Hiroki Hasegawa as Shikishima in the live-action Attack on Titan movie with two scary Titans in the background Attack on Titan‘s live-action movie doesn’t hold a candle to the manga and anime it’s based on, but it does get one thing right about the critically acclaimed series. Despite fan reservations at the time, Attack on Titan‘s two-part movie debuted back in 2015, bringing Hajime Isayama’s world to life in live-action. Given that the original story revolves around giant, man-eating beasts, making the jump to live-action was always going to be a challenge for Attack on Titan. And that’s reflected in the reception of the 2015 adaptation, which was overwhelmingly negative.

The live-action Attack on Titan movie has a 47% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 34% audience rating — and this is a far cry from the response to the anime. Attack on Titan‘s anime is a critical success, receiving numerous awards for its four-season run and even becoming the first anime to receive an Astra Award. Isayama’s story is considered a masterpiece, but the live-action movie doesn’t reflect that. Surprisingly, it does do one thing better than the Attack on Titan anime.

Attack On Titan Live-Action’s Titans Were Even Scarier Than The Anime’s

The Movie Really Drove Home The Horror Of The Titans

The Colossal Titan looming over the wall in the live-action Attack on Titan movie Attack on Titan's Colossal Titan Attacking a Wall Attack on Titan's Armored Titan prepares to charge as steam comes off its body. Female Titan in Attack on Titan Attack on Titan's Beast Titan looks down in annoyance as a cloudy sky moves behind him. The Colossal Titan looming over the wall in the live-action Attack on Titan movie Attack on Titan's Colossal Titan Attacking a Wall Attack on Titan's Armored Titan prepares to charge as steam comes off its body. Female Titan in Attack on Titan Attack on Titan's Beast Titan looks down in annoyance as a cloudy sky moves behind him.

Although the live-action Attack on Titan movie doesn’t do the anime justice, it does surpass the original series in one big way: how it portrays the Titans. Bringing such creatures to live-action couldn’t have been easy, but the end result is much scarier than it is in the anime. The movie’s Titans look grotesque, which helps drive home the terror they elicit in the characters. Titans should be horrifying, and the live-action Attack on Titan succeeds at portraying them as such.

The animated Titans look far less disturbing, which takes away from the terror.

By contrast, the animated Titans look far less disturbing, which takes away from the terror. Attack on Titan fans often make jokes about the more comical-looking background Titans, as their grotesque features don’t come across as scary in the anime. And the Titans with major roles in the story, like the Colossal and Armored Titan, have features similar to the characters who turn into them. This humanizes them more than it should, and it makes viewers see them as less threatening — even if that’s not the case.

What Went Wrong With The Live-Action Attack On Titan Movies

Promo shot for the Attack on Titan movie

The live-action Attack on Titan movies may get the horror of the Titans right, but their criticisms are otherwise earned. A lot went wrong with the live-action adaptations, starting with the fact that they watered down the amazing cast of characters from the anime. With the characters leaving no impression on the viewers, their deaths didn’t hit as hard in the live-action Attack on Titan. The films also made odd changes to the source material, like removing Levi Ackerman’s character for a similar leader named Shikishima.

All in all, the live-action Attack on Titan seemed more committed to giving audiences a spectacle rather than adapting the original story. This is baffling, as the manga and anime are among the most popular additions to their mediums. Combining the heart of the source material with the horror of the live-action films would undoubtedly have been a success. Unfortunately, the 2015 adaptation didn’t capture the former.