Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection Five: The Broly Trilogy stands out among the recent releases of the Dragon Ball Z movies. It is the second such collection with a theme based on a villain that appears in all of its movies (in this case, Broly). It is also the only collection of the six that includes three movies (the other five only assembling two features a piece).
Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan introduces the villain and sets much of the tone for the set as a whole. Broly vastly overpowers the rest of the cast, and this will turn out to be true for the other two movies as well.
One thing that makes this movie stand out is its mystery. Although Broly went on to become a largely recognised figure in Dragon Ball Z, the movie itself takes its time in getting to his reveal. A Saiyan shows up claiming to have made a new planet Vegeta. Getting to the bottom of his claim, and learning the truth to his motives provides a sense of intrigue to the film that earlier films in the series rarely attempted. Broly’s main flaw comes in his motivation for attacking the main characters. It doesn’t quite work, but thankfully it is easily ignored and it doesn’t detract from the action.
Broly – Second Coming is set during the time in Dragon Ball Z in which Goku had died and left the planet. Goku’s absence, and the smaller number of characters in this movie ramp up the tension. Since Goku isn’t to hand, Broly – Second Coming focuses largely on Goten, Trunks, and Videl. The issues surrounding Broly’s motivations don’t affect this film as much as they affected its predecessor, and the fight against Broly just as desperate, if not more so than last time. It also fleshes out Broly’s Super Saiyan form some more, building up to his now iconic transformation rather than going directly to it, adding to the movie’s sense of tension and successfully raising the stakes of the battle.
Bio Broly has more in common with Broly – Second Coming than with the first movie. Goku is still gone, so Goten and Trunks serve as the protagonists again. They are backed up by Android 18 and Mr. Satan. Android 18 adds to the action scenes, and Mr Satan provides the sort of comic relief that fell on Master Roshi or Oolong in earlier instalments.
In regards to Broly himself, this movie is something of an outlier. As the movie’s title suggests, he isn’t quite Broly and he spends most of his third appearance with a vastly different look. He is still intimidating but the character lacks the elements that made him stand out before.
Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection Five: The Broly Trilogy maintains a consistent quality throughout the films on offer. The latter two movies give a welcome chance for characters other than Goku to shine, and at his best Broly comes off more akin to a force of nature than a person. Each film in the series differs slightly in terms of their set up, and all of them have something to offer. Sadly, there is no commentary available this time, but this collection still manages to be a strong offering for fans.
Extras: Trailers, Japanese audio, US audio with Japanese music.
DRAGON BALL Z MOVIE COLLECTION FIVE: THE BROLY TRILOGY / CERT: PG / DIRECTORS & SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: SEAN SCHEMMEL, VIC MIGNOGNA, KYLE HEBERT, KARA EDWARDS, LAURA BAILEY / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 12TH
