Lovely to look at, but ultimately disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (20 February 2010)

I had expected great things of this film. The costumes and sets are rich and sumptuous. All the actors are excellent. Emily Blunt makes an appealing Victoria. The mise-en-scene is certainly easy on the eyes.
BUT ... The pacing of the plot is just s-o-o-o slow, like those oh-so-earnest BBC television adaptations of great novels. Perhaps if I had seen it on television in installments, I would have enjoyed it more.
In addition, there is too much jumping around from England to the continent and back, as if the scriptwriters couldn't settle on what sort of story to tell. Perhaps they were trying for a personal story set against a backdrop of political intrigue, but I'm sorry, it didn't work for me. I found it confusing and difficult to follow. I'll pass on acquiring this one when it's released on DVD.
The title of my review sums it up.