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Summary
- The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die rushes through events and underwhelms compared to the rest of the series.
- Aethelstan’s arc in the film feels extremely rushed and could have been better developed in a sixth season.
- The prophecy in Seven Kings Must Die could have been clearer, and a full season would have given more time to explore it.
The Last Kingdom officially concluded with its Netflix sequel film, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, but there are 10 reasons that the series would have been better off finishing with a sixth season instead of a film. The Last Kingdom is one of Netflix’s most successful historical dramas as it brings Bernard Cornwell’s famous Saxon Stories novels to life with great care and skill. The Last Kingdom is full of rich characters and engaging storylines that walk viewers through the formation of a unified English Kingdom.
While The Last Kingdom does a great job of pacing events and carefully developing characters, Seven Kings Must Die struggles a bit in these areas. The film has the benefit of beginning with characters who have been developed over the course of five seasons of television, but it still fumbles their arcs a bit as it rushes through events. The end of Seven Kings Must Dieseems abrupt as a result, and the film ultimately underwhelms compared to the majority of The Last Kingdom. For these 10 reasons, the show would have been better off doing a sixth season rather than a sequel film.
10 The Last Kingdom Season 6 Could Have Fleshed Out Aethelstan’s Arc
Although Seven Kings Must Die fixes the series Aethelstan problem by making him more three-dimensional, the film fails to fully flesh out his arc. Aethelstan seems to almost lose his mind a bit as Ingilmundr manipulates him, and it all seems to happen in the blink of an eye. One moment Aethelstan is carefully thinking things out and the next he is murdering his half-brother and executing loyal advisors. The problem isn’t the structure of his arc, it’s that his arc is extremely rushed. The Last Kingdom season 6 could have used the extra screen time to avoid this issue and make Aethelstan’s story more complete.
9 Uhtred’s Other Children Could Have Appeared In The Last Kingdom Season 6
Probably the most notable character omissions in Seven Kings Must Die are that of Uhtred’s eldest two children, Stiorra and Young Uhtred. While it’s mentioned that Young Uhtred is in Rome studying Christian texts, Stiorra simply disappears after The Last Kingdom season 5. If the series had opted for a sixth season instead of a sequel film, it would have had time to include these characters and give them some closure. If any spinoffs of The Last Kingdom materialize then they could potentially be included and complete their arcs, but as of now, neither character has a completed story.
8 Seven Kings Must Die’s Prophecy Could Have Been Clearer
Seven Kings Must Die centers around a prophecy stating that before England can be united, seven kings have to die. The Last Kingdom movie’s seven kings turn out to mostly be future kings, which feels like a bit of a let-down. Had the show gone with a sixth season, it could have done much more with the prophecy and made things a little bit clearer. It also could have made the prophecy feel more believable by having it come from a seer rather than Finan’s wife having a dream.
7 The Last Kingdom’s Uhtred Could Have Had A Less Ambiguous Ending
Uhtred’s conclusion in Seven Kings Must Die ends up being pretty ambiguous and, considering the time limitations of the film, this was probably the right choice, but The Last Kingdom season 6 could have given him a more nailed-down conclusion that could have provided better closure. A full season of TV would’ve had the time to let him live and finish his story in Bebbanburg as he does in the books. This would have been more satisfying as it could have allowed Uhtred to live out his dream and see the fruits of his labor come to fruition as Aethelstan fulfills Alfred’s dream of a unified England.
6 The Last Kingdom’s King Edward Could Have Been Given Closure
King Edward is another character who deserved a proper ending but was left out of The Last Kingdom‘s movie altogether. Edward plays a critical role in the unification of England, both in real life and in The Last Kingdom, but Seven Kings Must Die glosses over the progress he made between The Last Kingdom season 5 and the movie, leaving his accomplishments unacknowledged. While Edward is not the most beloved character in the show, it still would have been nice to see him get some closure, which The Last Kingdom season 6 could have done.
5 Uhtred Could Have Had A Final Love Interest In The Last Kingdom Season 6
Uhtred has a lot of love interests in both The Last Kingdom and The Saxon Stories, and it was widely speculated during the build-up to Seven Kings Must Die that he would be given a final romance. Unfortunately, the film’s time constraints did not allow for a proper relationship to be built, so Uhtred ends the story alone. In the books, Uhtred marries Eadith for a time, and she is a widely admired character in the series, so a sixth season of The Last Kingdom could have built a romance between them and given Uhtred a final romance.
4 The Last Kingdom’s Finan And Sihtric Could Have Had Proper Arcs
Finan and Sihtric are two fan-favorites from The Last Kingdom, but they did not receive proper arcs in Seven Kings Must Die. Instead, they were simply a cog in Uhtred’s story. These are two great characters, and the series’ story would have benefited from their having fully fledged arcs instead of playing sidekick. The Last Kingdom opting for a sixth season would have allowed time for this to happen and given these beloved characters the screen-time they deserve.
3 Seven Kings Must Die’s Anlaf Could Have Been Properly Developed
One of the main problems with Seven Kings Must Die is that the film’s main antagonist, Anlaf, seems to come out of nowhere. The Last Kingdom season 6 would have had the opportunity to create a more convincing motive for Anlaf’s arrival and built him up to be more cunning and layered. In the movie, he comes off as somewhat one-dimensional, but a final season of TV could have built more layers into his character and made him a more engaging antagonist.
2 The Last Kingdom Season 6 Could Have Better Shown The Unification Of England
Another issue with Seven Kings Must Die is that its portrayal of the unification of England feels like a secondary inclusion in the film. This has always been the purpose of The Last Kingdom‘s story, so the brief focus on this achievement feels inadequate. The Last Kingdom season 6 could have better conveyed the gravity of these events and driven home the show’s original purpose. Again, this shortcoming comes down to a lack of time, which could easily have been fixed by making a full season of TV instead of a single film.
1 The Last Kingdom Season 6 Could Have Moved At A More Reasonable Pace
One issue with Seven Kings Must Die as a whole is that everything moves far too quickly. The movie itself feels like a sprint from point a to point b without much substance inbetween. Opting for a final season of The Last Kingdom would have allowed the story to move at a reasonable pace and fill out its story much more. A more reasonable pacing of events could also have allayed some of the other issues with Seven Kings Must Die, especially with the numerous underdeveloped character arcs.
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