Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Director: Josie Rourke
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden
Runtime: 124 minutes

Synopsis: The true story of the rivalry between Mary Stuart and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Costumes/Makeup: 9/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Verdict: Two queens, one historical rivalry. "Mary Queen of Scots", a dramatic retelling of the conflict between Mary Stuart and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, offered an interesting look at first-time director Josie Rourke's style, despite suffering from a script that didn't entirely grab me or even interest me.

Throughout the two hours runtime of the film, I was constantly awed by the breathtaking Scottish scenery as well as its cinematography, which benefited from a vivid color palette enhanced by terrific makeup and costume design, earning the movie a well-deserved Oscar nomination in both fields. The score, composed by the excellent Max Richter, also added to the medieval setting and made the experience a more authentic one.

However, "Mary Queen of Scots" is betrayed by its dull script which, instead of focusing on its main story about two of history's most powerful women, slaps you in the face with its social commentary that not only doesn't fit at all with the film's setting, but also adds unnecessary and avoidable cheese to the story. I also found that Margot Robbie's Queen Elizabeth I was massively underused and should've benefited from more screentime, which would've highlighted more the rivalry between the two Queens.  

FINAL GRADE: 6/10

To see how "Mary Queen of Scots" compares to other movies released in 2018, click here.