Utterly dreadful

Rating: 5/10 (11 March 2010)

I went into this film with an open mind, hoping to enjoy it as I have enjoyed other films about Royals, such as The Queen, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Becket, among many others.
However, this film is a tedious bore, and the price I paid with my boredom was abused by feeding me key moments of made-up fiction to try to punch it up. I do not take kindly to that. If you're going to make stuff up, it ought to at least be good, not try to cover for the fact that the story itself is completely boring.
I could never figure out what this film wanted to be. Was it a story of a young Royal learning her position? Was it a love story? Was it a story about self-confidence? Was it about palace intrigue? Was it about republicanism and assassination attempts? Was it about someone interested in the poor, the arts, and science? Well, you got me. It seemed all of that, and therefore none.
I felt absolutely nothing for the main character, nor for her supposed love interest. In fact, I was most disappointed at a certain time when it seemed the dreaded film might be over, only to discover that in fact it was going to drag on yet more. I started hating the couple, because they were delaying my exit from the cinema.
As I left, I heard many complimentary things said about things like costume and makeup, but nobody said anything about the story or characters. Unfortunately, for me, I don't go to the cinema to see shiny dresses. I can see that at the better shops in the mall. I want an interesting story, and if it's about someone real, it better be damned interesting, or at least true in its important moments.
Great. Now I'm in a foul mood. Thanks.