Netflix just released The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, the movie that wraps up The Last Kingdom series. The film takes place after King Edward’s death.
King Edward’s death triggers the plot of the movie: Aethelstan’s (his eldest son) claim to the throne is challenged. This leads us back to the usual The Last Kingdom problems: Viking threats, clash of religious beliefs, troublesome Saxon kings, alliances and betrayals, and Uhtred once again finding himself in the middle of it all.
So, is The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die worth watching?
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Seven Kings Must Die: A Rushed Tale of a King
The film is centered on a prophecy that “seven kings must die” in order for England to unite. It kind of has a strong start as it makes viewers question who the seven kings are. Since we already know that King Edward died, that already gives us one king dead.
But the prophecy also makes viewers wonder if Aethelstan is among the kings who have to die. Aethelstan is an integral character in the movie, apart from Uhtred.
The film, after all, tackles the King who unites England. But the plot of the movie could have been taken up in another season rather than a 2-hour film.
After being a lovable boy with a big heart, Aethelstan suddenly becomes a tyrant. This is why Uhtred becomes reluctant to cede Northumbria to him in order to unite England.
In the movie, we see Aethelstan become this heartless king, taking lives as he sees fit. And then all of a sudden, we suddenly see him remorseful, with Uhtred, as usual, standing by his side.
The events of the film move along too quickly. While this will be the last time we’ll be seeing the characters we have grown to love, we don’t get much of everyone else because too many storylines are crammed within two hours. The film has gaps that weren’t filled.
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The Last Kingdom Questions Remain Unanswered
While fans were eagerly waiting for the film to get answers, the movie doesn’t address a lot of The Last Kingdom questions.
We don’t know what happens to a lot of characters from the series who made it out alive in Season 5. The only main characters we see from the series are Uhtred, Aethelstan, Finan, Sihtric, Aldhelm, Father Pyrlig, and Eadgifu.
Unnecessary characters such as Astrid were added but the film didn’t even give an update on the characters fans loved. It doesn’t mention Stiorra, Lady Aelswith, Eadith, Aeflwynn, Hild, and Sihtric’s family.
Since years had passed, it can be assumed that Lady Aelswith already passed away. But the movie doesn’t even mention her at all.
And while Eoforwic remained a significant place, the film doesn’t even mention what happened to Stiorra (even though she was clearly alive at the end of Season 5).
The absence of the above-mentioned characters marks the lack of female empowerment in the movie, even though The Last Kingdom is noted to have strong female characters. Not knowing what became of them does not really bring closure to fans of The Last Kingdom.
And even if they weren’t in the film, it wouldn’t hurt to mention their whereabouts. The only update we get from the characters missing is that Young Uhtred becomes a scholar.
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Seven Kings Must Die: A Beautiful Ending
Even though the film seemed rushed, Seven Kings Must Die had good things too, like a beautiful ending. It perfectly wraps up Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s story and gives him the peace he always deserved (He had been through so much, after all).
In the film, Uhtred is now older and wiser. As usual, Alexander Dreymon does a good job portraying the Saxon/Dane warrior. So it’s satisfying to see that his character gets the ending he deserves.
The film also answers whether King Alfred’s dream of a united England has been fulfilled. Thus, it will leave viewers with lingering emotions. But with the lingering emotions come questions that may never be answered.
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Final Verdict: Should You Watch The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die?
Yes, you should, but only to see how The Last Kingdom ends. The movie was good, but not great. It’s not as good as the series. The ending was beautiful, but the movie as a whole didn’t quite meet expectations.
While Seven Kings Must Die is supposed to be a sequel to the series, it seems like a standalone. The film is focused on Aethelstan’s journey to becoming King, but it somewhat ignores the events that took place in The Last Kingdom.
The film seems entirely new, and it doesn’t have much of The Last Kingdom touch that fans know and love. But at least it allows fans to spend one last time with the characters. And newcomers who would watch the film first might find themselves wanting to watch the series.
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The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is now available to stream on Netflix.