The Last Kingdom: Season Four Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Last Kingdom: Season Four Blu-ray Movie Review

'The Last Kingdom: Season Four' arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal. This season includes both a greater number of locations and large battle scenes than previous seasons as Uhtred still quests to reclaim his legacy at Bebbanburg while King Edward seeks to realize his father's dream on England united under one king. Featuring all 10 episodes spread across three discs, the third disc also hosts a small number of special features. A Digital Code is not included.

If you have not yet viewed the previous seasons of The Last Kingdom, please discontinue reading here and go back and start watching with season one. You won't want to miss a moment of the battles, intrigue, heroics, plotting, and villainy that percolates and boils over in each of the previous seasons. For those who require a quick refresher, please follow the links to read about Season One, Season Two, and Season Three. For those of you who are current, go ahead and peek out from behind the shield wall and read on.

The Last Kingdom: Season Four, in addition to the bloodletting and political machinations brings with it some much welcomed leaps forward in character development. Most notably, Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) gains a quantity of wisdom to temper and ameliorate the impetuousness he so routinely demonstrated in seasons past. Perhaps it's due to the growing weight of the loss of friends, allies, and loved ones he's experienced that makes him act more prudently so as not to callously endanger the few he has left. Maybe it's the persistent and ongoing counsel and guidance of father Beocca (Ian Hart) that has germinated and is finally starting to bear fruit. Or it could be the unfortunate early season occurrence at Bebbanburg or the culmination of betrayals he's experienced. Whatever the source, he's now a man who is more considered and thoughtful in actions, but no less brave, noble, and cunning. The former King Alfred's wife, Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth), experiences what is perhaps the most significant character growth and transformation. In previous seasons she has been aggressively certain in her piety and it has been to her detriment in every sense. Her sense of moral superiority in all situations blinded her to what was actually right, prohibited her from displaying gratitude and loyalty, and prevented her from understanding and accepting anyone who wasn't like her. While it never swelled to a properly villainous proportion (which may have been interesting), it instead resulted in making her a shallow, one-dimensional character - and unlikeable to the point that her every screen appearance grated and chaffed. Over the span of these episodes, she understands and takes responsiblity for the grotesque actions she's taken, displays loyalty and concern for those around her regardless of class, and grasps that there is honor, nobility and value in everyone, even if they don't share the same deity. In effect, she becomes as heroic as someone who is neither warrior, nor clergy, nor ruler can be, and her "bare hands" comment even demonstrates she is (finally!) capable of humor. Considering her traditionally limited screen time, it's a remarkable and beautifully realized transformation that at long last puts her on equal footing with some of the series best characters.

Every season of The Last Kingdom raises the stakes, and this season continues that trend showcasing not just one, but multiple large- scale battle scenes. Epic confrontations transpire for the fate of Winchester and Aylesbury, with fighting taking place in the cities themselves and in the open field. Thanks to a host of stuntmen soldiers and an effective use of CGI the battles feel appropriately huge and chaotic. As always, viewers are reminded that The Last Kingdom is historical fiction, as are the books by Bernard Cornwell upon which the series is based. The key word here is "fiction". While some characters and events of the series have historical veracity, others are a pastiche of real people, are potentially brought into this story from other times, or are complete fabrications. While histories may make for fascinating reading, they do not always serve as blueprints for riveting television without the liberal application of creative license.

Happily, the practical sets so critical to the identity of The Last Kingdom continue to grow. Established locations like Winchester and Aylesbury are more fully fleshed-out with additional rooms and corridors in each cities' palace open for exploration across the episodes of the season. New locations and streets are added to both cities as well with the series' typical muddy/dirty and rustic aesthetic becoming more fully entrenched. There are occasionally grand elements of set dressings and ornamentation, but the bulk of the architecture skews toward being more crude and functional rather than elaborate and ostentatious. Nothing in Wessex or Mercia even comes close to rivaling The Red Keep in King's Landing from Game of Thrones, and nor should it. While the series may take some liberties with story elements, it has always strived for historical accuracy in relation to buildings and costumes as much as possible.

One positive byproduct of the series' high fatality rate is providing room for new characters, and the brother and sister tandem of Aedith (Stefanie Martini) and Eardwulf (Jamie Blackley) are welcome additions. Martini gains our sympathies as Aethelred's scheming mistress bent on using her feminine wiles to regain status and position, while Blackley appears little more than an overly ambitious and violent lackey in his post as the captain of Aethelred's guard. As Aedith grows into something more substantial, Eardwulf digs ever lower. Another positive is that this season spends more time with Brida (Emily Cox) due to ongoing Viking carnage and her arc this season witnesses her fall from being a formidable warrior and leader to the absolute depths of degradation, only to see her rise again at the side of a new and unusual Viking leader, Sigtrygger (Eysteinn Sigurðarson). His measured and strategic actions position him as the most significant Viking threat to Saxon rule and mark him as a significant departure from the characterization of Viking leaders in seasons past.

The Last Kingdom: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Last Kingdom: Season Four is often very dark. It spends a considerable amount of time in dimly lit chambers, cavernous halls, and darkened tents, but care is taken to ensure that the necessary and important elements in these shots are lit in a manner that preserves the emotional tone of the scene. As such, there is ample opportunity to enjoy the inky black shadows, for example, that surround Aethelred as he recuperates and various groups of people of Mercia as they plot and scheme for the future of that kingdom. Even so, environmental particulars remain visible. The series' traditional blue/grey color palette remains constant, helping to create its distinctive aged look and stripping any vivid and bright colors from the presentation. All of this works to create a very dull, drab, and grimy world, which, while likely fairly period-accurate does not result in eye-catching visuals. Fine detail levels remain high, with worn leather armor and chain mail revealing realistic and authentic age, wear, and battle damage. The rough garments that most in the series wear, especially the robes of Father Beocca, possess an excellent tactile presence, as do the various furs worn by the Danes. Scars and wounds all provide additional textures and colors to faces and other exposed flesh. It's a strong presentation that captures the intended look of the series, even if it isn't dazzling.

The Last Kingdom: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As consistent as the series is from a visual perspective, it's equally consistent from an audio perspective as well, which is both good news and bad news. The good news is that the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is as competent and capable as those that have come before, but the bad news is that it's done nothing to grow beyond the self-imposed limitations of those presentations. The Last Kingdom: Season Four continues to provide a front-heavy sonic environment that stubbornly does little to immerse the viewer in the world or its action. There are moments when the sounds are utilized, but they are few and generally subdued. For a series that favors bold action, it would be lovely if that mentality impacted this elelment of the series as well. Still, what we have isn't bad, Dialogue is clear, clean, and well-priortized. Bass is sufficient to provide thundering depth to galloping horses and acts of violence. It also provides a thumping bottom end to the score, aiding in creating urgency and tension in scenes such as when the "sickness" starts to spread.

The Last Kingdom: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This season's only special feature, found on disc three, is:

• The Return to Bebbanburg (5:52) - Alexander Dreyomn (Uhtred), and other members of the cast and crew discuss the importance of the location to both Uhtred and the series, and the changes it underwent since it was last seen in the first season. Time is also given to a quick discussion of the sea cave set and the use of a water tank, and the hundreds of people needed for this season's epic battles.

The Last Kingdom: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Last Kingdom: Season Four is the series' strongest to date, featuring the most massive battles and the greatest number of the locations than it ever has before. The cast, led by Alexander Dreymon's Uhtred is excellent, as capable of handling dramatic elements as they are the numerous battle and action sequencies. Villainous plots are more intricate and ambitious and effectively raise the tension over the course of the season as Uhtred and his followers are seriously and legitimately tested with the show's high mortality rate "guaranteeing" safety for only a precious few. Technical specifications of the disc are once again very solid, and The Last Kingdom: Season Four comes highly recommended to fans of the series.