Dramatic license is so much a given that discussions of authenticity are as damned as they are damning.

| Nov 8, 2023

“Mary Queen of Scots” could've at least been an average, or even above average effort to explore a history that is so often misconstrued. Instead, both women are done a disservice in a more modern way...

| Original Score: D | Dec 19, 2022

Willimon and Rourke focus on issues of gender and sexuality in fascinating ways, although it is sometimes jarring to see Mary as a paragon of contemporary tolerance.

| Dec 7, 2022

This is Ronan’s film and her performance is stellar. Far from being merely a villain or a rebel, her Mary is an independent woman full of life whose belief system is more aligned to women of today.

| May 20, 2022

Drains the material of its dramatic potential by placing far too much emphasis on the dry political machinations of both Mary and Elizabeth.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 4, 2022

It's certainly not perfect - Robbie borders on caricature at times - but it brings to new life (in vibrant technicolour) a story that has previously felt exhausted and overdone.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 1, 2021

This meditation on femininity and power, sexuality and independence, solidarity and rivalry, was directed by Josie Rourke, a woman - and it (...) shows.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 30, 2021

Mary Queen of Scots earns points for its compelling story and actors who know how to play their parts to the utmost.

| Apr 14, 2021

Too hung up on the present to focus on the past.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 24, 2021

Rourke's movie, while not the worst, is generally flat and mediocre. It reduces a deeply dramatic story to the small change of the director's attitude toward gender and personal relationships.

| Feb 17, 2021

It's too bad the narrative machinations bog down what otherwise is a fine tale of political manoeuvring.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Feb 3, 2021

[Saoirse Ronan's] presence on screen is illuminating; you can't help but root for her ruthlessness and anger at the injustice of her downfall.

| Jan 29, 2021

Mary Queen of Scots is a courageous true story that shines a light on our darkest abilities, all the while showing us a small sliver of hope in the end, just enough to make us feel the blunt of its intent.

| Nov 10, 2020

[Director Josie Rourle] arrives with an incredibly emotive debut using material many already feel all too familiar with, granting these annals of history a glorious immediacy which few have ever been able to conjure.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 31, 2020

As many people have pointed out, this film is certainly not historically accurate so if you're the kind of person who needs that you'd leave feeling disappointed.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 19, 2020

It is a handsome, yet frivolous, period drama told through a sharp modern gaze that greatly benefits from a number of strong performances from across its very talented cast.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 28, 2020

It's melodramatic and unashamedly fictionalised, but it's also a joy to watch.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 14, 2020

The final result is a mishmash of introspective themes that the picture fails to juggle, and . . . Rourke's direction doesn't liven much up.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 25, 2020

It's downright tragic. And this makes it ripe for these two great performers to dig into and make great, even if the material isn't always.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 7, 2020

Director Rourke makes entertaining something that could've been tedious. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jul 7, 2020