The perils and pitfalls of being a young monarch

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2015)

One of the pitfalls that a lot of biopics fall into is that they try to do too much, e.g., telling someone's entire life story as opposed to a part of it. Thankfully, THE YOUNG VICTORIA avoids this mistake by choosing to focus on the early years of Queen Victoria's reign. The source of dramatic conflict is how, as a young monarch, she was pulled this way and that by advisors and politicians who were all vying for control and influence. Meanwhile, she finds a friend (and eventually, lover) in Prince Albert. One thing the film does really well is show the difficulty inherent in being a leader, especially when one is young and viewed as inexperienced. Emily Blunt pulls off the role admirably and shows the chops she would bring to later performances such as EDGE OF TOMORROW, although her character here is a little more vulnerable. I thought she showed both sides quite well. Rupert Friend also did a great job as Prince Albert, who provided much needed solace and counterpoint to Victoria. Mark Strong also did well as the slimy John Conroy, who pressured Victoria to establish a regency with her mother, the Duchess of Kent. Also worth noting is the excellent production design and costumes which faithfully (I assume) and beautifully reproduce Victorian England. There is also an incredible score and soundtrack with (mostly) period classical music. Put together, this creates a rather handsome period costume drama and romance that should appeal to a large swath of the movie-going public.