Despite what the trailer shows, there are zero epic battles. There are hardly any "screenshot-worthy" scenes either--less than ten. It's also extremely over-dramatic and half an hour too long at least.
But it's fun.
I have tried half a dozen times to get into the anime, but I cannot force myself to enjoy something with that "quality" of animation, and beyond that even the loud-mouthed, obnoxious, and totally-unrelatable protagonist spoil enjoyment. I can't commit my time to seeing a grouchy child not be smacked to pieces by the adults in the room.
This movie, sadly, has the same unworthy protagonist, but at least I can say that the producers translated that perfectly and the main actor followed instructions to the t. It is, however, entertaining. No modernization at all, no attempt to shoehorn contemporary mores into a story older than Jesus, no deeper meaning other than being fun.
That's what a movie should be. Kingdom is fun to watch. While the details are obviously skipped over because of its format, the rags-to-general story clearly takes its shape. The side characters, despite no backstory, are all acted flawlessly so their motivations are natural and slot with expectations rather well. Good directing makes the "feel" seem more Western than Eastern, but that's good in my book as the Western style is more palatable.
I can recommend this is you want to be entertained and can look past its flaws. It is not arthouse, it's not a HanCinema kind of deal, but it doesn't need to be. Definitely going to binge the second movie right now.
