As one of the most popular manga and anime series of all time, it's no surprise that Dragon Ball would eventually get the Hollywood treatment and a live-action film in 2007 with Dragonball Evolution. To absolutely no one's surprise, the film bombed horribly and was not only a bad take on the Dragon Ball series but also a bad movie by its own merits.
Several key aspects of the series were dropped, such as the anthropomorphic animal characters Puar and Oolong being dropped entirely, as well as Krillin, one of the main characters and Goku's best friend, not being present at all despite his importance not only to Goku, but to the original Journey to the West tale that Dragon Ball is heavily based on. While Goku himself is present and accounted for, not all of his character traits made it into the film, with several aspects of his character being lost in translation.
10 SAME: His Martial Arts Background
One part of Goku's history that was, thankfully, kept in the live-action film was his martial arts history, being taught the basics of how to fight by Grandpa Gohan. His secondary teacher after Gohan dies, Master Roshi, is also kept for the live-action film, though their relationship seems very different from the anime counterpart as live-action Goku seems far less oblivious to his mentor's pervy nature.
9 DIFFERENT: How He Met Master Roshi
In the anime and manga, Goku and Bulma stumble upon Master Roshi by accident while looking for Dragon Balls, running into Turtle first and then later Master Roshi. In the film, Grandpa Gohan instead tells Goku to seek out Master Roshi with his dying breath, something that couldn't have happened in the original story since it was Goku himself who accidentally killed his grandpa while rampaging in his Great Ape form.
8 SAME: Ki Training With Master Roshi
In the manga and anime, while Goku and Krillin aren't specifically taught about the specifics of how Ki works, they are both taught the basics of how to utilize it by Master Roshi. Both of them eventually manage to perform the Kamehameha technique with little instruction after a long period of training.
Neither Goku or Krillin knew much about Ki before Master Roshi, which wasn't the case with Goku, as he learned the basics from Gohan in the film but wasn't taught how to properly use it until training with Roshi.
7 DIFFERENT: He Is Much Older
Dragon Ball, while not the most violent series in manga history, is quite well known for its action sequences and emphasis on fighting. This emphasis on violence, along with the darker subject matter, is most likely why most of the characters in the film are older than their manga and anime counterparts. In Evolution, Goku turns 18 the day Grandpa Gohan dies and he is sent on his journey, but in the manga and anime, he is only 14 when he first meets Bulma, though his stature and attitude make it seem like he is actually younger.
6 SAME: He Has The Same Hair Style (Kind Of)
To be fair to the film-makers, it would be virtually impossible to recreate Goku's hair accurately in real life without it looking utterly ridiculous, but Evolution did an OK job at recreating the general style of Goku's unkempt hair. Although Justin Chatwin's hair is much shorter than Goku's signature spiked look, it is done in a way that is as faithful to the original design as can be expected while even making a reference to how Goku's hair never seems to change no matter what he or someone else tries to do with it.
5 DIFFERENT: Film Goku Is Educated
Manga and anime Goku never had a traditional education, as he was taught most things through either Grandpa Gohan or Master Roshi, though never went to school. Evolution takes a very different approach to his character, not only making him a high school student but also making him a lot smarter than his animated counterpart. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's hard to imagine what manga and anime Goku would be like had he had to attend school like his son, Gohan, did.
4 SAME: His Signature Gi
For the majority of Evolution, Goku wears pretty standard clothes, something that the original Goku didn't adopt until very late in his life, as the majority of his appearances were shown with him wearing his signature orange gi.
In the final fight against King Piccolo, Goku is wearing the gi that defines most of Goku's designs in the manga and anime, though it is distinctly lacking the weighted undershirt and boots he normally wears.
3 DIFFERENT: His Approach To Women
Anime and manga Goku is, for the most part, very oblivious when it comes to the opposite sex, as he has spent the majority of his life with only his Grandpa before meeting Bulma and doesn't notice when women are interested in him. Evolution Goku, on the other hand, is not only completely aware of female anatomy but also actively pursues Chi-Chi, something he never did even after the two were married and started a family.
2 SAME: He Can Transform Into A Great Ape
Although Goku lacks the signature Saiyan tail that allows them to transform into a Great Ape in the first place, Evolution Goku is revealed to be able to transform into this form during the final battle. There are many differences between the animated Great Ape form and Evolution's take on it, such as requiring an Eclipse rather than a full moon and it being significantly smaller than its animated counterpart, but the transformation itself is present, for better or worse.
1 DIFFERENT: He's Not A Saiyan In Evolution
The biggest departure from the source material, though an aspect of Goku's heritage that isn't revealed until Dragon Ball Z, is that Goku is revealed to be one of King Piccolo's alien henchman, though apparently not a Saiyan. Had the planned sequels actually been made, this one aspect of his character would have had far-reaching consequences since the majority of Dragon Ball Z's storylines hinge on the Saiyans in some way.