Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Last Kingdom: Season Three Blu-ray Movie Review

'The Last Kingdom: Season Three' arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal. The season's ten-episode run is spread across four discs. Supplemental material consists of one "making-of" segment that focuses on the stunt work on display in the season's large battle scenes. A Digital Code is not included.

If you've not yet seen the previous seasons of The Last Kingdom, or if it's been a while since you've joined Uhtred and his band's adventures through very old England, please follow the links to read about Season One and Season Two.

While The Last Kingdom: Season Two had been a joint production between the BBC and Netflix, The Last Kingdom: Season Three transitioned into being simply a Netflix product and originally aired exclusively on that platform. Happily, not much about what was working for the show's formula was changed. Its trademark opening narration continued, providing viewers with a brief recap of salient plot points and characters before launching into the action of each new episode. I was initially somewhat concerned that the move to Netflix might bring with it a change in the amount and degree of on-screen violence and adult situations, however, these concerns turned out to be unfounded as the feel of the show, in these and all other areas, remains unchanged. The most significant change resulting from that move is an increase in the episode count from eight to ten. Since each season seems to cover two books from Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series of novels, the addition of two episodes to this season brings with it additional character development, greater plot complexity, and room for the story to breathe.

Uhtred son of Uhtred continues to be one of the most tragic and put-upon heroes. He endeavors to keep his word without fail, often at great personal cost, only to have those around him, Dane, Saxon, and religious leaders alike, disown him, disrespect him, distrust him, and cheat him out of whatever rewards his brave actions should warrant. While the leaders he helps are typically enriched in some way directly because of Uhtred's deeds, he instead realizes the loss of friends, brothers in arms, wives, children, and family members at an alarming rate. The fact that he can suffer and endure such a volume of tragedy and remain focused and dedicated to honor and doing what's right, makes the pagan Uhtred (Alexander Dremon) The Last Kingdom's moral compass. Viking, noble, and priest alike may wantonly lie, murder, steal, and betray, but Uhtred remains steadfast in his resolve, and is consistently punished. He may be brash and quick to anger, and his impulsive nature may sometimes be the author of his own misery, but he never fails to live up to his code of honor.

This season focuses on the end of the ailing Alfred's reign and his undying desire to create an England united under a single king. Uhtred, who is both and yet neither Saxon and Dane, moves between these worlds to try and make this dream a reality. Along the way, he works to maintain and honor obligations to his adoptive Dane siblings Ragnar and Thyra, former love Brida, and King Alfred and his two children - heir to the throne Edward and Mercian ruler Lady Aethelflaed. Production values remain very high as practical sets for key locations continue to grow, making each more explorable and real. The Hungarian shooting locations provide both breathtaking beauty and a slightly foreign and ancient aesthetic. And while the lead and supporting cast may not have the name recognition and media presence that actors from Game of Thrones, and to a lesser extent Vikings enjoyed, their tireless work and commitment continue to push The Last Kingdom toward the same level of quality at a fraction of the production cost.

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

Those familiar with the look of The Last Kingdom's first two seasons, will find The Last Kingdom: Season Three to be more of the same. The series' trademark blue-grey color palette continues to dominate, preventing any primaries from popping and promoting a more muted and aged look. It continues to be a very dull program as it works to maintain as much authenticity as it can in the colors used for fabrics and ornamentation of the time. Bold colors simply do not exist here. Instead, we have a steady flow of greys, tans, mustards, and umbers, and rich brown leathers frequently on display. Reds and blues, when present, are dull and desaturated. But this is all due to intentional design choices and not a failure of the transfer. Detail levels are slightly higher here than in the previous seasons, with facial particulars more easily discernable and the frequent use of several different types of mud to adorn the Dane and Saxon armies more observable in all of its various textures and consistencies. Chain mail and leather armor show enjoyable levels of complexity, wear, and damage. Skin tones are consistently healthy within the color scheme of the series, and the occasional brief incidence of banding is the only real scar on the face of a solid transfer.

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

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track is, like the video transfer, very much in line with what we have heard before. It's a very front-centric track, that rarely makes use of surrounds, which is unfortunate as I would very much like to be immersed in unruly crowds of Saxons and Danes, and even overwhelmed by the battles between the two. Instead, the front channels handle much of the ambient and environmental sounds while the center channel primarily handles the dialogue. The low end nicely rounds out music, and adds appropriate and sometimes prodigious heft to marching troops and thundering horse hooves. Dialogue, once one's ear grows accustomed to the varying accents - English, Irish, and Scandanavian - is always clearly rendered and sits neatly on top music and sound effects at all times. Music, which only very rarely is allowed to swell and dominate, is handled crisply and precisely. It's solid enough for what it does, it simply doesn't take full advantage of what it could and should do.

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

There is one supplemental feature for The Last Kingdom: Season Three which is found on disc four.

• 'The Last Kingdom': The Battles (12:59) - Alexander Dreymon (Uhtred), David Dawson (Alfred), Executive Producer Nigel Marchant, Producer Cait Collins, Stunt Coordinator Lavente Lezsak, and others discuss shooting conditions, fight and weapon training, horsemanship, and the use of CGI to create this season's large-scale battle scenes which are the series' most ambitious to date.

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

The Last Kingdom: Season Three is filled with as much ambition, scheming, and backstabbing as its much more well-known contemporary, Game of Thrones. The fact that it didn't receive as much buzz and notoriety is unfortunate as the series, beginning with this season, proves itself an equal in many respects, and even superior in some regards. As the story grows more complex and the cast of characters increases, it never loses its way nor dwells too long on any given plot point, choosing to remain focused on the main thrust of the season and marching steadily on toward that end. Carried by a solid cast of recurring characters and enhanced by a similarly capable cadre of newcomers, The Last Kingdom: Season Three leverages high production values and solid scripts to craft an enthralling and entertaining tale of the Saxons and the Danes in England's early days. Technical merits are solid, even if underwhelming in the audio department, and The Last Kingdom: Season Three comes recommended to new and established fans of the series.