17

17 would be an American-Japanese adventure fantasy buddy film directed by Travis Knight from an screenplay by Christina Hudson, and based on the Japanese manga Dragon Ball, by Akira Toriyama. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Toei Company, the film would be produced by Toriyama, Kevin Feige, and Knight, and would be an entry in the Dragon Ball Live-action Universe (DBLU). The film would star Andrew Garfield, Wilson Bethel, and the voices of Simone Missick, Karen Pittman, Danai Gurira, Josh Gad and Lena Waithe. The film would focus on the titular Android, who meets a former friend of his while trying to run from General Tao. Mark Mancina would compose the score for the film, while John Rzeznik would write and perform serveral new songs for the film.
17 would met with critical acclaim and commercial success, with critics praising the film's performances (particularly Garfield, Missick, Pittman, and Bethel's), visuals, direction, screenplay, action sequences, and musical score, with several critics positively comparing the film with Knight's Bumblebee (2018) and films by Steven Spielberg. The film would earn 1.3 billion dollars at the worldwide box office, over a budget of 177 million dollars. The film would earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects.
== Synopsis ==
After the Dragon Balls ressurected him, Android 17 realizes that he is now all alone, so he goes around the world, continously creating minor troubles whenever he goes, but at the same time hiding from the Z Warriors. However, the trouble he caused is enough to catch the atention of a worse enemy: Former Red Ribbon Army General Tao, who has been driven to complete insanity following his defeat at the hands of Son Goku. Wishing to know how to become an Android himself, Tao has his soldiers kidnap 17, but he manages to escape from Tao's ship. However, the weakened 17 ends up falling to an island, where he is saved by the living fauna from being caught by Tao's army. In the island, 17 meets an old friend from his childhood: Yūjō, a minotaur. Yūjō is glad to see her childhood friend, but 17 isn't that happy, as she ran away when they were kids. However, Tao is hunting both 17 and the island's fauna, who all share an valuable special trait, forcing 17 to put his grudge against Yūjō and work with her in order to save the island and themselves.
== Cast ==
* Andrew Garfield as Lapis/Android 17, an Android genetically altered by former Red Ribbon Army scientis Dr. Gero, who reunites with childhood friend Yūjō while being hunted by General Tao. Garfield would say that the film "gives a lot of depth to the character, and reveals the source of his trouble-making personality", comparing the character to Jim Hawkins from Treasure Planet (2002).
* Wilson Bethel as Tao:A former general in the Red Ribbon Army, who has been driven to insanity following his defeat at the hands of Son Goku, and hunts down 17 and an island with unique species and abilities in order to gain more power. Bethel would say that the character "got a lot worse after what happened in Tao. He is 100000% more insane and more dangerous than in that film. He's completly crazy. He's crazy enough that he believes Goku is aware of his survival and is just pretending to be dead so he can be more powerful and kill him. So he tries to get powers from a soucre outside of himself to be more powerful than Goku, which is why he gets 17 in troubles".
=== Voice cast ===
* Simone Missick as Yūjō, a "minotaur" (a dinosaur-bull hybrid) and a childhood friend of 17's, who both is happy to see her friend once again and feels guilty of leaving him as a kid. Missck would say that "her arc is less about 17 forgiving her and more about forgiving herself.
* Karen Pittman as Roiyariti, a dinosaur and Yūjō's girlfriend, who tries to help Yūjō come to terms with leaving 17. Pittman would describe the character as "somebody who, having grown all of her life in the jungle, where smetimes an animal has to do things she dosen't like to do i order to survive, tries to teach Yūjō that sometimes, doing the right thing dosen't mean doing what you like".
* Danai Gurira as Heishi, a hyena soldier who serves Tao. Gurira would say that "she goes througth a bit of an arc througth the film, but that dosen't end here".
* Josh Gad as Teeths, a sabertooth tiger and a soldier of Tao's, who is constantly abused by him. Gad would say that "while he at times serves as a comic relief character, he's also a lot more like an abused child".
* Lena Waithe as Rezu:A lesbian meerkat from Penguin Village, who goes to the island while on a vacation, and tries to convince 17 to forgive Yūjō. Waithe would reprise her role from Dr. Slump 2: OH NO! WE GOT TO THE SEQUEL!. Waithe would say that "Rezu grew a little bit after Dr. Slump 2. She know understand better at how to deal with people who are stubborn. And she had relationship troubles from 17's perspective a few times", and that "she comes from a light-hearted franchise and here things aren't as light-hearted as there, so that's her arc her: adapting to a different world". Waithe would also describe her as "a subtle comic relief character".
== Music ==
Mark Mancina, who previously would co-compose the score for the first Dragon Ball film, would return to compose the film's score. Mancina would be "super glad" of being brougth back after not composing the scores for several succeding DBLU films after Dragon Ball. As in prevous DBLU films, the score woud feature motifs and elements from the original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z animes by Shunsuke Kikuchi. Additionally, as in Dragon Ball and Disney's Tarzan (1999), Mancina would create a "jungle-like score" for the film. Mancina would use a "more emotional version" of Hans Zimmer's theme for Android 17 from earlier DBLU films, and a "more insane" version of Henry Jackman and Brian Tyler's theme for Tao from Dragon Ball: Tao, as well as reuse Alan Menken and Michael Giacchino's theme for Rezu from Dr. Slump 2: OH NO! WE GOT TO THE SEQUEL!. Mancina would also create a "friendly and sad theme" for Yūjō, as well as "a survivalist and morally right but also hard" theme for Roiyariti, and a "militaristic" theme for Heishi.
John Rzeznik, who previously wrote and performed songs for Disney's Treasure Planet (2002), would write and perform several songs for the film. Rzeznik would be hired by director Travis Knight because he felt that hs songs for Treasure Planet "captured the heart of both that film and this one". Rzeznik would work closely with the writers in order for the sogs to "fit perfectly within the movie, yet they also stand on their own".
== Reception ==
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film would have an approval rating of 95%, with an average raiting of 9/10, based on 225 reviews. The website's critical consensus would read, "Emotionally touching and relatable, 17 is an impressive look at an old DB character that once again delivers its franchise's typical heartwarming story, explendid direction, wonderful visuals, awesome action scenes, and incredible performances. And once again gives everybody an explendid experience". On Metacritic, the film would have a weighted rating of 85 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".
== Trivia ==
* This would be the second DBLU film to feature an LGBTQ+ couple, after Dr. Slump 2: OH NO! WE GOT TO THE SEQUEL!.
** Ironically, both films would have a lesbian couple.
* This would be the first non-Dr. Slump film and non-crossover film to feature characters from that film series.
** This would also the first non-Dr. Slump film to feature musical themes from that film series.
** This would also be the first non-crossover film to feature antoagonists from another film series.
* Travis Knight and Christina Hudson prevously worked together in Bumblebee (2018).
Category:Movies