I may lose a bit of whatever credibility this little opinion site has built up in the last month, but I’m saying it anyway: Dragonball Evolution was a surprisingly decent live-action adaptation. If you’ve seen the trailers or posters, you probably laughed as much as I did. The special effects had a throwback vibe, reminiscent of the mid-90s cult favorite Mortal Kombat and I kind of loved that.

At first, casting Justin Chatwin, best known as Tom Cruise’s son in War of the Worlds, as Goku seemed like Hollywood’s awkward attempt to make a mainstream, Western-friendly anime blockbuster. Actually, it definitely was. But to Chatwin’s credit, he pulled it off well, especially given the limited material he had to work with.

I’ve only read about two pages of the Dragon Ball manga, but the film did a decent job making the story accessible to non-fans.

The plot follows Goku, a quiet teenager raised by his grandfather after being discovered by an old martial arts master. On his 18th birthday, he’s given a Dragon Ball, one of seven magical orbs that, when united, can summon a wish-granting dragon.

Naturally, a villain wants them. Lord Piccolo (played with gusto by Buffy’s James Marsters) and his right-hand woman (Eriko Tamura, rocking a somewhat unfortunate wig) land on Earth to gather the Dragon Balls and wipe out the planet.

Goku teams up with Bulma (Emmy Rossum, complete with a streak of blue hair), who wants to use the Dragon Balls as an energy source. Together, they set out with Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat), the man who trained Goku’s grandfather, to stop Piccolo and save the Earth.

Die-hard manga fans might not be thrilled with the creative liberties taken. (Goku doesn’t have a tail, for one.) But more casual viewers will likely find it an enjoyable watch. The cast seemed to have fun with their roles. Chow Yun-Fat brings goofy charisma to Master Roshi, Emmy Rossum keeps things spirited, and Joon Park’s Yamcha adds some charm and comic relief. Even Ernie Hudson shows up in a brief role as a monk, which I loved. Ernie’s the best!

The special effects did a lot of heavy lifting for the lighter moments in the script. There were some well-executed fight scenes, sleek alien spacecraft, a legitimately cool dragon, and some excellent makeup work on Piccolo. You can definitely feel the Buffy the Vampire Slayer influence in his design. It was a mix of camp and menace that worked surprisingly well.

At just 86 minutes, the movie moved at a great pace and never overstayed its welcome. I actually found myself laughing with it more often than at it, which is more than I expected. Strangely enough, I’m curious about the promised sequel. If you’re watching a younger sibling or just looking for a light weekend movie, this one might surprise you.

It may not top the U.S. box office this weekend, but it’s already done well in Asia. And I can see why.