MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

Review: Based on the life of Mary Stuart and her rivalry with her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England.
Director: Josie Rourke
Actors: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Angela Bain, Richard Cant, Thom Petty, Izuka Hoyle, Simon Russell Beale, Maria Dragus, Eileen O’Higgins, Liah O’Prey, Greg Miller Burns, Aneurin Pascoe, Adrian Derrick-Palmer, Martin Compston, James McArdle, Kal Sabir, Adam Bond, Katharine O’Donnelly, Adrian Lester, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, Georgia Burnell, Luke Hobson, Ben Wiggins, Eldredd Wolf, Alan Turkington, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Ian Hart, Euan Macnaughton, Nathen East, David Tennant, Daniel Booroff, Brendan Coyle, Sean Buchanan, Jordan Turk, Scot Greenan, Ed Jones, Karen Dunbar, John Stahl, Kadiff Kirwan, Ian Hallard and Andrew Rothney
Year: 2018
Genre: Biography, Drama and History
Conclusion: 4/5
I have to admit that before this film I knew nothing about Mary Queen of Scots but her story is an important part of our history that needs to be told. Great to see a film with two female leads in. Both Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie were fantastic. I have enjoyed all the films that Saoirse Ronan has been in, but was particularly impressed with her performance as it was such a demanding role for her. When Margot Robbie was offered the part of Queen Elizabeth she was initially reluctant to accept. I really enjoyed seeing David Tennant and he bought a smile to my face when on screen. Although could he have any more facial hair? Way back in 2006 Scarlett Johansson was attached to play the lead role. She ended up dropping out; the project then spent several years in development hell. Director Susanne Bier was originally attached to direct, but dropped out due to scheduling. This is a film that needs to be seen on a big screen in order to get its full impact. I thought that the cinematography was amazing and also the use of the musical score, especially in the opening scene when they were arriving into Scotland. The costumes were all very stunning and they had obviously researched it all with great care. There were a few scenes which I didn’t think worked. If these scenes were taken out it wouldn’t have mattered as they had no importance. Look out for good performances from Adrian Lester and Jack Lowden.