Amazon.com video review:
In these episodes of the popular action-adventure series, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Gohan square off against the sniggering Frieza, one of the most grating villains in all anime. As the individual titles suggest, Frieza increases his power by metamorphosing, growing spikier before assuming his familiar, smooth, white-and-purple form. Piccolo fused with Nail to tackle the villain, but he still isn't strong or fast enough to overcome him, despite assistance from the valiant young Gohan. Vegeta plans to play both ends against the middle: by tricking Krillin and Dende into transforming him into a Super-Saiyan, he hopes to gain the power to defeat Frieza, then destroy everyone else. Will he succeed? Typically, there are plenty of screams, explosions, and flying fists in Dragon Ball Z shows, but the characters end up almost exactly where they began 60 minutes earlier. Unrated: suitable for ages 8 and up; cartoon violence and very minor profanity. --Charles Solomon
Amazon.com video review:
The fourth Dragon Ball Z movie was released in 1991 under the title This Is the Super Saiya-jin, Son Goku. Goku and Krillin use their powers to deflect a giant asteroid from striking the Earth. But the asteroid is really the ship of the evil Lord Slug, who bullies Gohan and Bulma to get the Dragon Balls and obtain the eternal youth he desires. The newly regenerated Slug begins to "terrafreeze" Earth, killing inhabitants and transforming the planet into a gargantuan space vessel. During their inevitable duel, Goku learns that the now-gigantic Lord Slug is the last member of a race of "super Namek-jins." Goku eventually defeats him with some help from Gohan and Piccolo. For the U.S. release, Funimation has added an intrusive rock soundtrack--and five minutes of obnoxious commercials at the beginning of the tape. Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up: Considerable cartoon violence, drug use. --Charles Solomon
Amazon.com video review:
Bardock was one of the Saiya-jin Frieza used as mercenaries to conquer
other worlds. Although he was only a "low level" warrior, Bardock grew so
powerful that Frieza and his lieutenant Doodoria feared he might become a
threat to them. Doodoria brutally murdered the other members of Bardock's
squadron; Frieza destroyed the entire Saiya planet--Vegeta, Nappa, and Goku
(né Kakarot) were the only survivors. Before he was killed, the fish-like,
Tooro cursed Bardock with the ability to see the future, including his own
brutal death. But his new psychic powers enable Bardock to establish a
mysterious bond with his infant son, who will grow up to defeat the
monstrous Frieza. Bardock the Father of Goku uses some of the same
characters as the popular "Dragonball Z" TV series, but the continuities
don't necessarily match. The one-hour TV special, which first aired in
Japan in 1990, has been so heavily edited that it feels fragmented. The viewer
is never told who Goku's mother is or why the infant is sent into space in
a tiny ship, and the rock soundtrack can't quite marry the scenes that are
often jarringly cut together (the uncut version supplies three extra
minutes of footage that answers some of these questions). Suitable for ages
8 and up for cartoon violence, the uncut version suitable for teens.
--Charles Solomon
Amazon.com video review:
Bardock was one of the Saiya-jin Frieza used as mercenaries to conquer other worlds. Although he was only a "low-level" warrior, Bardock grew so powerful that Frieza and his lieutenant Doodoria feared he might become a threat to them. Doodoria brutally murdered the other members of Bardock's squadron; Frieza destroyed the entire Saiya planet--Vegeta, Nappa, and Goku (né Kakarot) were the only survivors. Before he was killed, the fishlike Tooro cursed Bardock with the ability to see the future, including his own brutal death. But his new psychic powers enable Bardock to establish a mysterious bond with his infant son, who will grow up to defeat the monstrous Frieza. Bardock the Father of Goku uses some of the same characters as the popular Dragon Ball Z TV series, but the continuities don't necessarily match. The one-hour TV special, which first aired in Japan in 1990, has been so heavily edited, it feels fragmented. The viewer is never told who Goku's mother is or why the infant is sent into space in a tiny ship, and the rock soundtrack can't quite marry the scenes that are often jarringly cut together. Unrated: suitable for ages 8 and up for cartoon violence and slight nudity. --Charles Solomon
