Brilliant acting, intense story, weak script and bad directing.

Rating: 7/10 (4 March 2008)

The second half of this movie almost gave me a BLOODY HEART ATTACK! MAN THAT WAS DISTURBING! Ignore the false advertisements that make this movie look like a romantic bodice-ripper. One can call it a soap-opera, but you CANNOT call it a romantic period drama! For those of yous who don't know your Tudor history don't worry, you don't need too (on second thought it'll probably be better if you don't know the story), just treat this as a FICTIONAL eye-opener (and yes, it is extremely historically incorrect) OKay...disturbing themes and historical inaccuracies aside, the movie has brilliant acting by it's leads. Johansson is very capable and believable as Mary (yes, I know...I'm shocked too), whilst Portman is psychotically intense as Anne (I'll explain later). The supporting cast is decent, Kristen Scott Thomas is morally in-tune in the Boleyns' mother and Jim Sturgess is BRILLIANT as their tragic brother George.
The story on the other hand is WAY too rushed (you can SO CLEARLY tell that sonypictures butchered this movie up...BADLY, thus I'll be waiting for a director's cut indefinitely).
OK...first half of this movie is DULLer than the movie's god-awful cinematography, the audiences' disinterest is NOT helped by Peter Morgan's lazy script. The first half drags and drags....UNTIL the director and writer decides to go all HAPPY TREE FRIENDS on the lead characters (and I don't mean in the bloody fun way either).
Whilst Scarlett Johansson's Mary remains the movie's 'somewhat' moral center....Natalie Portman's Anne goes bloody bizerk (yes, in the crazy psychotic bitch sense)...kudos to her for bringing such intensity and whatever realism she can to the (clearly bias) role, although at points you may what to strangle Anne for her conniving ruthlessness, you nevertheless feel for her (and especially her brother) in the end.
Make no mistake, this is NOT a movie for the soft-hearted, as I explained before the second half contains MANY series of disturbing stomach-wrenching events that will leave you clutching your seat (or packet of Orange TicTac in my case) making the first ELIZABETH movie seem like the most feel-good movie of 1999. SO CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED! All in all, bad direction, awesome acting and melodramatically disturbing story with a beautiful score by Paul Cantelon and gorgeous costumes by Sandy Powell. A would overall give it a generous 7 stars out of 10.
I hope I left this review as spoiler free as possible.