Knights of the Zodiac (film)

Did You Know?

• The theme song is 'Courage' by Pink, originally from her album Hurts 2B Human.
• The film was released digitally on June 27, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on July 11.
• It was originally to be a co-production between Toei and Chinese company A Really Good Film Company, who later dropped out.

Plot

Seiya, a street orphan searching for his kidnapped sister Patricia, unleashes a strange blue light during a fight with Cassios. Afterward, he meets Docrates and Alman Kido, who warns him that his ex-wife Vander Guraad is looking for him. Guraad's warriors capture Docrates and pursue Seiya and Kido, who escape with Kido's assistant Mylock. Kido reveals that his adopted daughter Sienna is the reincarnation of the goddess Athena, and Seiya is destined to become the Pegasus Knight.

Patricia knew of Seiya's destiny and gave herself up to protect him. Kido urges Seiya to train under Marin the Eagle Knight to control his Cosmo. Sienna briefly loses control of her Cosmo, and Cassios, seeking revenge on Seiya, becomes one of Guraad's prototype soldiers. Seiya trains with Marin, initially struggling but eventually gaining control of his Cosmo and unlocking his Pegasus Knight Armor.

A vision reveals that Kido was present when Guraad took Patricia. Sienna takes Seiya away, explaining that she destroyed Guraad's arms as a child, forcing Guraad to drain Cosmo from children, and that Guraad released Patricia upon learning she had no Cosmo.

Production

Masami Kurumada wanted a live-action adaptation of Saint Seiya for nearly as long as he worked on the manga. Toei Animation revealed the adaptation was in development at CCXP in 2016, and officially green-lit it in May 2017 with Tomasz Bagiński directing. The original screenplay was by Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken, with later additions by Kiel Murray. The main cast was announced in September 2021. Filming took place between July and September 2021 in Hungary and Croatia, with Andy Cheng handling fight and stunt coordination.

Reception

Carlos Aguilar of the Los Angeles Times called the film a well-intended disappointment that neither satisfies fandom nor conveys the story's appeal to outsiders. Courtney Lanning of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette wrote that the narrative and characters are overwhelmed by ill-conceived CGI and unfortunate writing. IGN's Matt Donato gave a score of 4/10, describing it as a bland, loud, voiceless gruel with unimpressive digital effects. Eric Francisco of Inverse praised the film as secretly brilliant in its understanding of anime's appeal, citing melodramatic characters, impenetrable worldbuilding, and acrobatic choreography. Common Sense Media's Tara McNamara gave 3/5 stars, likening it to a mashup of Clash of the Titans and Flash Gordon, noting it may strike a chord with young viewers.