It's a movie
I was today's years old when I found out this movie existed, and I inmediately had to watch it. As a kid growing up with manga and anime, Saint Seiya holds a special place in my heart and, although I am not a die hard fan, I remember the story pretty well.
Let's start with the positive. Director Tomasz Bagiński has some experience with productions based on myths and fantasy (he as executive producer of the Netflix tv show The Witcher), so the development of the CGI was really well done. The costume design decent and chosen locations for the film to be filmed at, as well the sets, really good. The casting was solid, although I admit I have seen the lead actors give better performances before but they did what they could with the script they were given. And that's really the issue with this live action of the japanese classic.
The negative is definitely the script, it's weak and it deviated too much from the original story; never fully embracing the mythos surrounding these characters or giving them proper development. You have a villain that will stop at nothing, only to have a last minute change of heart which it's incoherent considering this character never had any proper development, to the emotional gut punch falls flat. The sacrifices made in the story also hold no emotion, we never get to meet the characters long enough to care.
Mackenyu and Madison Iseman do what they can but the script never gives them enough material to work with because this is an origin story, which means the film is too busy world building and not giving us scenes with them bonding, so when the plot changes to the supposedly poignant resolution, it's awkward as hell.
Overall, I would recommend this film to have something in the background as you clean around the house or something like that.
Let's start with the positive. Director Tomasz Bagiński has some experience with productions based on myths and fantasy (he as executive producer of the Netflix tv show The Witcher), so the development of the CGI was really well done. The costume design decent and chosen locations for the film to be filmed at, as well the sets, really good. The casting was solid, although I admit I have seen the lead actors give better performances before but they did what they could with the script they were given. And that's really the issue with this live action of the japanese classic.
The negative is definitely the script, it's weak and it deviated too much from the original story; never fully embracing the mythos surrounding these characters or giving them proper development. You have a villain that will stop at nothing, only to have a last minute change of heart which it's incoherent considering this character never had any proper development, to the emotional gut punch falls flat. The sacrifices made in the story also hold no emotion, we never get to meet the characters long enough to care.
Mackenyu and Madison Iseman do what they can but the script never gives them enough material to work with because this is an origin story, which means the film is too busy world building and not giving us scenes with them bonding, so when the plot changes to the supposedly poignant resolution, it's awkward as hell.
Overall, I would recommend this film to have something in the background as you clean around the house or something like that.
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