Knights of the Zodiac Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Knights of the Zodiac Blu-ray Movie Review

Brace for a gut punch, otakus...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 1, 2023

Note: currently members of both the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America are on strike in an effort to receive fair and just compensation for their work. Anyone who enjoys the products of their labor (e.g. you and I) owe it to themselves and to the filmmaking community to become familiar with the reasons these artists are striking and the expectations they are presenting to the studios. Actors and writers, not to mention the many other talented artists and crew responsible for the production of a movie, are the backbone of the entertainment we love and discuss at length here, and they deserve the support of filmfans everywhere.

Ooph. The last official review I published on this lovely site was in November of 2015. Now, one spinal injury and nearly eight years of recovery later, and the first word I have the privilege of offering up to you, dear readers, is... "ooph". Director Tomek Baginski's Knights of the Zodiac is quite the flick. Colorful to the point of inducing nausea, cringey to the point of breaking a tooth, and with enough haphazardly assembled CG that it resembles a roughly edited string of PS3 cut scenes, the film is a mess from heavens-splitting start to thank-god-it's-the-credits finish. Even fans of the original manga and 114-episode Toei Animation anime series will find little to enjoy here, presumably shaking their heads at the Dragonball Evolution-esque depths to which this poorly conceived, shoddily executed adaptation sinks. Scratch that. It might just be worse than Dragonball Evolution, and that says a whole lot.

Gear up, Pegasus Knight. You're on...

Based on the international manga/anime sensation, 'Knights of the Zodiac' brings the Saint Seiya saga to live-action. Headstrong street teen and amateur cage fighter Seiya (Mackenyu) spends his time battling for cash while he searches for his abducted sister. When one of his fights unwittingly taps into mystical powers he never knew he had, Seiya finds himself thrust into a world of warring saints, ancient magical training and a reincarnated goddess (Madison Iseman) who needs his protection. If he’s to survive, he will need to embrace his destiny, accept the help of mysterious mentors Alman Kido (Sean Bean) and Mylock (Mark Dacascos), face off against agents of evil Vander Guraad (Famke Janssen), the Phoenix Knight (Diego Tinoco) and old rival Cassios (Nick Stahl), and sacrifice everything to take his rightful place among the fabled Knights of the Zodiac.

It all opens with a suitably flashy, desperately splashy opener; prerequisite prologue narration and all. But it soon slides into territory more akin to a poor man's Shang Chi, lacking the punch and power of even a problematic MCU entry. It's... fun? I suppose, in a sad sort of way. Its fights are... well choreographed? I suppose, despite so many quick cuts and disjointed miscues that it leaves one feeling dizzy mid-brawl. And its got a few... twists? Maybe, if you're busier playing apps on your phone than watching the movie. None of Zodiac's twists and turns will surprise anyone in the least, except perhaps kids who aren't trained in the basics of cinematic language. Noble characters revealed to have shades of darkness, villains who turn out to have a little bit of gold in their hearts, henchmen who become bigger threats than first assumed; it's all here, though the story lacks any of the originality or style to propel it beyond the go-to genre standards.

The bigger question I was left pondering (too often sadly) was why is it so difficult to adapt anime to live action? Typically faithfulness results in stocky, wooden action, so-so vfx and paint-by-numbers character arcs. Drift too far from the source, though, and it loses the magic and imagination that allows absorbing anime to grab hold and refuse to let go. What's the answer? Far be it from me to declare expertise in the realm but I suspect there's little point in attempting these live action outings without 1) a budget that would never allow the film to be greenlit in the first place, 2) a top tier filmmaker with an eye for blending visual effects and action with moving moments of real loss and affecting drama, and 3) a cast of heavyweights able to hoist serious dramatic weight on their shoulders in spite of the would-be silliness ever at the edge of the proceedings.

But the challenges are far greater than just bringing those three impossibilities together. How do you condense a sprawling, multi-episode series into a single film? One that has the potential to spawn sequels but can also hold the attention of newcomers and convert them into rabid fans eager for more? How do you translate the quirks and charms of a decidedly Japanese artform into something the average English-speaking moviegoer might enjoy? How do you visually realize bizarre eruptions of fantasy into live action? And what level of cutting edge techniques would it take to make such visuals believable? Animation allows for all sorts of suspension of disbelief. But the uncanny valley rules supreme in live action, undercutting even the most striking ideas if not executed with a high degree of perfection.

That all leaves anime fans with one helluvan elephant in the room, and a string of middling live-action adaptations that will never realistically rise to the level of the MCU saga films. (Not that the MCU has it completely figured out. For every Infinity War or Guardians 3, we're still handed an Eternals.) And so we wait. Patiently at best, frustrated all the while, hoping beyond hope that someone will crack the code and deliver a killer proof of concept that opens the door to endless adaptations of excellent series. For now, alas, Knights of the Zodiac remains the rule rather than the exception. Those who hold deep affection for anime will have to keep going back to the animated well until we reach an era where the seemingly impossible is finally made possible.

Knights of the Zodiac Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Knights of the Zodiac at least looks the part thanks to a strong 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Yes, the movie's palette is surprisingly drab and dreary at times. And yes, the FX seem even shakier under the scrutiny of examining such a high quality HD image. (You'll spot every stitch and seam used to composite the flame-ridden CG to practical footage.) But all of that is hardly the fault of Sony's BD efforts. Splashy and vibrant when called upon, colors pop on the screen and punctuate the often dusty, cloudy or shadowy image, black levels are rich, edges are clean and free of halos, and detail is crisp and revealing, with nary an artifact to report. There's a bit of banding now and again, mostly visible in stormy skies or during nighttime shots pierced by streams of blue light, but very little of it proved distracting. Most viewers won't even notice unless they hunt for it. Otherwise no issues to report. This is about as good as Knights of the Zodiac could feasibly look.

Knights of the Zodiac Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is solid, despite a rather flat soundscape that offers a slightly inconsistent experience from scene to scene. Dialogue is clear and nicely grounded at all times, but the rear speakers and subwoofer only get a workout during action scenes. No surprise there but the results would have been more absorbing had the mix created more engaging spaces. Explosions, bursts of magic, shockwaves and bolts of electricity all hit with reasonable punch, fights and showdowns break through the expositional monotony, and there's enough liveliness in the track to please anyone who enjoys the film. I wish there was more to rave about but, like Zodiac itself, the mix just isn't all that memorable.

Knights of the Zodiac Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Characters (HD, 5 minutes): A series of short -- very short -- character intros featuring the cast. Zero depth or insight is offered. This is as promotionally shallow as it gets. More disappointing is the fact that the original manga and anime are barely mentioned, much less given attention in any sort of adaptation featurette.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 7 minutes): Redundant and wisely cut. I would've trimmed out more but I just review titles, so what do I know of it? Seriously, I don't envy the challenges filmmakers face.
• Animatic (HD, 1 minute): Although seventeen animatics are mentioned elsewhere, only one is presented here.
• Octagon PreVis (HD, 4 minutes): A previsualization video from one of the film's early battles.
• Concept Art (HD)
• Sony Previews (HD)

Knights of the Zodiac Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Knights of the Zodiac misses the mark, firing wide and failing to capture the excitement and fantastical gusto of the original manga and anime. Perhaps sequels could expand and enrich the foundation set by this opening volley but there's zero chance we'll be getting anything of the sort. Sony's BD release offers a solid AV presentation but a lack of meaningful features makes this a disc aimed at devoted fans of the film only. And if you're out there, I'm jealous of you. I really am. I wish I could've enjoyed this popcorny brain-burner more than I did.