“Dragonball Evolution” is based on the King Piccolo saga from the Japanese anime “Dragonball Z.”

Goku (Justin Chatwin) is an unpopular kid at his school who has a secret: he is an exceptional martial artist.

He was trained by his grandfather, Gohan (Randall Duk Kim).

Gohan entrusts Goku with a Dragonball, an item said to contain amazing powers.

Unfortunately, the Dragonball attracts some unwanted attention in the form of King Piccolo (James Marsters) and his sinister henchwoman Mai (Eriko Tamura).

Goku must forget his school problems in order to track down the legendary Master Roshi (Yun-Fat Chow) and the other seven Dragonballs to keep Piccolo from destroying the world.

“Dragonball Evolution” offers some cool special effects but some are overdone and superfluous, and the plot doesn’t hold up well.

The story, although it does a good job following the TV show, feels rushed at times, especially since this movie has a running time of only 84 minutes.

The acting is uneven. But, if you’re there to follow the saga, then you will enjoy the film.

Enjoy the stunning landscapes and camera angles as well as the fight scenes, which are exciting and well-choreographed. The final fight scene did not disappoint either.

Some diehard fans may enjoy the introduction of some familiar characters and a decent live-action interpretation of the classic anime.

Other diehard fans will hate it for not sticking exactly to the anime, but odds are they’ll see it anyway, so why mention them?

See the movie if you’re desperate for some anime-inspired kung-fu action.

Otherwise, you’d best save your money for something a little more memorable.