Knights of the Zodiac (film)

When a goddess of war reincarnates in the body of a young girl, street orphan Seiya discovers that he is destined to protect her and save the world. But only if he can face his own past and become a Knight of the Zodiac.

• Mackenyu as Seiya the Pegasus Knight
• Famke Janssen as Guraad
• Madison Iseman as Sienna / Athena
• Diego Tinoco as Nero the Phoenix Knight
• Mark Dacascos as Mylock
• Nick Stahl as Cassios
• Sean Bean as Alman Kiddo
• Caitlin Hutson as Marin the Eagle Knight
• TJ Storm as Docrates

Saint Seiya author Masami Kurumada wanted to adapt it to a live-action film almost as long as he worked on the manga,[1] and in 2016, Toei Animation first revealed that such an adaptation was in development at CCXP.[4] Toei later gave the film an official green-light in May 2017 with Tomasz Bagiński directing. It was originally to be a co-production with Sony Pictures and Chinese company A Really Good Film Company,[5] who would later drop out.[1] The original screenplay was adapted by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken,[5] with later additions by Kiel Murray.[6] The main cast was announced in September 2021, including Mackenyu, Madison Iseman, Sean Bean, Diego Tinoco, Famke Janssen, Nick Stahl, and Mark Dacascos.[7] The theme song is "Courage" by Pink, originally from her album Hurts 2B Human.[8]

Filming took place between July and September 2021 in Hungary, and the production had a budget of $60 million.[1] Andy Cheng provided the fight and stunt coordination.[9]

The film was released in Latin America on April 27, 2023, and on April 28 in Japan. It was released in the United States on May 12.[10]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 26% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.5/10.[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 34/100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12]

Carlos Aguilar of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "That Bagiński's Knights of the Zodiac amounts to a well-intended disappointment doesn't mean it has zero merit as a work of entertainment, but it will neither satisfy the fandom's demands for a true-to-the-bone homage to their childhood favorite, nor will it transmit to outsiders why this tale of blind courage in the face of insurmountable odds has inspired such decades-long devotion."[13] Courtney Lanning of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said, "The narrative and characters are swallowed by a storm of ill-conceived CGI and unfortunate writing, another title in the long list of live-action anime adaptations that should deter similar future attempts."[14]

IGN's Matt Donato gave the film a score of 4/10, calling it "a smorgasbord of unimpressive digital effects as Baginski struggles to recreate the feel of anime in live action (think Netflix's Cowboy Bebop show), boiling down Kurumada's vivid source material into a bland, loud, voiceless gruel with no substance."[15]

Eric Francisco of Inverse praised the film, saying that it was "secretly brilliant in its holistic understanding of what makes anime appealing as a medium." He added, "Melodramatic characters, impenetrable worldbuilding, and acrobatic choreography are all hallmarks to some of the best anime. Zodiac is faithful to these eccentricities, which most 'real' Hollywood movies overlook in favor of verisimilitude."[16] Common Sense Media's Tara McNamara gave the film 3/5 stars, likening it to a mashup of Clash of the Titans and Flash Gordon and saying, "Like those two movies, Knights of the Zodiac is likely to get groans from jaded adults, but it has that same potential to strike a chord with young viewers taken in by the spectacle and the possibility."[17]

• Official website
• Knights of the Zodiac at IMDb