Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In 1561, Mary Stuart, widow of the King of France, returns to Scotland, reclaims her rightful throne and menaces the future of Queen Elizabeth I as ruler of England, because she has a legitimate claim to the English throne. Betrayals, rebellions, conspiracies and their own life choices imperil both Queens. They experience the bitter cost of power, until their tragic fate is finally fulfilled.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018) benefits enormously from powerhouse performances by Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, who elevate what is otherwise a fairly conventional prestige historical drama. The plotting is competent but somewhat compressed, skipping over nuances of the political intrigue in favor of a more streamlined narrative. Visually it is handsome but unremarkable for the genre, hitting familiar period-drama beats. The novelty is limited — the material has been covered before and the film does not bring a radically fresh perspective, leaning on familiar biopic tropes despite its female-centric framing. The ending, while historically inevitable, is handled with suitable solemnity though without great surprise or emotional catharsis beyond what the story demands.