Review of The Young Victoria (2009) by Lewis C — 04 Jul 2010

"You are confusing stubbornness with strength, my dear. And I warn you, the people will not like you for it.".

I think I've seen more of these British historical/period dramas in the past year than I had seen in the entirety of the previous twenty-three years of my life. I guess I've become somewhat of a fan of the genre. The Young Victoria is similar in quality to the two prior to it that I've seen: The Duchess and The Other Boelyn Girl. I've actually given them all the same rating; but for different reasons.

As in those movies, the crucial performance of the film rests on the shoulders of a young actress, and I thought that Emily did an admirable job. I'd put her turn as Queen Victoria slightly behind Keira Knightley's role in The Duchess, and slightly ahead of Portman and Johansson as the Boelyn sisters. She expertly handles the role of a very young, inexperienced woman who steps into position of huge power and must deal with the countless suspect influences of those around her.

The settings and costumes are as opulent as one would expect from a movie like this, and perfectly serve to immerse the viewer into upper crust nineteenth century England. The story is also what one would expect, with all the drama and focus on romance that these sorts of movies are known for indulging it. I found the last 15 minutes or so to be slightly disappointing, as they devolved into overly melodramatic romance and a sort of cliché montage that was at odds with the quality of the scenes that preceded it. That earned The Young Victoria a slightly lower score, but it's still a minor complaint.

I recommend this to anyone who has a preference for these kinds of romanticized takes on the nobility of yesteryear. It's still not the truly great entry into the genre that I'd like to see (I've heard that Elizabeth is very good, perhaps I should try that), but fans of similar movies won't be disappointed.