It's hard to see why Akira Toriyama's manga franchise ever became such a multi-media phenomenon from director James Wong's bland, simplistic and condensed-to-basics live-action version. A band of young warriors led by geeky teen Goku (Justin Chatwin, in an epic piece of miscasting) try to bring together seven powerful dragonballs to stop evil Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) destroying earth. From The Karate Kid and Star Wars to Superman via Bruce Lee, there's nothing here that hasn't been seen countless times before. Trying to re-create the anime cartoon look with real actors just doesn't work: the resulting bad wigs, unconvincing make-up, cheesy dialogue ("The first rule is there are no rules") and cheap special effects all underline the film's two-dimensional origins. Young boys might buy the colourful action, the faux-Jedi mysticism and Chow Yun-Fat's inane wackiness as Goku's guru, but for anyone else it's a waste of time.

On his 18th birthday, Goku receives a mystical Dragonball as a gift from his grandfather. There are only six others like it in the whole world, and legend has it that whoever possesses all seven will be granted one perfect wish. When the arrival of a dark force triggers a tragedy, Goku and his companions are propelled into an epic quest to collect the seven Dragonballs and save the Earth from destruction.