Beyblade, Live-Action

I was scouring the internet today and guess what I came across?



Yep, you read that right. Beyblade and live-action all in the same sentence.

You remember Beyblade? The high action game with spinning tops? There's going to be a full blown movie about them and frankly, I cannot wait. It has been over a decade since I first got into the series, but I do remember it quite fondly (well as fondly as I can with a series like that). The Beyblade I got into was the old school show; the one with Tyson, Max, Kai, and Rei. Once they introduced new characters, I gave up the show for good.

Believe it or not, this is not the first full movie that the franchise has released. In 2002, Beyblade: Fierce Battle was released and in 2010 Beyblade: Sol Blaze, the Scorching Hot Invader hit theaters. I haven't seen either of them, but with the announcement of the live action film I, all of a sudden, have the desire to watch Fierce Battle.

[caption id="attachment_1703" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Is that Jack Sparrow in the back?[/caption]

Just the other week, I was bored during the day so I turned on the television to try to find something to watch(an impossible task these days unfortunately) and on Cartoon Network was Beyblade Burst. Even before watching I knew this show wasn't going to win me over. The moment I learned the word physics I could no longer take this show seriously. Regardless, I turned it on, mostly to see how much I would hate the show. And actually, I sort of was able to enjoy the show, although probably for different reasons than the creators intended.

 

[caption id="attachment_1701" align="alignright" width="300"] Could this guy not find a shirt that fit?[/caption]

A long, long time ago you could call me a loose fan of the show. Those days are no longer. I wasn't able to make it through the entire 20 minute episode. I gave up after around 10 mins. Gosh, was it funny though. The episode was basically about this amateur blader who goes to a blading dojo (I know...this show requires more suspension of disbelief that Harry Potter) and goes up against a rough and tough blader who is apparently so powerful he's one of the best. The amateur loses three rounds, but ends up joining the tougher blader on his training regimen (the usual, climbing mountains, hiking with large boulders on the back, etc.--like that's supposed to make you better at pulling a cord). The amateur keeps up just fine, but his two friends are struggling to handle the toughness of the training. I think those two friends were supposed to be the comic relief, but I was so busy laughing at everything else I didn't really notice. The way that the characters carry themselves and how serious they take the game is just too much for me not to laugh. Even though I enjoyed the super serious battle sequences, I have to say the highlight of the episode was when one of the characters started having an inner monologue about the science behind how the beyblades worked and why the dojo leader was so good at it.

 

[caption id="attachment_1702" align="alignleft" width="300"] Such intensity.[/caption]

My opinions aside, Beyblade, the toys, have sold consistently well throughout their lifetime. They first were introduced to the market around 2001 and immediately sold well. After a few years their figures were slipping, but then in 2009 they surged again with the release of Metal Fusion. The most recent line is call Beyblade Burst and, for whatever reason, seems to be selling well also.

Paramount has turned some of Habaro's other products into major franchises (Transformers and GI Joe), so why should Beyblade be any different? (Actually I have a few answers to that question--see two paragraphs above). Regardless, even if I think the series is total junk, and I have no interest in the toys, and I'm not a fan of live-action films, and I think spinning top battles are kind of lame, I'm still interested in seeing this film. The budget has yet to be revealed, but it it's anywhere in the millions (which I'm sure it will be), then I will 100% see it. I mean, how many millions can you throw to a movie before it doesn't suck? I guess Beyblade:Live-Action is going to help us answer that question.