I’ve often wondered what will happen when true crime documentary makers run out of material to mine. But if Netflix’s latest feature-length doc is any indication, the well will never run dry, as apparently just about any situation can be converted into true crime content.
Netflix has just confirmed “The Final: Attack on Wembley” will be arriving on the streaming service in May, and this documentary will explore the events surrounding the Euro 2020 final at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium. The championship match between England and Italy ended in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, but the documentary isn’t concerned with the on-field action.
Instead “The Final” will focus on the chaos outside the stadium as roughly 6,000 ticketless fans attempted to storm Wembley in the hopes of seeing the English national soccer team lift their first major trophy since 1966 (spoilers: They didn’t).
The events were well documented at the time and resulted in some pretty ugly scenes, but the initial clip Netflix provided from the documentary certainly frames the situation in the most dramatic way possible. And I don’t appear to be the only one who feels this doc looks a little over-the-top either. “The Final” has been mocked on social media for its melodramatic tone.
Had to double check to make sure this wasn’t a spoof Netflix account. They’ve made a few hundred fans getting into Wembley without a ticket look like the start of WWIII. https://t.co/0s3q398a4sMarch 25, 2024
I should make it very clear that I do not condone the actions taken by a few very selfish individuals on that day in July 2021. Like the vast majority of people who couldn’t get a ticket to the match, I watched the final from a sports bar instead. But, do we need an entire true crime documentary about the actions of some drunken idiots? I’d argue, we probably don’t.
Documentaries like “The Final: Attack on Wembley” are a symptom of our society’s obsession with sensationalizing situations, and turning criminal actions into entertainment. And I’m part of the problem. For all my grumbling about the needless nature of this true crime doc, I’ll no doubt watch it and encourage the Netflix algorithm to serve up even more.
The true crime genre continues to dominate streaming services, and that’s leading to a race to the bottom to turn any vaguely dramatic or tragic situation possible into a shocking doc, “The Final: Attack on Wembley” is just the latest example of this particular phenomenon. But so long as we keep watching, it won’t be the last.
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