After HBO’s Game of Thrones and History TV’s Vikings tremendously disappointed the viewers, Netflix’s The Last Kingdom was the only remaining hope for the fans of dark period drama. Even after being widely under-popular, The Last Kingdom managed to gain a loyal fan following due to its consistent top-notch quality production and a highly involving storyline. The fifth and final season of the show which came out in 2022 delivered its promise and presented one of the finest final seasons of any show ever made. And I am not saying this as just a fan of the show, but also as an ardent admirer of the dark period/fantasy dramas. Now the fans were blessed with a spin-off film “Seven Kings Must Die” which acts as an epilogue and the true finale to the series. The following article doesn’t contain any major spoilers for the film, so you can proceed freely. You can also check out Season 5 review here.
Seven Kings Must Die – An Almost Worthy ‘The Last Kingdom’ Finale
Rating – ★★★1/5
Seven Kings Must Die is exactly what I feared it would be – a rushed but oddly satisfying conclusion to The Last Kingdom. Netflix could have easily made a 10 episode final season out of it but they instead chose a barely 2 hour feature film. So, yeah it does end the saga satisfyingly but is nowhere close to the main series in terms of storytelling. The reason is simple which is that it doesn’t let the viewers settle and keeps jumping from scene to scene in an attempt to cram up the final 3 books of the saga. So even though it’s nowhere close to being bad, it does end up being disappointing for the fans of the series.
As you may know, TLK follows the Saxon Stories novel series by Bernard Cornwell and covers 2 books per season which is basically 4-5 episodes per book. So, it is hard to understand why Netflix didn’t make a season 6 and then this film. The viewership and fan following of the series was a rise as it got better with every new season, so the rush to finish it is beyond my understanding. Anyways, keeping the rushed storyline factor aside, this film might prove to be a little hard to understand for the non-series fans. The film picks up exactly where Season 5 left with Uhtred reclaiming Bebbanburg and announcing it as an independent kingdom till a worthy king arrives. Those who are aware of England’s history know that this worthy king would be Athelstan who was introduced back in season 4.
The two major plot points of The Last Kingdom were Uhtred’s conquest of Bebbanburg and the formation of England. So, while The Last Kingdom Season 5 effectively concluded Uhtred’s story, the story of England was still left to be told. That is exactly what this film deals with as Athelstan tries to fulfil Alfred’s dream of England. Of course, Uhtred once again gets involved as our ever charming Kingmaker as his loyalty and resilience is tested once again in the film. As I mentioned above, there was so much story left that most of the moments felt unnecessarily rushed a hard to follow for even the series’ fans. Being the dark drama it is, there were a few gut-wrenching character deaths and plot twists as well but we were hardly given any time to let that sync in.
Another minor issue with this film was that it made some changes to Athelstan’s character and once again, his entire character arc felt too rushed. He was portrayed rather brilliantly by Harry Gilby and we all wanted to see more of him. Anyways, the MVP of the film and this franchise has always been Alexander Dreymon’s Uhtred and he and his men did not disappoint! Every second Uhtred was on screen, the film was its finest. The best part was that this film acknowledged his age and for the first time, we actually saw Uhtred struggle with fighting. Season 5 ended his arc pretty satisfyingly and I was a bit worried this film might mess it up but I am happy to report that Uhtred and his arc weren’t among the flaws of this film.
Just like TLK, Seven Kings Must Die is also a technical triumph as it features exceptional and awe-inspiring cinematography with beautiful locations, detailed production design and an eye-pleasing color palette. Now add to that a mesmerizing soundtrack by John Lunn and Eivør which will teleport you a different dimension altogether, and you have yourself a technical masterpiece that you shouldn’t miss. Also just like the show, it talks about meaningful and thought-provoking topics such as faith, loyalty, dilemmas, honor, duty, love and of course, destiny. That aside, the prophecy revolving “Seven Kings Must Die” is one of the best executed plot points of the movie which messes with viewers head from the beginning and makes them fear for everyone’s life. Also, there is a word mention for the show where Lord Aldhelm calls Bebbanburg “The Last Kingdom”, which could prove chills inducing for the fans of the show.
There are also a bunch of new characters in the film who mostly prove to be a worthy addition but once again, none of them could live up to their full potential thanks to the rushed storyline. Anlaf and Ingilmundr, especially, seemed really compelling and menacing, and they could have been even more impactful if we got a full length season 6 instead. So, ultimately, all of the movie’s flaws come down to one simple thing – it was too damn rushed and there was absolutely no need to end it like this!
Final Verdict – Seven Kings Must Die is as good as The Last Kingdom production value and action-wise but falters due to a rushed plot and hence fails to dedicate time to major moments. That said, it does tap into the nostalgic side of the fans and some parts of it will forever stay with them. So ultimately, the ever charming Alexander Dreymon and rest of the cast and crew deliver a worth watching finale, if not a must watch one.
Seven Kings Must Die is now streaming of Netflix along with the 5 seasons of The Last Kingdom. This movie was all we had left of The Last Kingdom franchise and we’re heartbroken that now the series officially over, but then again DESTINY IS ALL!
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