Quite enjoyable and generally well made but flawed.

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2007)

The Queen is a generally well made film with some very good performances (Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen in particular) and it is mostly very engaging the whole way through. It captures the tragedy of Princess Diana's sudden death very well and gives us an alternate point of view. There are some funny moments and some touching moments but ultimately I don't think it's much more than just a nice film.
To be completely honest, I think The Queen's biggest weakness is the music. I found it often detracted from the movie's impact rather than enhancing what was on the screen. The music itself was not necessarily bad per se but it just seemed clichéd and unnecessary in the times it was used. If I remember correctly, music was used fairly sparingly however (adding to the semi-documentary feel) so it was not that major a problem. Nevertheless, I think The Queen exemplifies the power music has in films. In this case, I think it nearly ruins some potentially great scenes (the scene with the Stag for example).
Anyway, The Queen is certainly a good movie overall (Helen Mirren is excellent), well worth watching but not one that I'd be disappointed to never see again. I wouldn't have anything against seeing it again though.