Unnecessary - watch the TV mini-series instead

Rating: 2/10 (21 November 2009)

I can only wonder why they bothered making this film so soon after the excellent and far superior 2001 TV production "Victoria and Albert." In comparison with that version, this one fails on almost every level. The lead performers have very little chemistry, and the episodic plot has no real through line. I got the feeling that the film had to be reworked in post production, given the choppy editing, the strange structure (the first half is presented as a flashback for no apparent reason), and the reliance on voice over to explain who's who and what's what. The director really likes to rack focus, which becomes incredibly annoying. And the digital backgrounds and compositing are quite obvious and distracting. There are some nice sets and excellent costumes, but that's no reason to waste 100 minutes of your life on this dud. Instead, rent the mini-series or one of the documentaries about Victoria if you're interested in the subject.