Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General (2024) Movie Review

 

Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General (Original title: Kingudamu 4: Daishôgun no kikan) | 2024 | 2h 25m
Genre: Action Epic/Martial Art/Period Drama/Action/Drama/History | Country: Japan
Director: Shinsuke Satô | Writers: Yasuhisa Hara, Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Cast: Takao Osawa, Yûko Araki, Koji Kikkawa
IMDB: 7.1
My Rate: 10/10

The battle between Qin and Zhao continues with fierce fights risking lives, including General Ouki, known for his greatness, who struggles in the fight. Shin and the other troops show their support until the last drop of blood.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence and strong language

 

Synopsis Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General:

The appearance of Houken (Koji Kikkawa) puts the Hishin Unit in danger. Fortunately, Qin’s troops arrive to help, but Zhao’s forces also appear, and a fierce battle ensues. As the Hishin Unit tries to escape, the Zhao commander hears about it and tries to chase them.

Knowing they will have difficulty escaping, Bi Hei and Bito decide to separate and take Shin (Kento Yamazaki), who is unconscious. Bi Hei tries to distract Zhao’s troops, allowing Bito and Shin to escape. Unfortunately, Bito cannot survive and dies after giving his last message to Shin.

Meanwhile, Ouki (Takao Osawa) and his troops are ready to attack Zhao. Shin arrives with his remaining troops and is ready to join the fight. However, Ouki must enter the battle directly after Mobu ignores his order not to cross the mountain border with Zhao. This causes them to fall into Zhao’s trap.

With the help of the Hishin Unit and Tao, Ouki manages to confront Houken directly. An intense battle is unavoidable. With their strength quite balanced, the fight is not easily resolved. Ouki’s past memories flash through his mind, including his revenge against Houken, who killed his fiancée, one of Qin’s greatest generals.

Will Qin succeed in defeating Zhao?

 

Review Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General:

Kingdom 4: Return of The Great General is the fourth sequel in the Kingdom film series. The story continues from Kingdom 3: The Flame of Destiny (2023), following the battle between Qin and Zhao led by General Ouki. It is certainly incomplete if you have not watched Kingdom (2019) and Kingdom 2 (2022) to understand the full story.

This sequel does not focus much on Shin as the main character. Instead, it highlights Ouki and his past, which underlies the battle. However, this can be set aside because Ouki’s story is an important part related to Shin’s dream to become the greatest General like Ouki. We will still see a significant correlation with this.

As usual, the film begins with a recap of the previous story, helping viewers recall earlier events and providing a smooth transition to the next story.

The story foundation is built very well. It starts with scenes connected to the end of the previous film, introducing Houken as the main antagonist in an extraordinary way. It also presents flashbacks of Ouki’s past, which caused the battle. Although the narrative uses a non-linear timeline, it does not confuse the audience.

The conflict gradually arises, showing how Mobu’s decision leads them into an enemy trap. The conflict escalates until the climax where Ouki fights Houken. Unlike previous sequels featuring intense battles between large armies, this film focuses on an intense duel between two Generals, still delivering impressive tension.

The resolution is handled very well, showing interactions between Shin and Ouki, implying Ouki’s recognition of Shin’s abilities and encouraging him to continue pursuing his dream to become a General. Especially the scene where Ouki asks Shin to try seeing from a General’s view while riding a horse together. That scene is quite touching.

Many messages can be taken from the film’s resolution, making it a perfect ending. This includes the last message delivered to Eisei and how Shin tries to revive the spirit of the soldiers before returning to Qin.

It is no surprise that this film leaves a strong impression on its viewers, especially with heartfelt and meaningful scenes that surely made some viewers shed tears. This cannot be ignored, making it worthy of a perfect score.

#spoiler. Including the scene where Shin raises his sword, which is Ouki's sword, and Eisei asks to open the gates to welcome the great General who will return. In this scene, there is a symbolism where Ouki’s sword and Eisei’s words seem to depict Shin as the successor of Ouki. However, this is not the end of the film series. A fifth sequel is planned for 2026, and expectations for that film are certainly high, considering the impressive ending of this fourth sequel.

The acting by the cast is quite impressive, especially Takao Osawa, who shows the right emotional expressions in each scene. The fight scenes are also very captivating from beginning to end, with details well presented on screen. Besides the cinematography, the effects used also match each scene.

Additionally, the choice of music and sound effects fits well with every scene, helping to build different atmospheres of tension, sadness, and burning spirit. Although there is some slight editing technique lacking, especially when Ouki and Shin are on horseback, where the background looks fake, this can be overlooked as it does not affect the story. Hehe.

Overall, among all the sequels presented, this sequel is the most touching with a balanced story composition. A must-watch.

 

Memorable Scene:

Bito, on the brink of death, gives a message to Shin not to give up on his dream of becoming the greatest general. Although the journey will surely not be easy and always risks life, he believes Shin can achieve it and carry the dreams of comrades who have died in battle with him.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

"The path of general is the path of sacrifice."

 

Ending:

Sad Ending

 

Recommendation:

Must Watch

 

(Aluna)