The Fall of Men (2015) User Reviews

Slow...with one Great fight scene

[lewisgray19 · 6/10 · 23 August 2016]

The film is slow and that's its downfall, it drags in places, while it does give you a the sense of the characters desperation and the danger that they're in, the rest of it is just boring. where this film really shines is the Fight scene. Although its the only one in the film it makes up for the first half.

The fight has great atmosphere, you really feel the stakes (the whole film has good atmosphere even the boring parts)the music fits perfectly , well paced, and its choreographed well easily the best part of the movie.

The SFX are passable, the CGI on Cell is OK but some shots of Super Sayian Trunks look just plain bad.

The acting is alright... the actor who plays trunks is OK if not a little of the bland side (when he's narrating) Not all that bad though same goes for the guy who voices Vegeta.

The production design and set are impressive for a Fan production

Aside from some pacing issues , not great SFX , and kinda bland acting I was left satisfied.

Great for a fan made movie

[Abouleid · 8/10 · 23 March 2021]

Although there are a lot of incorrect and inaccurate things in the movie (like the hair colors for example) and the Trunks actor is not so great honestly, this movie is WAAAAAAY BETTER than the sh*** movie evolution. I mean imagine if these guys have a hollywood like budget, what can they come up with? It's very well understood that a fan made movie with low budgets would not have an AMAZING CGI and animations, but for what they had and probably with their experience, this is incredible! Shout out to the team who made this! You guys are awesome!

awesome

[reppa-81433 · 8/10 · 20 May 2018]

One of the best fan movies I have ever seen I wish it was a full length movie instead of a short

breathtaking, original, and best adaptation so far

[bobbobster-06123 · 10/10 · 13 November 2015]

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.

Absolutely Fantastic!

[MikialUK · 10/10 · 18 November 2015]

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!

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

[avarmenian · 9/10 · 24 December 2015]

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.

Fantastic, emotional, and solid.

[brian-72773 · 9/10 · 18 November 2015]

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.

Best 28 minutes for DBZ fans...

[lokenathcoolkundu · 9/10 · 16 December 2015]

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.

Accurate

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 17 November 2015]

The short film "The Fall of Men" was only released a couple weeks ago, but already managed to get millions of clicks on Youtube despite being so new. It is a French production (don't worry though, language is English) written and directed by Yohan Faure and his very first film. It's a fan project that runs for slightly under 30 minutes and takes place in the Dragonball Z universe. However, this is not an animated movie, but a live action version with many "real" actors, not just voice performers. I am not the biggest DBZ fan, which is probably also why I did not enjoy this one too much. So the problem here for me is the base material and not necessarily Faure's work here. This means that if you like DBZ, there's a chance you will enjoy it. I remembered some of the sequences from the animated film from the special effects they show us here. All in all, a solid rookie effort by the director and I'm fairly certain we will see more from him in the future.

Great idea !

[xvubojypasyhwurhxkedivvr · 9/10 · 7 May 2016]

I don't understand why Hollywood can't make a reasonably well thought adaptation of an anime, but this short movie comes as a great idea ! I'm not sure it was right though to begin with Cell's arc. Just like for the X-men movies some people need a little background story about what is going on.

It might be more relevant to began with a tournament with a young Goku ultimately fighting Piccolo. Then move on in a second installment with the arrival of Freeza being betrayed by Vegeta. And eventually, a third movie with Dr Gero and Cell.

I imagine Cell more like an insect Alien-style and his final form terribly human-like ! The actor who plays Bulma's father is the only acceptable for me. The others are really not fit for the job.

It would be nice to think of more combat choreography and less, way less fireballs and energy blasts.

All in all it is a great idea !

So happy with this and very hopeful.

[indinzanacic · 10/10 · 17 April 2016]

I accidentally bumped into this video on YouTube and was so surprised. It amazed me the way the story telling began, and immediately as a Dragon Ball Z lover it struck me that this could be the beginning of something very special. The way everything is put together and the way the producer and story writer started this movie is even beyond my expectations. This could become such a big and new chapter in film making history, even bigger than Star Wars! If you see how many Saga's Dragon Ball Z has. If you imagine how awesome GT can become. And the possibility to invent new extensions to the story, or to add prequels like George Lucas did with Star Wars.

There are endless possibilities and opportunities in the production of Dragon Ball. And the way it has started is really great.

It just needs to be funded with multi millions and i am sure everyone who loves a superhero movie will love this awesome story even more!

Can't wait to see Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, in action. Especially in there Super Saiyan modes.

Lets hope for the best. Peace out.

Ka-me-ha-me-ha! ha-ha

Awesome

[amitbala-75215 · 10/10 · 28 November 2020]

Undoubtedly the best dragon ball movie. I wish it'd have been a full length movie or saga

Only great if you're already a Dragonball fan (but maybe not)

[grandmastersik · 5/10 · 17 November 2015]

I got told about this short so eagerly looked it up; one of my mates is a massive Dragonball fan and couldn't rate this highly enough.

Having enjoyed the cartoons 15 years ago (but no way in Hell the Hollywood film!), I already knew the characters and story, though it's been altered slightly with Cell replacing the Androids.

What plagued the cartoons were the annoying monologues and thoughts constantly being spoken out loud, and where this short spared us of them, the boring voice-over replacement was a bit of a facepalm.

The fights were okay but seriously nothing special, and the ki blasts weren't very well imagined. I can understand that money was most likely a factor, but the scope and level of destruction that would be expected from two god-like figures battling it out just didn't come across. The actor playing Trunks - a man who'd spent his entire life studying advanced martial arts - really didn't have the physique for it either, which made his role a bit hard to believe.

Well, like I said: if you're already a massive Dragonball fan, you may well love this, but then, you may not, because where the effort's appreciated, this really isn't that great. If you know nothing about Dragonball, then this short will only confuse you and probably isn't even worth looking at.

The worst live action movie

[andreo-54894 · 1/10 · 22 September 2020]

I've seen YouTube recreations of dragon ball z that are better than this. The super Saiyan form is horrible the characters to even look like the animated one not even a bit they didn't even bother to give the right hair do. This movie is horrible and inaccurate