The first direct sequel to a previous DBZ film, or rather the first returning villain. Also, the most obvious reason to love this one is that it is Vegeta's debut in a Z film and as a super saiyan no less. Yea!! This time around Cooler has returned as a robotic version of himself, although later we learn it's more complicated than that, and with an army of 'Cyclopean guards'. Meta-Cooler is incredibly bad-ass, and I love how the animators added the glimmer effect to the metal plating. To add to it, he now has tremendous strength, surpassing that of a super saiyan as he demonstrates when he beats Goku into the ground. Even with Vegeta's help, the golden duos seem to struggle and are left exhausted by the fight. And oh yeah, he has somehow picked up the ability to use the Instant Transmission technique. The battle is a crazy one, with Vegeta delivering his latest signature move, the Big Bang Attack, and also delivering my favorite line of dialogue: "Why won't you die?!!" The music is tight and the classic Namek backdrop never gets old. The fights are intense and there seems to be quite amount of pain going on, as when Cooler nearly snaps Vegeta's leg (!!!). When brute strength and the combined efforts of two super saiyans fail to take out Cooler, the only way to victory is perhaps in Cooler's lack of understanding about the depth of the golden-haired warriors' power. But as with almost any DBZ film, there are a few goofs. Obviously, there is a question of power. Piccolo has already fused with Kami, making him a Super Namek and technically much stronger than Goku or Vegeta at the time. Also, as an inconsistency to season five, Dende already is the guardian of Earth. Which would in turn mean that Goku, Gohan and Vegeta (not to mention Trunks, who doesn't appear in this flick though) would have already trained in the Hyberloic Time Chamber and already surpassed the basic super saiyan level? Surely Full-Power Super Saiyan Goku and Ascended Super saiyan Vegeta could easily crush Cooler without any real problems. But hey, I'm not complaining. A truly sick installment.
Review of Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
