Knights of the Zodiac, known in Japan as Template:Nihongo, is a 2023 fantasy action film directed by Tomek Bagiński from a screenplay by Josh Campbell, Matt Stuecken, and Kiel Murray, based on the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada. The film stars Mackenyu, Famke Janssen, Madison Iseman, Diego Tinoco, Mark Dacascos, Nick Stahl, and Sean Bean.
Knights of the Zodiac was released in Japan on April 28, 2023, and was released in the United States on May 12. The film has received mostly negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb with a gross of $6.7 million against a $60 million budget.
Premise[]
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.
Cast[]
- 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
Production[]
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]
Release[]
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]
The film will be released digitally on June 27, with a Blu-ray and DVD release to follow on July 11.[11]
Reception[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 23% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's consensus reads, "The animation's well done, but impressive visuals aren't enough to cover for Knights of the Zodiac's threadbare plot."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 35 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[13]
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."[14] 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."[15]
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."[16]
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."[17] 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."[18]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 How Sony's Live Action Knights of the Zodiac Was a Decade-Long Transformation for Toei Animation. Penske Media Corporation (July 21, 2022).
- ↑ Template:Cite BOM
- ↑ Knights of the Zodiac (2023) - Financial Information.
- ↑ Cavaleiros do Zodíaco tem três projetos em andamento, diz presidente da Toei Animation (pt-br) (December 2, 2016).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Saint Seiya Manga Gets Live-Action Hollywood Film (en) (May 18, 2017).
- ↑ Knights Of The Zodiac (March 14, 2022).
- ↑ Mackenyu, Madison Iseman, Sean Bean, Famke Janssen to Star in Live-Action Knights of the Zodiac Adaptation (Exclusive). PMRC (September 21, 2021).
- ↑ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 27, 2023). Saint Seiya Manga's Live-Action Knights of the Zodiac Film Unveils Poster, Theme Song by P!nk.
- ↑ Knights of the Zodiac Hypes Live-Action Fights in New Promo (en). Paramount Global (December 29, 2022).
- ↑ Sony Dates Toei Animation's Knights Of The Zodiac For Summer. Penske Media Corporation (March 15, 2023).
- ↑ Knights of the Zodiac DVD Release Date.
- ↑ Knights of the Zodiac. Fandango Media.
- ↑ Knights of the Zodiac.
- ↑ Aguilar, Carlos (2023-05-12). Review: 'Knights of the Zodiac' is a bad sign for adaptations of beloved animation (en-US).
- ↑ Lanning, Courtney (2023-05-12). ‘Knights of the Zodiac’ (en).
- ↑ Donato, Matt (2023-05-11). Knights of the Zodiac Review (en).
- ↑ Francisco, Eric (2023-05-12). An Epic New Superhero Movie Just Hit Theaters — Why Is It Being Buried? (en).
- ↑ McNamara, Tara. Knights of the Zodiac Movie Review (en).
External links[]
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Template:Saint Seiya