With video game curse put to rest years ago by cinema, perhaps it’s time Hollywood turns its eyes to live-action anime adaptations becauseKnights of the Zodiacdoes nothing to stand out among the plethora of titles that have failed to realize the dreams of anime fans all over the world.
As one of the greatestanimeof all time,Saint Seiya, akaKnights of the Zodiac, certainly has a reputation to live up to, and while this modern take on Masami Kurumada’s masterpiece is far fromDragonball Evolutionlevels of bad, the result is still a disappointing effort. The issues for Tomek Bagiński’sKnights of the Zodiacprobably start with the Japanese title itself,Saint Seiya: The Beginning, as the film aims to recreate a part of the manga and anime’s opening chapters that most fans would agree are far from the most exciting part of this story.
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Focusing on its main hero, Saint Seiya (Arata Mackenyu), a young man involved in some kind of modernFight Club, the idea ofhaving this ‘80s and ‘90s classic be transportedinto the 2020s is already an odd way to start forKnights of the Zodiac. That is because although the anime never really relied on intricate worldbuilding, the sight of modern armors and a contemporary setting will probably be off-putting for anyone that loved the series’ lore based on the cosmos and the ancient gods.
That said, the premise is similar in some regards, Seiya is a young man looking for his sister after losing her when they were kids, andit’s Sean Bean’s Alman Kido that ends upputting him on the path to become Saint Seiya. Quite frankly, performances from the entire cast pass the mark, yet the problem is that the generally bad dialogue they’re offered does not leave room for much, hence why the story fails to get going, something that’s only worsened by a few cheesy comedic lines and the movie’s forgettable villains.
Those happen to be Phoenix Nero -or Phoenix Ikki- (Diego Tinoco), and speak of thePhoenix, actress Famke Janssen (X-Men), whose character Guraad is offered even less to solidify her antagonistic relationship with Kiddo, Seiya and Athena (Madison Iseman). Ultimately, it’s the lack of impact from these two that hurts the movie the most, even if as a wholeKnight of the Zodiacbenefits a lot fromthe kung-fu style chosen to depict the fights.
Indeed, action sequences make up some of the movie’s best moments, yet once the CGI comes in to exhibit Seiya’s cosmos powers one might start questioning where that $60m budget went, given the special effects look quite dated. To be clear, the Saints’ armors look decent, with the design from characters like Marin the Eagle Knight translating particularly well, but the problem is the effects that surround them do not blend in as well as the costumes. It’s not even as if the armors come out to play for too long inthis shonen, it’s earlySaint Seiyaafter all, so there are barely any references to the Zodiac houses.
This is Seiya getting to know Athena, or rather Sienna, who subs in for the anime’s Saori with a very similar purpose, though without any of the charm. That’s also why the lowly Cassios (Nick Stahl) is a main rival for Seiya, despite the relative lack of overpowered individuals robbing the movie of realizing the true potential of its incredibly over-the-top fights.
By choosing to focus on theBeginningpart ofSaint Seiya,Knights of the Zodiaccan’t really call on a lot of fan service, as the modernized environment makes the film look like a very generic action movie with just a hint of cosmos and a final showdown between Pegasus Seiya and Phoenix Nero. Overall, it’s the type of movie that tries to do a lot ofsetup work for Saint Seiya’s decades-long shonen story, but one whose quality makes it unlikely it will get a sequel.
Nevertheless, unlikeDragonball Evolution, one can’t really sayKnights of the Zodiac100% tramples its source material. Sure, too many creative liberties were taken here, however, moments like Seiya and Marin’s training montage do provide a similar feel to the anime — it’s just too little to make the entire experience worthwhile. This is why it’s hard not to think thatfast-forwarding to Saint Seiya’s more iconic momentswould not have made for, at least, a more entertaining product.
Kurumada has said he likes the movie, though not manySaint Seiyafans will back him up asKnights of the Zodiacis much more of a mid-budget action movie with a thin plot than a true adaptation of the anime. Yes, the CGI looks cheap, but had it been used to bring to life more of Saint Seiya’s world, as opposed to this weird amalgamation of modernity and cosmos, at least die-hard fans would get more value out of it.
As far as Western live-action anime adaptations,Knights of the Zodiacsits on the lower endof the spectrum, and it’s only the sheer number of abysmal takes on the genre that somewhat rescues it from being one of the worst to turn it into one more bland anime movie few people have any business watching at all.
Knights of the Zodiacis scheduled for release in the United States on June 13, 2025.
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Knights of the Zodiac
Knights of the Zodiac is a 2023 fantasy movie based on Masami Kurumada’s manga titled Saint Seiya. The film was originally released at the end of April 2023 in Japan before hitting select theaters in the United States in early May. The film centers on Seiya, a street orphan who discovers he is destined to protect a young girl that is a reincarnated goddess.
