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Luther Fans Feel The Fallen Sun Doesn't Live Up To The Beloved Series

"Luther: The Fallen Sun" hit Netflix last week, bringing back Idris Elba's titular British detective, John Luther. Picking up where Season 5 left off, Elba's disgraced detective is in jail after killer David Robey (Andy Serkis) reveals the numerous crimes he committed as Chief Inspector.

The Netflix movie is another recent continuation of Luther's journey, as Elba returned to the role for a revived fifth season. However, this time, the titular detective returns without his long-time enemy-turned-lover, Alice (Ruth Wilson). Thankfully, Serkis' villain runs Luther through the wringer, offering an adequate villain that the series severely lacks outside of Alice.

Elba has long teased more "Luther" in his future, and "The Fallen Sun" finally delivers on the promises of a feature-length film. Critics agree the film is a solid continuation of the series, scoring a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Devoted fans of Elba's crime drama, on the other hand, aren't looking so fondly at the movie. 

On Twitter, @Ankaman616 couldn't help but notice Alice's absence, saying "Luther" isn't the same without her. Meanwhile, @itsNaCool used words like "ridiculous" and "non-sensical" to describe it. Unfortunately for Elba and the rest of the "Luther" crew, that sentiment continued on Reddit, with fans flocking to share their disappointment in the movie.

Reddit was not fond of The Fallen Sun

Although the "Luther" movie was a long time coming, many fans agree that it did not live up to the hype. On Reddit, the general consensus is that, while still entertaining, "The Fallen Sun" doesn't match the quality of the original series.

"It just felt rushed and out of place," u/melo1212 posted. "I still was entertained but ended up feeling quite underwhelmed. It's not even close to the standard of the show." Another user, u/Awehib, shared this sentiment, believing it wasn't as good as the show, but they also didn't expect it to be.

"I wish the serial killer's motivations were more fleshed out," u/Awenhib posted. 

The movie's action left others, like u/woowooblowtorch and u/andrew_a7, disappointed. The former said some scenes "defied believability," and the latter thought there were too many "incredible" things happening to Luther throughout the story. Another popular sentiment on Reddit was that "The Fallen Sun" would have done much better as another season of "Luther" instead of as a movie. 

"If this was a series and had time to marinate, [it] would've been great" u/Uncle_Beanpole said. "[It] felt rushed and not 'Luther'-esque at all to me." Similarly, u/LPCJ07 didn't understand the film when it was such a strong television series. Meanwhile, u/quarter_cask saw it as a wasted opportunity thanks to the poor writing. One user, u/xcalibre, even suggested that "Luther" creator Neil Cross should be ashamed of his writing on film.