"Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama was initially supportive of the announcement of a live action adaptation and asked fans to treat the film as a different interpretation of his work, but after watching the film he was so horrified at this adaptation of his work that he decided to revive the series with the animated film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013). He later revealed that he wasn't allowed to have any creative input on the film and all of his suggestions were rejected.
The film was originally conceived as a large blockbuster with a $120 million budget, which was what sold it to Chow Yun-Fat and James Marsters. However, when they arrived on the set, they were heartbroken after discovering that the film would only cost $30 million and would be mostly shot in an abandoned jeans factory to save costs. By then, they were contractually obligated to do the film and couldn't back out.
James Marsters has expressed his hatred for the film, and Emmy Rossum named it the movie in her career that people shouldn't watch. She also mentioned that the movie is even worse if watched while stoned.
Screenwriter Ben Ramsey has apologized for the film and admitted that he got death threats from Dragonball fans since its release. He also admitted to only having written the film for a paycheck.
This film was not screened for critics.