Someone wrote to Ben Ramsey...

Here is what he wrote;




"First off, before I begin, here is the original script. If you haven't read it, read it before you read this topic:

http://dbthemovie.com/Dragonball%20Z.pdf

Now that that's settled, here is what I wrote to screenwriter Ben Ramsey's Myspace page. As you know with Myspace, you have to have someone accept you as a friend before you can send them a message. Anyway here is what I wrote:

----------------- Original Message -----------------

To: Ben Ramsey
Date: Apr 19, 2009 11:19 AM
Subject: DB:E


Read your 1st draft of the script. Saw the movie. I didn't like it. Wasn't faithful to the source like Sin City,300,Watchmen & Iron Man were.
Though I noticed your script had more homages to the manga.
Did you read the whole manga before writing or did you watch part of the anime for research?

I know you didnt have a hand in preventing FOX or James Wong in changing the script or making the choices for cast.
But I feel you should of hinted that Goku was Asian more in the 1st script, maybe that would of made a difference (probably not).

I dont like FOX. They dip their hand way too much in the film process.
I know they originally wanted Stephen Chow to direct this (he couldnt; was filming CJ7 at the time), so they made him honorary "advisory" producer (thuogh not listening to any of his ideas) and marketed his name and face as main producer in Asia (even though the producer was really Tim Van Rellim).

Also using Joon Park (not even a martial artist..a Korean Pop Singer...they took out your 2 fight scenes with Yamcha & Goku)
To help hype the movie in Asia (selling out) and cast that Justin Chatwin guy as Goku (who to me, Goku was always basically a Jackie Chan on paper...hell, he's influenced by the first Drunken Master movie)

But your use of high school plot device wasnt even needed. Nor was the romance. You're basically pandering to "nerd geeks" who like Dragon Ball, which isnt the case.
Dragon Ball is so popular for so many reasons to so many different types of people around the world. It isnt just popular to "nerd geeks" who you feel can 'identify' on film with the cliche 'high school outcast'.

Its basically like trying to modernize The Jungle Book or Tarzan.
People would be like "WTF".
Also what FOX doesnt realize is that Goku is Asia's "Superman"
Let them have their superhero!
Would we accept a Superman that was Asian or Black?
Probably not.
I know Will Smith was offered the role of Superman but turned it down because, his words: "I didnt want to offend the white fans. I already did something similar with Jim West in Wild Wild West"
The movie probably financially would have done better interntationally considering the majority of DB fans are in Asia since the story's been popular there since 1984m, and the U.S. only got wind of the story in 1998.
4 billion vs 127 million.
Simple math.
Also, lets say there even is a sequel; yur script opened too many plotholes for future stories to make sense.
Still trying to figure out how Piccolo knows about Goku since he was trapped in a jar for 2000 years.
Many non fans are also trying to figure that one out.

I know the movie process is a joint handed effort; not bashing you totally here, but I honestly thought that since the movie industry has come so far in HW with upping the bar in quality that story like this would have gotten the Lord of The Rings Epic trilogy treatment, and not be under budgeted with an inferior director, weak script (dude its weak cmon) and miscast, which is really insensitive to the Asian community.

I mean, whens the last time you seen an Asian male superhero?
Whens the last time you seen an Asian male lead get the girl?
Or whens the last time you seen an Asian female lead that got the guy that wasnt Asian?
Maybe Asian American community doesnt stick up for themselves in HW. Maybe HW is still guilty of Yellowface and being Ethnocentric/Eurocentric.
But in this day and age, where Blacks and Hispanics have made advances in HW (small), I thought at least this movie could have broken some barriers.
My little brother drove from NY to LA 2 years ago to break into the movie business. I would hope HW wasnt like this and could 'grow up' for his sake."

And now is response:

Date:
Apr 19, 2009 10:03 PM
Subject:
RE: DB:E
Body:
The truth of the matter, brother, is that Hollywood is a racist town. The people in power want to make movies that they think will sell. They believe that white leads will sell better than non-whites.

I read all Dragonball Mangas and a few of the DBZ mangas and I watch tons of videos. I based my draft on the "Saga of Goku" and the "King Piccolo saga." If you read the draft that was on line that wasn't my 1st draft. My first draft didn't have Goku in High school. And it started off with an extensive prologue about King piccolo first invasion of earth and his defeat at the hands of Master Mutaito.

Emperor Pilaf Mai and Shu return and free Piccolo who wants the Dragonballs to regain his youth. Roshi, Goku and company want the dragonballs to summon Master Mutaito's return.

My first draft was too budget prohibitive so it was scaled back considerably. I wrote at least 5 drafts of that movie. I'm not even sure of the one that was rewritten for the screen. I had nothing to do with the production process at all. I never met with the producers or directors. I wish I had.

My draft was a departure from the source material, but I tried to maintain the spirit of the Mangas. My main problem was making Goku a teen but having him on the same adventure that the child Goku was on. I gave cameos to many other characters like Krillen, The Ox King, Tambourine, Suno, Puar, Oolong and Androids.

I think if they did my 1st draft more hardcore fans would have dug it. On the real though, Dragonball and Dragonball Z is a hard property to try to make a live action, feature film out of. I think It would have been a better animated joint with top-flight pixar quality digital animation.

Sorry you didn't like the DBE. But look our for Blood and Bone. It's a fight film that I directed staring Michael Jai White. If you like REAL fighting you'll dig this movie. " - Ben Ramsey

myspace.com/benramsey187

So there you have it.

He even agrees that live action movie SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN MADE and if anything, just make it a Pixar type CGI movie."

LIES!!

I am inclined to agree with Hawttdawgg here. The guy is employed by Fox. Once more, the shameless marketing at the end makes it worse. And even worse, he said it should have never been made. That's bullshit. I just should have been done right.

Whether these are all lies or not, the movie should have been made as an all-CGI anime-style film (looking something like Burst Limit but A LOT better). Well, I'm not going to beat a dead horse on this subject. I think everyone with half a brain who knows what I'm talking about would agree that that would be a lot better than DBE.

FOX didn't want to put a lot of money into this film.

Like Advent Children. That was phat!

Dragonball Advent Children!

And I think that Ben Ramsey is full of shit. I lolled at him "shamlessly" advertising that other film at the end.

And it should have been CGI, like the Tenkaichi intro's but much much better.

I'd rather see something like this than Chatwin sleepily trying to look believable in some lame rendition of a super Saiyan.

I stand by my belief there is no need to resort to CGI. And even if it took that, it would need a much more reality like CGI. Advert Children would be a perfect example.

Yesh. Cloud was quite pleasing to the eyes.

Venus wrote:Yesh. Cloud was quite pleasing to the eyes.

I was thinking more along the lines of Tifa

Advent Children rocked! and Ben Rasmely is full of shit

There's a part where Sephiroth sounds gay though...

Absolutely agreed about CGI part people the only way you can transfer DBZ into 3D world is with CGI not with live action...
I was always saying that, and will always stand 100% behind it...

FFAC just ROCKS of course!

Did you guys read the script? just read it yesterday, that ramsey is such an effin hack, I mean it´s certainly more entretaing than the current movie, and I give it to him he put a lot of homages to the manga, but still is crap, still has goku in high school and the romance shit, but the worst part is how he turns all the comedic characters into monsters, and he copies from everything, westerns, boewulf, and a lot from star wars, i mean the whole thing plays out like a really really cheap star wars wannabe from the 80´s, with Yamcha as the cheapest Han Solo pretender this side or Corelia.

And then he promotes his new movie wich probably is also shit, i would never watch a movie written by this dude, effin hack.

Yeah that whole thing sounded like a poor excuse 4 a failure.

Goku lamenting from the a wrote:Did you guys read the script? just read it yesterday, that ramsey is such an effin hack, I mean it´s certainly more entretaing than the current movie, and I give it to him he put a lot of homages to the manga, but still is crap, still has goku in high school and the romance shit, but the worst part is how he turns all the comedic characters into monsters, and he copies from everything, westerns, boewulf, and a lot from star wars, i mean the whole thing plays out like a really really cheap star wars wannabe from the 80´s, with Yamcha as the cheapest Han Solo pretender this side or Corelia.

And then he promotes his new movie wich probably is also shit, i would never watch a movie written by this dude, effin hack.

I laughed at the Goku dressed in Sean Jean monk robes part.

Ben Ramsey is nothing more than a thug.

I think hes a wimp.