REVIEW #156 The Last Kingdom (Season 5)

The Last Kindom returns for its final season before the the big finale film and we are reintroduced to Uhtred in an England which has seen peace between Saxon and Danes for many years. However the return of Brida spells trouble for that harmony and peace starts to crumble.

CAST & THE ACTING 

The entire cast returns for season 5 with Alexander Draymon reprising the role of Uhtred and he just keeps impressing me season after season! He not only produces the most exciting action sequences but he nails the character to perfection. There are a few emotional moments for Uhtred in this season and Draymon’s performance makes the audience feel that emotion too, which is crucial in building that relationship between the viewer and the character. However he is not an outlier because there is an abundance of amazing performances. For example Emily Cox who plays Brida, she embodies the hatred her character has for Uhtred, but the finest moment of acting was the final interaction between the two characters. They executed that scene so well and it really brought a tear to my eye watching their performance. The action choreography has always been a strong point for The Last Kindom, every actor from the main cast and the extras, to the stuntmen and women, who unfortunately don’t get the credit they deserve, they all create authentic, convincing action that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. I also want to mention Timothy Innes who plays King Edward because his acting ability has come on tremendously since he first appeared and his performance was excellent in this final season, portraying all the internal hardships that come with being a king, very well! It’s hard not to speak about most of the cast because they are all brilliant! 

THE STORYLINE

In my opinion, the plot of this final season was probably the best yet because all of the battles and conflict had so much emotional sentiment attached to Uhtred and his family. Up until season 5 we have mostly seen him fight because he is under Oath but here he is actually the biggest advocate for peace and when he is forced to fight it’s for the right reasons. The character development is also some of the strongest from the entire series. I mentioned the final interaction between Brida and Uhtred in the previous section, wow, those two have come completely full circle and it was the perfect way to end their relationship. In general Uhtred is such an emotionally tormented character and that torment does continue as he suffers greatly in this season but we also see him get the one thing he has wanted since his birth, which was great to see. It does kind of end with the door left open but that’s because they are filming a final film to top off the series and I can’t express my excitement for it. Even characters such Aelswith, who I hated in previous seasons, has been given a really nice redemption arc which was nice. Grown up Æthelstan was one of my favourite characters, they handled his journey brilliantly! 

Now if I had to highlight some criticism it would probably be their choice to kill off certain characters, stop reading here if you don’t want spoilers…So Sigtrygrr is executed and considering he was only introduced last season I was very disappointed to see that. There’s quite a few big big deaths in this season which I did like because it’s bold but I guess I just hoped to see more of Sigtrygrr and perhaps secretly hoped there would be a spin off around him. There was also a pacing issue at different spells throughout the series, there was a lot of politics being played between the key characters and I think that really slowed down some of the episodes and although I don’t mind the slower moments, when they involve characters I don’t really care about that’s when it’s noticeable.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

This was probably the category that impressed me the most throughout season 5, they have really stepped it up and for a lot of the scenes, it looked very cinematic and I forgot that it was actually a Netflix series I was watching! The overall tone was fantastic and they used a wide range of colour effects to establish that tone. The action sequences were filmed brilliantly, the way they capture those shield wall altercations has always impressed me with The Last Kindom. The soundtrack/score is also one of the standouts, that classic harmony vocals that are a mainstay in a lot of Viking projects, just works so well and this series has one of the best! One of the biggest compliments I can give is just how realistic it all looks and now that they have elevated their technique and become more cinematic too, there is nothing I can fault here. 

OVERALL (9/10)

I don’t think I am ready to say goodbye to Uhtred and all of the other fantastic characters in this series! I am just relieved that there is a two hour film that is being shot right now, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for that. Season 5 is definitely one of the best seasons yet, in terms of action and the emotional connection between the audience and the characters too. Credit to the cast because they were all outstanding and the writers created a beautiful story. In regards to the cinematography, I am confident in saying that is the best it’s ever been throughout all five seasons, there are many beautifully shot scenes and they look like they have been pulled straight from a feature film! A big score for an amazing season, if you’re a fan of the show I’m sure you’ve already binge watched it but if you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely go and check it out. 

Thanks for reading.

Callan