Random Movie Review - The Queen

 

Yeah, I figured with the Queen's Jubilee been and gone (and one that probably won't be topped any time soon), it was time to talk about this film. So rather than be a story about the life of Queen Elizabeth II (played by Helen Mirren), this film instead depicts the time before, during and after the demise of Diana, Princess of Wales. Very interesting stuff, and also a film that sees Michael Sheen reprise his role of Tony Blair and basically become the definitive version of that former PM in films and so forth. So let's dive in and take a look:

In 1997, the general election takes place, in which the Labour Party led by Tony Blair wins in a landslide. As his manifesto of reform and modernization is set into motion, the Princess of Wales, Diana, is killed in a car crash four months later at the Alma Bridge in France. This leads to problems with both the Prime Minister and Prince Charles (played by Alex Jennings) who both have conflicting views on funeral arrangements and the accord of a mother of a future king who is no longer a member of the royal family. As time goes on, the popularity of the Royals begins to diminish while Blair's skyrockets in the wake of the former making no effort to acknowledge the significance of Diana in society. Much of the film sees Blair attempting to guide the Royals through this controversy and to change their attitude any way he can.

You know, despite the name, I actually like how this film instead chooses to have us see how the Royals coped during what is arguably considered a dark time for them rather than be a full on story about Queen Elizabeth II. It's well acted, full of wit and humour and also quite moving too. Much like with Sheen as Blair, I also feel Mirren should be the definitive version of the Queen during these modern times. The actresses in the Netflix series The Crown meanwhile (which itself is more of a story about Elizabeth II) are also considerably definitive versions of her too. 9/10