Back in 2009 the world was gifted with a film that should have never been made, a film we all pretend was never made – Dragon Ball Evolution. To put the film's reception into perspective, it's sitting at 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, 2.7/10 on IMDb and 45% on Metacritic. It has been widely used as a benchmark of comparison for how horrible live-action adaptations can be.
Dragon Ball fans have done their best to turn a their back on the film that somehow always manages to haunt them, but the write behind the film, Ben Ramsey, has finally broken his silence.
Ramsey is sorry for what he did to the film, how he offended Dragon ball fans and admits he made the film for the money. The apology was written by Ramsey and shared through Derek Padula, a Dragonball fan and writer through his website The Dao of Dragonball (via Gizmodo). You can find the full apology below:
“I knew that it would eventually come down to this one day. Dragonball Evolution marked a very painful creative point in my life. To have something with my name on it as the writer be so globally reviled is gut wrenching. To receive hate mail from all over the world is heartbreaking. I spent so many years trying to deflect the blame, but at the end of the day it all comes down to the written word on page and I take full responsibility for what was such a disappointment to so many fans. I did the best I could, but at the end of the day, I ‘dropped the dragon ball.’
I went into the project chasing after a big payday, not as a fan of the franchise but as a businessman taking on an assignment. I have learned that when you go into a creative endeavor without passion you come out with sub-optimal results, and sometimes flat out garbage. So I’m not blaming anyone for Dragonball but myself. As a fanboy of other series, I know what it’s like to have something you love and anticipate be so disappointing.
To all the Dragon Ball fans out there, I sincerely apologize.
I hope I can make it up to you by creating something really cool and entertaining that you will like and that is also something I am passionate about. That’s the only work I do now.
Best,
Ben.”
Do you forgive him?
