This double-disc set features re-releases of the early ‘90s third and fourth movies in the venerable manga/TV/film Dragonball Z franchise, each of which clocks in at roughly an hour. The details vary but the basics are much the same: super-powerful villains accompanied by colorful thugs not only arrive from space with plans to use the Earth for their own nefarious purposes, but also land near our heroes, who are busy going about their daily lives. Series protagonist Goku, martial artist extraordinaire, focuses on the big baddie while his friends tackle the minions (with differing degrees of success). Ultimately, Goku's power and perseverance win out against each menace. In the first movie, the Saiyan Turles plants the Tree of Might in order to sap the strength of the world and feed himself with power. In the second, Namekian Lord Slug ushers in winter to kill off the Earth and turn it into a giant spaceship. In the end, both films feel like overlong TV episodes (formulaic ones at that), and while the antics of the familiar crew are occasionally amusing, very little narrative red meat is added here to the DBZ mythos (and neither film has any impact on the series' continuity). Still, Dragonball Z fans will enjoy watching their favorite characters in these additional adventures. Rated TV-PG, this extra-less dual-language release is available in a two-disc standard DVD set and a nicer-looking single-disc Blu-ray version. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Dragonball Z: Cooler's Revenge/The Return of Cooler, compiling the fifth and sixth movies in the franchise, and Dragonball Z: Super Android 13/Bojack Unbound, compiling the seventh and ninth films, are also newly available on DVD and Blu-ray.] Aud: P. (L. Martincik)
Dragonball Z: Tree of Might/Lord Slug
(2008) 2 discs. 115 min. DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $34.98. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4210-1441-6 (dvd), 1-4210-1417-3 (blu-ray). Volume 24, Issue 2
Dragonball Z: Tree of Might/Lord Slug
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