The Last Kingdom ends with a completed story, but leaves enough room for the announced movie. This series is based on a series of historical novels by Bernard Cornwell, The Saxon Stories. The stories lean, certainly in the beginning, on historical events that led to the creation of present-day England. Cornwell shows that he is a big fan of his own family. The name Uthred is common in his family. It is therefore not for nothing that Uthred is the great hero in this series. The disadvantage is that Uthred is sometimes elevated to almost superhero status. Vanity is no stranger to Cornwell.
The television series takes advantage of the unclear historical situation. In five seasons, The Last Kingdom seems to bring together nearly a century of events. Then of course it is impossible that Uthred is present from start to finish. Especially when you see that he, like almost all other adult companions, hardly ages. It is a beauty flaw that occurs more often in films and series. We will therefore not judge this series on that.
Vanity is no stranger to Cornwell.
In addition to the historical events, the fictional character ensures that The Last Kingdom provides an exciting and intriguing story. Uthred is part of an exciting time in which struggle, faith, manipulation and love play a major role. It helps that there is a permanent main character with Uthred. By following him in particular, you are less likely to get caught up in all those other characters who play a major role. The different queens, the comrades-in-arms, the Danes, the Christians from Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria might otherwise have made the story more difficult to follow.
The Last Kingdom is a must if you like historical adventure series. The various impressive sets, the fights, but certainly also the level of acting ensure that this series can be enjoyed for five seasons. What I personally also liked is that you follow a number of characters from start to finish. It creates a bond with several characters. One season is better than the other, but The Last Kingdom never drops below a seven. That figure also includes the disappointment that this one season just cannot match the high level of the other seasons.
The Last Kingdom is a must if you like historical adventure series.
Overall, I give The Last Kingdom an eight. I have binge-watched for five seasons. That (also) says something about the structure and quality of this television series. Now we have to wait for the film to see how it all ends.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
