The Fall of Men (2015) Reviews

• breathtaking, original, and best adaptation so far

  bobbobster-061232015-11-13

  Probably one of the greatest fan films i have ever seen. This small film is an obvious choice over the Hollywood fox based DBZ: Evolution. Very exited to see what Black Smoke Films comes out with next. With so many teaser trailers out there and many Fans anxious to see a true adaptation of the Dragon Ball universe, this film meets all expectations and more. This film does what Christopher Nolan did to batman, bringing the character to life. Much credit to Yohan Faure with all the creativity and directing this film. If you having doubts, Don't.This small film will bring you back so many childhood memories and if you've ever seen the Dragonball Z TV show, this will be worth watching.

  More

• The best live-action adaptation of the Dragonball franchise I've seen.

  avarmenian2015-12-24

  Like many other fans of the Dragonball franchise, I am staunchly sceptical of any attempts to adapt content from the anime or manga into live-action sequences. I've long felt that the nature of the show (with its fast-paced fight scenes, wild hairstyles, transformations and ki-blasts) is not suitable for live-action. However, and to my surprise, Fall of Men has prompted me to reconsider my outlook. Fall of Men is loosely based on the Dragonball Z storyline "The History of Trunks". However, Fall of Men gives the Dragonball universe a darker, grittier feel, unlike any live-action adaptation that has gone before it. In line with the themes of the History of Trunks movie, the sense of loss and hopelessness is conveyed very effectively throughout the film. This is perhaps amplified by the lack of dialogue; the film largely relies on visual cues to move the story forward, with the voice of Trunks dubbed over only to provide the audience with an insight into his thoughts and feelings. However, this film's strongest suit is in its ability to filter out the details from the anime/manga that do not match its gritty tone. However, any details that are plausible in live-action have been retained, which will please any hardcore Dragonball fans. For instance, whilst Bulma is not portrayed with blue hair, Dr. Briefs is still portrayed with a cigarette and small black cat. In short, the film manages to stay loyal to the franchise, but has moved far enough from it to not appear parodical. Further, when tackling sequences much more difficult to portray in live-action (such as transformations, ki blasts and movements at speed), Fall of Men manages to execute them in a tasteful way, triumphing where many live-action adaptations have failed (although a little more tweaking could be carried out in places). For any Dragonball fan, this short film is worth a watch. Above all else, it has single-handedly demonstrated that a decent live-action adaptation of Dragonball is possible. The fact that this film did not have the backing of a major production company makes it all the more remarkable.

  More

• Absolutely Fantastic!

  MikialUK2015-11-18

  I watched this FAN MADE live action short a couple of days ago & I was amazed. The depiction of most characters were spot on if you'll ever consider them to be real. The creators of this short are obviously big fans of Dragon Ball Z and that is shown throughout the film. It is this passion for a project that we need because only then you'll get an authentic raw adaptation of the original. I reaIly hope someone will take these guys' ideas & fund them so they can expand. I'm disappointed at the two reviews below coz people often criticize often forgetting that small companies as such have limitations but despite that made a million times better job than Hollywood's evolution. Check it out if you're big fans of the anime like me or not. Regardless, it's great!

  More

• Fantastic, emotional, and solid.

  brian-727732015-11-18

  Let's get one thing out of the way, in order to watch this, you need to have a good creative imagination to truly appreciate it for what it's worth. It's not trying to directly adapt the Dragonball/DBZ anime, but rather the content. Purists will probably be left frustrated, but that isn't a criticism I can put on this movie. It's more than just candy for the purists. At the end of the day, this is as what's described in the credits, a fan fiction. That said, this is a truly great fan fiction. I am a huge fan of the original anime and manga. I consider myself very knowledgeable about the universe, its lore, and its characters. History of Trunks might be one of my favorite parts of the original anime, and I feel that this pays good homage and takes the original story in a riveting new direction. The action is solid, and the exposition is great, with dialogue being handled by the narrator instead of the actual characters (a great choice, as English isn't the casts' primary language). I feel that this adds a nice twist, as the actors do a great job by just showing emotion and body language. Great job by the actors. For a low budget film, this short is gorgeous. These people definitely have a future in feature film making and the cinematography is admirable. The fight feels truly like its telling its own story, one of the highest compliments I can give. In summary, this is a great twist on the source material, with new dimensions added that feel like they belong. The acting is good, the voice acting is decent, and the action is just right. The music is fantastic as well. If you are a purist who wants a direct adaptation of the anime to the screen, with Trunks having purple hair and Bulma having blue, then this isn't the film for you. If you've got an open mind and would like to be taken to a place where it feels right, and the source material is still treated with respect, then don't pass this up.

  More

• Best 28 minutes for DBZ fans...

  lokenathcoolkundu2015-12-16

  First of all, everything can not be copied directly from the series, like purple hair of trunks, blue hair of bulma etc etc. so ignore that and try to focus on the main part. the plot has been changed a bit, and cell is now the main evil in place of androids. but this plot is also very good. its quite admirable how cell has been presented, though his face can be made a little better. but again its a fan made fiction not coming from a big production house. Vegeta saying in a pre-dying recorded tape that goku was his friend was quite brilliant. introducing goku while eating is just the thing we fans loved. even if you are not a DBZ fan, you might very well be eager to see the next part after watching this.

  More