Cert: PG

When's it out? Now

Who's in it? Justin Chatwin, Chow Yun-Fat, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum, James Marsters, Eriko, Joon Park, Randall Duk Kim.

Who directed it? James Wong.

What's it about? Beginning life as a Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama, Dragonball is a multi-billion dollar franchise spawning numerous videogames, graphic novels and a television series.

Dragonball Evolution strikes the right tone, opening with a comic training sequence between a sensei and grasshopper, both perched on washing lines several feet above the ground as they practise fighting moves.

The two men tumble through the air, defying gravity, hooking their feet on the lines as they spin through 360 degrees, using everything that comes to hand (including an insect) to distract their opponent.

Harmless fun.

The unlikely hero is teenager Goku (Chatwin), who lives with his grandfather Gohan (Kim) and is viewed as a joke by all the kids at school except the beautiful and popular Chi Chi (Chung).

Always feeling different to his peers, Goku looks forward to his 18th birthday when Gohan has promised to reveal the truth about the parents he never knew.

When the big day arrives, Goku sneaks out to attend Chi Chi's party and consequently, he is not present when the dastardly Lord Piccolo (Marsters) and his sexy sidekick Mai (Eriko) destroy the family home looking for one of seven mystical orbs – dragonballs – which Gohan has given his grandson as a birthday present.

To banish Piccolo, Goku seeks out eccentric Master Roshi (Yun-Fat), who possesses a vast knowledge of a powerful energy force called Ki, which the apprentice must harness if he is to defeat his enemy.

En route to the big showdown, Goku forms alliances with brilliant inventor Bulma (Rossum) and opportunistic thief Yum Cha (Park).

The verdict: While the film incorporates much of the iconography, including the hero's distinctive spiky hair-do, there's a lack of fully formed characters and – surprisingly – thrilling action.