by Ed Fortune
A big-budget live-action adaptation of the anime classic Knights of the Zodiac should be a sure thing on paper. It’s an established franchise with plenty of action-packed moments, story hooks and ideas to blend into a thrilling movie. But, alas, what we get instead is a bit of a lack-lustre origin story that barely scratches the lore.
Knights of the Zodiac is a rich world of duelling martial artists, magical powers, teen drama and angry gods that have delighted fans for decades. But, rather than attempt to bring new audiences to the world of St Seiya, this movie covers the first few pages of the classic manga.
Highlights include Sean Bean as the dodgy mentor figure and Famke Janssen as the over-the-top villain. Mark Dacascos is on hand to lend an amount of ‘action movie credibility’ to the entire affair. Still, no amount of martial arts choreography or special effects can compensate for a weak script.
One of the reasons many superhero movies work is because, on some level, there’s a love and appreciation for the source material; creators go the extra mile to put their favourite four-colour heroes on the screen. Knights of the Zodiac is a franchise that deserves this level of attention; instead, we get an over-long origin story that fails on many levels. As a result, fans will barely recognise their heroes, and those new to the world will be quickly lost and then bored.
Taken as a straight fantasy/action-adventure feature, this is roughly two hours of harmless fun with some nice explosions and plenty of characters behaving in over-the-top ways. But it could have been so much more.
KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC is released in UK cinemas on July 28th.
