Duped Again by the Hype Machine

Rating: 5/10 (25 April 2007)

Wow. Another hugely disappointing movie that I expected to be brilliant. Hats off to the trailer-maker, it looked like it was going to be really good. It looked like it would be cutting-edge, tense, scathing, and relevant. It was none of these things. Like the dreadful "United 93", it seems like a pointless, shameful exploitation of a recent tragedy in the name of making a buck. I'm not a big fan of the monarchy, but the writers here took massive liberties in depicting the royals as callous, cold and detached in the aftermath of Diana's death, even though they very well could have been. It seems to me very unfair to essentially have made up words put in one's mouth, particularly when dealing with such a delicate family matter. The movie itself plays more like a "Made for TV" movie. Were it not for some sweeping panoramic views of the Scottish Highlands and world class hype, I think it wouldn't have made it beyond television. Well done to Helen Mirren, who was spot-on as the Queen. The Tony Blair character did a pretty good job. But they were basically impersonations. Most of us remember the details of what happened with Diana. Do we really need to see this made up crap? Waste of time....