Director: Edward Bazalgette
Starring: Alexander Dreymon, Mark Rowley, Harry Gilby
Year: 2023
Much like with the Downton Abbey movies, the Last Kingdom movie is purely fan service, and that’s OK. That’s great, actually, that’s fun, that’s what fans want, and this form of art only exists to be enjoyed by fans, by you & me, to be consumed and loved and remembered. This stuff should be fan service, it should give us what we want, because we are part of the family of the show in a way, and we all want the same thing. Now, that doesn’t mean that the quality will always be high, that just because we’re happy we’re also ready to hand out awards, not at all. In fact, Seven Kings Must Die isn’t really all that good, but I care very little.
Uhtred, our hero from so many struggles, is back for one more; uniting England into one kingdom, and finally realizing Alfred’s dream. King Edward has died, leaving a clear heir but one who is confused by religion and love, and is unsure how to rule with a strong hand. With the help of deceitful enemies, a war is started, not between Saxon and Dane this time, but between Wessex and the rest of Britain. Uhtred must choose sides, must guide the direction of a country-to-be, since that, after all, is his destiny.
I just love Uhtred, and I think if Alexander Dreymon hadn’t played him so perfectly there’s no way we’d be here today, with five seasons and a film to wrap up the story. This is his doing, together with the awesome true history of the story, and we’re lucky this show has been so cool for so long. But, the end has come, and the film version of the final chapter isn’t all that great; it’s only for us who have stood by Uhtred’s side all this time. We get the characters, the battles, the music, the jokes, the fights, but the movie itself doesn’t get much life, reusing some of the same storylines (which has always been a problem with the show), and not offering much to casual fans or serious film buffs. Think too long about Seven Kings and you start spotting so many problems, so many bumps …but those of us who have made it this far hardly care.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆