Action-Packed But Bland —Review Of Knights Of The Zodiac (2023)

Alma is protective of Sienna and hides her away from Guraad because Sienna accidentally burned off her hands as a baby. Guraad believes Sienna will come into her goddess power and destroy the world. So she begins to hunt down Sienna and her knights.

An orphan, Seiya (played by Mackenyu), while fighting in an underground battle ring is discovered to have the cosmo power and therefore a knight to-be. Guraad comes after Seiya just as Alma appears at the scene to save him and introduce him to his destiny. Will Seiya let go of his personal agenda to become a knight to protect Sienna from her enemies?

Review

I'm not into Japanese comic books and graphic novels, so I may not understand the fascination with manga but I expected this film to make me see and feel the fascination. It failed to do so. Midway into the film, I was bored and my expectations doused. Maybe the anime would be a better watch.

Knights Of The Zodiac's plot appears a bit complex. I have questions such as: why can't Athena, a goddess, protect herself even in human form and what's Guraad's deal apart from Sienna burning off her hands as a baby? Also, the dialogues are weak, emphasising the lack of chemistry between the actors.

Mackenyu's one-liners are boring and appear forced which makes the audience lose interest in whatever he's selling—the Pegasus Knight. His demeanour does not show he's invested in the role. Scenes of him and Sienna are the worst due to lack of chemistry. I cringe through them and wonder why director Tomek Bagiński put them together. I believe some other actors could have done better with the role of Seiya. Mackenyu murdered the role with his flat acting.

I don't have a problem with the storytelling but I think it could be better. The action and cinematography are good but the CGI is heavy, exaggerated and plain. There was nothing groundbreaking about it.

The scenes that I enjoy the most are the ones involving Nero, the Phoenix trying to syphon Sienna's powers and when Marin, the Eagle Knight, displayed her fighting skills while training Mackenyu to unlock his knight powers. Nero and Marin were simply outstanding and stood out in the film. Also, Sean Bean's performance is excellent as always. I was happy to see him in this film.

Overall, it's an average fantasy action thanks to the action/fight scenes that remind me of Mortal Kombat. Everything else is simply unimpressive which is disappointing. I'll rate it 3.1 stars out of 5.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}