It’s 1990. School is about to end. He comes home after buying Dylan Dog at the newsstand. Your mother made you rice salad. Turn on the TV and there they are The Zodiac Knights. You are happy. Damn happy.
This is to say that a title is enough, in some cases, to provoke or evoke emotions, regardless of the result achieved. Entering a cinema to see a film that bears this title, for a certain generation of spectators, is satisfying regardless. We saw it at the Italian preview held at Cartoons on the Bay, in Pescara, and enjoyed it.
Knights of the Zodiac: Back To The Nineties
If we like, this film directed by Tomek Bagiński is extremely conscious in this senseand even more so is the Italian distribution Eagle Pictures which decides to make it an event in theaters for just three days, starting from 26 June, to concentrate the potentially interested public as much as possible, which probably belongs to that very generation there.
However, he also tries – and we don’t feel like blaming him – to throw in even those who arrived later, quoting here and there from the cinema of the 90s and 2000soperating above all – and here it could fail – a great work of westernization of a myth born in the Rising Sun but in turn very syncretic, given that it predominantly includes elements of Greek mythology, albeit reworked.
Saint Seiya
Seiya – played by Mackenyu – is a stubborn street teenager, who spends his days performing as a wrestler to make ends meet and dedicating himself to the search for his sister, who was kidnapped years earlier. When in one of his fights he unwittingly unleashes mystical powers he never knew he had, Seiya finds himself drawn into a world of warring saints, ancient magical training, and a reincarnated goddess who needs his protection. To survive, he will have to embrace his destiny and sacrifice everything to earn his rightful place among the Knights of the Zodiac. The film, produced by Toei Animation Production and also starring Famke Janssen, Madison Iseman, Diego Tinoco, Mark Dacascos, Nick Stahl and Sean Bean, will be released only in cinemas on June 26, 27 and 28, 2023 produced by Sony Pictures and distributed by Eagle Pictures.
Phoenix vs Phoenix
Phoenix vs PhoenixWhile on the one hand the basic plot is quite faithful to what we remember of the beloved anime (and manga before that) signed by Masami Kurumada, the aesthetic apparatus moves more towards American superhero films, from the obsessive slow motion typical of Zack Snyder’s cinema to suggestions coming from Bryan Singer’s X-Men, starting with the presence of Famke Janssen (Jean Grey/Phoenix) in the role of the antagonist. This, among other things, gives the director the opportunity to make what is perhaps the film’s most refined and entertaining wink, given that even in Knights there is a character called Phoenix, who at one point collides precisely with that of Janssen. Phoenix Vs. Phoenix, in short, and they are good blows… if Joaquin Phoenix had also been there, it would have been the apotheosis!
Go-go fights
Go-go fightsBlows which, among other things, are the stylistic code of the film, with prolonged and well-choreographed fights, with the wires then canceled in cgi, as was done about ten years ago. If it’s not superheroes, it’s the Matrix, or Underworld… well, you got the hint. 2000 rules. Sean Bean is also there and it’s not hard to imagine what happens to his character, without fear of spoilers. Everything should be taken with a smile, because loyalty to the anime soon fades away, and furthermore the film apparently claims to start a saga, given that we see very few Knights and the final remains open. It should be remembered, however, that the series and also the original film are called Saint Seya, and therefore the film, understandably, allows itself to focus only on the protagonist, Seya, in fact, who discovers that he can become a Pegasus knight to protect the beautiful Isabel, incarnation of the Goddess Athena, perhaps more from herself and her power than from the bad guys. Among the villains there is also Nick Stahl, in great shape after a career ruined by Terminator 3.
If you loved Knights of the Zodiac and are willing to accept a “contaminated” version, take a look at it. The film isn’t specifically bad and even offers some good action scenes, even if the overall taste is very retro. However, do not expect a work of great poetry. After all, it’s just a party to remind us who we’ve been.
