What if I told you that actor Madison Iseman is the reincarnation of the goddess Athena? Would you have any idea I was referring to Knights of the Zodiac, the upcoming live-action adaptation of a hit manga/anime series from the 1980s originally called Saint Seiya? I would be surprised, because adaptations were immensely popular around the world pretty much everywhere except North America, but maybe the movie — and its new trailer — can rectify that.
I know only the broad strokes of the original series, which is that five teens get magical, colour-coded powers based on various constellations/signs of the Zodiac to protect the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena from other Greek gods who want to destroy her and rule the Earth. And based on this trailer, the movie seems to be… somewhat faithful to that:
Here’s the official synopsis: “Seiya (Mackenyu), a headstrong street teen, spends his time fighting 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 who needs his protection. If he’s to survive, he will need to embrace his destiny and sacrifice everything to take his rightful place among the Knights of the Zodiac.”
I’m not going to lie, I’m not getting great vibes from this film. It feels like it’s been rejiggered for Western audiences, which, sure, often sounds like it would be the best path to a film’s success, but when it’s an anime adaptation, it often diminishes the source material. And, again, Knights of the Zodiac was never very popular here, making me wonder why it was an English-language production in the first place.
Knights of the Zodiac comes to American theatres on May 12.