Set to be the start of a franchise, this mythological superhero film comes from Japan and stars Sean Bean, Famke Janssen and Nick Stahl.
The Saint Seiya manga series dates from 1986-1990 and follows mystical characters derived from the constellations. Tomek Bagiński’s feature film is part of the same universe and uses the same codes.
Thus, Athena (Madison Iseman), the goddess of war, is reborn in the body of a young girl who must protect Seiya (Mackenyu), an orphan who doesn’t quite understand where his powers come from. Athena’s enemy Guraad (Famke Janssen) does everything to get her, while Alman Kido (Sean Bean), the young girl’s adoptive father, tries to keep her safe.
There is no shortage of good elements in this action-packed Knights of the Zodiac. The fight scenes are extremely well done, the great and surprising choreographies will delight fans of the genre (the fight in the arena at the beginning is a real dance).
Unfortunately, the film is plagued by poor quality special effects, most notably in the depiction of the “Cosmo,” that cosmic energy that surrounds the heroes. And since Knights of the Zodiac unfortunately can’t compete financially with the sums Marvel spends on its effects, I’m not sure if this feature film is the start of a series.
Rating: 3 out of 5