Parents' Guide to Knights of the Zodiac

This fantasy adventure -- which mixes martial arts choreography, magically powered heroes, imaginatively cool sequences, and Greek mythology -- will appeal to tweens far more than adults. Think of it as sort of a mashup of the 1980s movies Clash of the Titans and Flash Gordon (which is appropriate, since Knights of the Zodiac's manga source material was also created in the '80s). When they were initially released, very few adults had anything positive to say about either of those films. And yet Titans' line "Release the Kraken!" and Flash Gordon's title song by Queen ("Flash! Ah-ah! Savior of the Universe!") are stuck forever in the minds of today's grown-ups who saw them as kids because they were full of the kind of elements that stick with kids (even if their scripts were weak). Like those two movies, Knights of the Zodiac is likely to get groans from jaded adults, but it has that same potential to strike a chord with young viewers taken in by the spectacle and the possibility.

That's a plus for parents who prefer to choose entertainment that promotes positive character strengths and critical thinking. Seiya earns a living as a street fighter who succeeds by dodging punches through martial arts moves that create a dance, rather than a fight. His work funds his search for his sister, who was abducted in front of his eyes. He must prove that he's worthy to be the Pegasus Knight, training intensely but also demonstrating that he's brave, humble, and persevering. When the villain's motivation to take away Athena's power is revealed, it's a lesson in perspective: Some battles aren't just about "good" and "evil" but rather about seeing a situation -- and its solution -- differently (although, of course, killing someone is never the answer). And rather than simply saying "you control your own destiny," instead, the filmmakers make it clear that while there's plenty in life you can't control, your destiny lies in the choices you make in those uncontrollable moments.