Unlike Rurouni Kenshin live action movies, I have no idea about the source material. I know it has 3 seasons of anime right now but I haven't really considered giving it a read or watch. I stumbled upon this movie after looking into any other Japanese movies based on manga and this came up.
The basic premise is a once slave boy named Xin (Kento Yamazaki) unites with a king Ying Zheng (Ryo Yoshizawa) to help him reclaim his throne from his evil younger brother Cheng Jiao (Kanata Hongo). They battle assassins, mountain people and huge armies in China.
My first praise is the story which is pretty well told and intriguing enough to keep me invested. The story isn't the most original and is clearly inspired by chinese stories but it is pace very well so that the audience themselves are ever really bored. This maybe in part thanks to the movie using a lot of Star Wars wipes which surprised me at first but it keep things moving along. They do use it a lot but The stakes are also clear and very high which is compelling enough to make the third act feel really desperate and urgent. It also seems to be following the source material faithfully according to fans of the source material so in a way that is a plus.
The set and costume design did a phenomenal job in making it seem like a China from B.C. which is in part thanks to them filming it in China. Despite the relatively low budget they still managed to make every costume feel authentic. The soundtrack is also quite good in bringing the scenes to life with its orchestral score but there isn't any real memorable soundtrack like with the Rurouni Kenshin films. Although, it does have a ONE OK ROCK song in the credits just like the Rurouni Kenshin films.
The action scenes are not on the level of Rurouni Kenshin movies but they are still fun to watch nonetheless. One difference is that they are much more over the top with ridiculous jumping and huge crazy beat down characters take but this is part of the charm of Kingdom. There is a moment in this film where Xin hits an assassin with a sword and he bounces on 4 different bamboo trees, it's as ridiculous as it sounds but entertaining to watch.
The cast also do a great job in bringing the characters from the manga to the big screen in a very accurate portrayal. This does end up creating a weird issue for me though. Xin (Kento Yamazaki) and HeLiao Diao (Kanna Hashimoto) are two of the main characters and they are performed like the source material with anime-esque personality. However, Ying Zheng (Ryo Yoshizawa) is performed in a more grounded performance. This isn't only with the main leads though but with 70% of the cast giving more believable grounded performance but 30% giving an over the top anime performance. It's mildly jarring and creates a weird tonal problem of the film with these contrasting performance. The film is definitely fun with its goofy action scenes but the goofy performances tend to be hit or miss depending on the scenario. In my opinion, one goofy character is fine but a lot can be a bit too much.
The film also overly indulges in a lot of flashbacks especially with Xin and his bromance friend Piao. Some the flashbacks feel necessary but near the end it gets a bit repetitive with it constantly reminding us that Piao inspired Xin. The film also kind of paints war a bit light heartedly which I feel clashes with the overall message of the film. Since its based on a long running manga which has 57 volumes, it ends with a very clear sequel bait ending instead of a conclusive ending. So if this movie doesn't get a sequel the ending will be mildly annoying.
In the end, the movie is a still a very good time. It's a high energy movie that moves along at a great pace without stumbling towards the finish line. It's colorful, fun, exciting and ultimately an entertaining ride of a film. You will come out enjoying it and that seems to be what the director was aiming for which in that case it succeeds very well.
