Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

'The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series' arrives on Blu-ray Courtesy of Universal. This 16-disc set is housed in an Epik Pak case and includes all 46 episodes which are based on the 13-book 'The Saxon Stories' series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. Special features offer some insights into the series' production and characters, and the discs themselves feature solid 1080p transfers and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks. A slipcase is included, but a Digital Code is not.

As a long-time fan of the NFL, I'm all too familiar with the "win now" mindset. Coaches and General Managers broker deals to add the right players and staff with the aim of immediate success measured by regular season wins, playoff berths, and, of course, a Super Bowl appearance. In years past, that paradigm may have existed, but it wasn't as pervasive. Teams would commit to players and a rebuilding process, knowing that a few rough years would, if properly patient and persistent, yield those successes down the road. Now, far too frequently, in the crowded streaming marketplace, the same "win now" strategy dominates. There's got to be something shocking, boundary-pushing, edgy, or gripping in that first episode to compel viewers to return for the second, third, and fourth episodes and beyond. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it feels artificial and is easily seen for the badlfaced tactic that it is. Those that fail to capture audiences quickly typically disappear with little fanfare after a season or less. But, occasionally, there's a series like The Last Kindgom. The only "hook" it deployed in the first episode was brief appearances by Matthew Macfadyen and Rutger Hauer to add a bit of star power to a cast that was, largely, populated with actors likely unknown to American audiences and who, with a few exceptions, had a limited list of credits. And while the Hungary-based production sourced from Bernard Cornwell's "The Saxon Stories" novel series may have had only a fraction of the budget of other series of its ilk, there was something there. Perhaps it was the appeal of a story of an underdog from two worlds and belonging to neither. Or, maybe it was the setting of England in the late 800s AD that was interesting because it was both familiar and alien. It could have been the talented cast coupled with solid production values because while the series felt small in the early goings, it never felt cheap. Likely, it was all these things. And those who marched through the mud, rain, blood, and tears of those early episodes, who gave time and invested patience, were rewarded with a series that began to pay rich dividends in season two and beyond. The cast becoming increasingly more confident, the world defined by its 360-degree practical sets becoming ever larger and richer, and the story becoming more layered and complex. From very humble beginnings, the story of Uhtred, King Alfred, Brida, Beocca, and Aethelflaed grew into an outstanding work of historical fiction worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with History Channel's Vikings and the HBO fantasy juggernaut Game of Thrones.

Please follow the links to read about each of the included seasons:

• The Last Kingdom: Season One

• The Last Kingdom: Season Two

• The Last Kingdom: Season Three

• The Last Kingdom: Season Four

• The Last Kingdom: Season Five

The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Please follow the links above for a discussion of the video transfer for each season and relevant screenshots.

The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Please follow the links above for a discussion of the audio track for each season.

The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Please follow the links above for a discussion of each season's on-disc special features.

The convenience and slight space savings of the The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series both work in this set's favor. Depending on price fluctuations, the cost savings of buying this release over the individual seasons may be either slight or significant. The most significant issues I have with this release pertain to the case itself - it's a clear plastic Epik Pak case. But those are relatively minor. Despite being a Blu-ray set, the Epik Pak case the discs are housed in is virtually equivalent in height to a DVD case (please refer to screenshot 7). Based on the shelving some collectors use, this may not fit neatly with the rest of their Blu-ray libraries. While most would consider this a minor quibble, others will, no doubt, take more serious exception. The other concern is how the discs are housed within the case. In Epik Pak cases, discs are stored four per panel, with the two discs on each side of the panel being stacked in a slightly offset manner (see screenshot 6), with the top one being raised just enough to prevent the discs from touching. Although it is an efficient design and infinitely superior to the reprehensible fully stacked disc cases some releases utilize, it nonetheless requires the removal of the top disc in order to safely remove the disc housed beneath, making it a bit cumbersome. Again, these issues aren't deal-breakers, but they are worth noting. There is neither interior art nor a booklet to indicate what content is on each disc, with discs simply labeled "Season One: Disc 1", "Season One: Disc 2", etc., but special features are found on the last disc of each season as a rule.

The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may not have the name recognition it deserves, or the star power to draw in the curious, but fans of The Last Kingdom know exactly what they have here. It's an excellent series that uses historical figures and events as a springboard to tell an engaging story, modifying and fabricating as it deems necessary along the way and never being beholden to the facts if they get in the way of good television. It's no substitute for a proper history book or documentary, but it's certainly more entertaining. The Last Kingdom takes some time to truly hit its stride, getting there toward the end of season one and the beginning of season two, and fully blossoming in the third season and beyond. An excellent cast, great production values, and solid technical merits make The Last Kingdom: The Complete Series highly recommended to series and genre fans alike.