Some anime are better left untouched, and Kite is a clear and perfect example of why. This 2014 live-action adaptation of the 1998 cult anime failed to live up to expectations, despite having the iconic Samuel L. Jackson in the cast. That’s right – the movie tried its level best to bring Yasuomi Umetsu’s dark and gritty story to life, but missed the mark big time.
With a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Kite was criticized left and right. It was a perfect reminder that not every anime needs a live-action version, especially if it can’t capture what made the original so memorable. Let’s dive deeper!
Samuel L. Jackson’s worst-rated movie was an anime remake gone wrong
Kite had all the ingredients to be a hit – an edgy story, a cult anime fanbase, and even actor Samuel L. Jackson in a lead role, who has a slew of hit movies to his name. But when the 2014 live-action movie finally hit screens, it bombed at the box office in the worst way possible. Critics hated it, and audiences completely ignored it, with the movie earning a brutal 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. So, what exactly went wrong?
Well! For many, it completely missed the soul of the original anime, which was gritty and emotionally intense. The live-action version, however, tried to water everything down, and in the process, it removed the edge, the intensity, and worst of all — the impact. What fans got instead was a generic revenge story that felt rushed and way too familiar.
Set in a corrupt, crime-ridden world, Kite follows the story of a teenage assassin named Sawa, who’s out to avenge her parents’ deaths. Jackson played Karl Aker, a former cop helping her hunt down the people responsible. And while the performances weren’t entirely bad, it was the story that had some major issues.
And that brings us to the bigger truth: Samuel L. Jackson’s 0% rating is proof that not all anime adaptations deserve resurrection. Studios keep trying to remake beloved anime into live-action blockbusters, hoping to cash in on nostalgia. But when they don’t fully understand the source material or try to “fix” what made the original so iconic, the result is often a disaster.
What’s also interesting to note here is that while Jackson’s Kite failed miserably, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which he played his iconic Nick Fury, was the third highest-grossing movie of 2014, with a box office collection of more than $714 million via The Numbers.
Before Kite, Dragonball: Evolution bombed even harder at the box office
When it comes to bad anime adaptations, Kite isn’t alone. In fact, it’s part of a long list of live-action anime movies that have flopped badly at the box office and left fans disappointed. Among these, one of the most famous failures is Dragonball: Evolution.
Released in 2009, this movie was meant to bring the iconic Dragon Ball anime to life. But instead, it became a massive letdown. It only made $9.4 million in the US, on a budget of $30 million (via The Numbers). Worldwide, it earned a little more than $56 million, but that still didn’t break even after marketing and other costs.
Even the critics slammed it for bad acting and straying too far from the anime. It currently holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans were so upset because of this that Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama came out of retirement (via Game Rant). He then helped revive the series with new animated movies and the Dragon Ball Super show.
Even the screenwriter of Evolution publicly apologized for how badly the movie turned out. So yes, Kite with Jackson was a disaster, but it wasn’t the only one.
You can rent Kite in the USA on Apple TV, and Dragonball: Evolution is available to rent on Amazon Video.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
