Netflix Movie Review: The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (2023)

Posted on 05/18/2023 by Pisaries Creator

I really wanted to like this and give this movie a great review, but I can’t because it fell very far from the mark and not what I expected. This series could’ve gone out with a great bang, and a good ending to Uhtred, the son of Uhtred. Instead, I watched a movie with sloppy writing and clearly took the easy way out in terms of the complexity of the Uhtred and everything he went through the series. I loved his relationship with Brida and Ragnar and the nuisance he called Aethelwold. Uhtred married several times and his children either hated or really hated him for one reason or another. He had a lot of enemies over the years. At least, Finan, Sihtric, and Aldhelm remained loyal to the end. However, this avenue of ending this series with a movie didn’t do the previous five seasons justice. It seemed very rushed, making certain scenes questionable. For Aethelstan to grow up the bloodthirsty and power-hungry didn’t make much sense especially since Uhtred raised him. I figured Aethelstan would’ve been a little more deliberate in his thoughts before he waged war. Then again, it wasn’t uncommon for half-brothers to kill each other to prevent the other one from taking the crown. While I knew there would be fighting, it wasn’t gritty enough for me. The series began with King Alfred newly crowned with a divided England and the series ends with King Aethelstan newly crowned with a united England (to an extent). The last few scenes commented on Uhtred and eventual passing into Valhalla. I wouldn’t say Seven Kings Must Die should be skipped. For fans of The Last Kingdom, it should be watched because you’ve come so far and waited so long.

I rate The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die THREE FINGERS at 77%.