An excellent film with an amazing actress!

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 2012)

Helen Mirren turns out a fascinating performance as Queen Elizabeth II dealing with the death of Princess Diana. The film would definitely be worth watching for her amazing acting skills alone (at times I forgot I was watching a fictional film and caught myself believing it was actually the Queen in the role). However, there is more to this film than just one excellent performance.
The rest of the cast is superb. The settings and costumes are gorgeous. And the blending of actual news footage and the modern cast is almost without a hitch.
The film also tries to be very fair and balanced. It does not portray the royal family as evil, greedy schemers or Diana as a saint. It shows that everyone is human; we all have our bad points as well as our good. The Queen tries very hard to do the "proper" thing, but it is in conflict with what might be the "best" thing for her people.
All in all, an excellent film that anyone who likes British history or the royal family should watch.