I enjoyed this instalment much more than the previous one. It follows the formula a little less so than the others, and it was a bit refreshing because of it. And I wasn't going back and forth in my head over where this one fit within the timeline of this series, thankfully. It takes place 5 years after the third instalment, so in my headcannon, the first and second movies happened in between the third and this one. Despite the fact that we aren't given any recaps or references to the previous movies, it feels like this one forges forwards in time, as Goro is a bit less hotheaded overall.

The story isn't anything super special, and it is a little contrived at times, but the performances and occasional twists more than make up for its issues. The only one glaring flaw I had with it was its ending battle. None of these fight sequences have been well done in the past, but this one was a little extra pitiful in its execution. One can only imagine what this series would have been with professional modern choreographers at the helm.

This movie was exactly what it needed to be as a fourth instalment, and I am not left feeling let down in the way I was with the last outing. Can't wait to keep going with the final two!