dragonball’’ features everything one might expect in a Hollywood hero movie, including scores of computer graphic action, earth-wind-fire magic a la ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’’ ``Transformers’’-style gadgets and even ``D-War’’ dragons. Despite the Eastern thematic elements and a cast that is heavily dominated by Asians and Asian-Americans, the film is succeeds in having mainstream appeal -- without starring Jackie Chan or having Tom Cruise play a samurai.
The costume and makeup, however, are rather regrettable, as Lord Piccolo looks more like one of Sponge Bob’s alien friends rather than a scary villain. One might also wonder if the movie hired Edna from ``The Incredibles,’’ as Goku’s martial arts outfit, one of his grandfather’s legacies, seems to stretch miles without ripping. But then again, the film is based on a cartoon.
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