The Deer King Movie Review

Date: 2022 July 25 18:42

Posted by Joe

The Deer King is set to hit cinemas around the UK from Wednesday 27th July 2022 thanks to the good folks from Anime Limited. The movie marks the directorial debut of veteran animator Masashi Ando. Is the action adventure worth seeing? Well read on to find out!

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The Deer King is set in a medieval fantasy world. The empire of Zol has conquered the neighbouring kingdom of Aquafa. Only the Aquafa's Fire Horse Territory is not under Zol control. Previously wild dogs roamed Aquafa and carried a deadly disease known as Black Wolf Fever that infected the people of Zol. It was seen as curse to protect Aquafa.



The story follows the adventures of Aquafian Van, who is a big burly hero and a man of few words. At first it's a bit jarring as we assume he's mute, but as the story warms up he's given more dialogue. While enslaved in a salt mine he meets little girl Yuna. Everyone is attacked by wolves spreading the deadly fever. Van and Yuna escape as the only survivors, seeking a quiet life in the country. We know that's not going to happen as this is an action movie and adventure is determined to follow them.



Although this movie marks Masashi Ando's directorial debut, he's not new to the anime industry. He is a veteran who has worked on numerous Studio Ghibli Movies, Satoshi Kon works and on Your Name. The film is exceptionally well animated, with fast paced action and special effects where appropriate. Exactly what'd you'd expect from a big budget Studio I.G. production.



The Deer King has parallels to Princess Mononoke, you've got deers, wolves and dark goo effect that marks the spreading of a fatal disease. However The Deer King's origins are from a fantasy novel series, not from the director's own original story. Elements like this aren't new to folk tales.



The film has a great cast of characters, all of which feel like that they've got their own back story and could easy be expanded into something more and it adds to the story telling. Normally I'd complain about a movie being too long, but I could happily watch another 30 minutes of adventure in this world. It longs for even more detail and expansion.

The world we're invited to in The Deer King, is rich and detailed with aspects of our world built in. Aquafa feels similar to rural farming nations, with Mongolian notes, while Zol gives the impression of a vast and looming empire.

The Deer King movie is worth watching if you want something with some action, adventure and some interesting characters. It's not a ground breaking titles but it achieves what it sets out to do. It's another great bit of action and adventure from the Production I.G.


The Deer King will be shown in selected cinemas nationwide from 27th July 2022 in Japanese with English subtitles, as well as an English-language dub from 28th July 2022. The film is rated 15.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit https://www.deerkingfilm.co.uk/