The Queen

DISCLAIMER: I did not see this movie in its original language(English), but in a dubbed version(Italian). I may have missed some nuances. "The Queen" is the most boring movie I've seen in a long time. It's not bad, just boring for my tastes. The cast was well chosen. Sheen's portrayal of Tony Blair looked believable to me (admittedly, I am not a brit) and Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth was superb, really exploring the many facets of a monarch(but, the Oscar that year should have gone to Meryl Streep, IMO). The rest of the actors were good but they didn't shine. The cinematography felt well done to me. It delivered nice shots adequate to the situation. The plot might have been interesting but the pacing was off, at least for me. Plus, the scene with the stag was just contrived and forced. In the end, I can't really recommend "The Queen", unless you are a big fan of Helen Mirren's work or are particularly interested in the affair (though it didn't add anything I didn't already knew for me). 4.5/10

Helen Mirren’s fantastic in this and she does a great job at humanizing Elizabeth, which makes the central drama more complex. The problem is that the main conflict is only mildly interesting to begin with, it’s generally lacking in emotional depth and ultimately resolves in the most predictable way. There’s no real way to improve any of this either, Diana’s death just doesn’t present the most compelling case for having a discussion about modernizing dated institutions. I also hated the last scene, which needlessly dumbs down the entire preceding film by spelling out the character acts and subtleties. On top of that the filmmaking’s lacking in personality, as the visuals and sound have a strong made for TV feel to it. Overall, a pretty boring watch aside from that great performance at the center that’s holding it together. 4.5/10