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To be great, anime movies based on existing series must avoid just being a boring season recap and they must deliver goods beyond what a show can. Sometimes that can be moving the plot forward in a major way or maybe an epic spectacle that budget or canon in the series doesn't allow for.

Overlord The Sacred Kingdom charts a third way; it's not a recap, but we've already seen Demiurge and Ainz's evil demon/heroic savior act before and done better in the show. Ainz goes as himself instead of disguised as Momon, yet we never really see the sorcerer king go all out. Oh, ... don't misunderstand. He does, especially the climactic battle. We just don't get to see much of it. We see flashes, we see DBZ-style lines clashing midair. At one point someone excitedly recounts how Ainz one-shotted a strong enemy. All I could do was laugh.

In fact, the denizens of Nazarick are surprisingly absent from their own movie. Ainz is relegated to a supporting role while almost everyone else is a cameo at most. I suppose the first warning sign should've been the poster where Ainz is hiding off in a corner like some dude at a party hoping no one will notice he farted.

I actually wouldn't mind this too much if the story and new characters were interesting, but the story often feels stretched out and much of it unnecessary. Most of the characters are forgettable or outright obnoxious. The only exception is Neia, a young female squire assigned as Ainz's attendant. Their budding friendship is the highlight of the flick, made all the better with our knowledge that every sinister happening involving Neia's kingdom is Ainz's doing. I appreciate that Overlord can be wicked like that. Neia also befriends one of the demon maids and they play off each other quite well. As much as I enjoyed Neia she did kind of reinforce how much better the movie is when, you know, the regulars from the actual show are involved.

By all rights I should rate this as Not Recommended, there's no reason this forgettable TV arc needed to be a movie. However, it's not offensively bad and if you've invested four seasons into Overlord you might as well check this out, too. The movie promises more shenanigans will happen in the Sacred Kingdom so you might as well get familiar with it. You've come this far, so my final score is Eh, Why Not/10.

I just wouldn't recommend you pay theater ticket prices for Overlord The Sacred Kingdom; wait until it's streaming on Crunchyroll.