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

Full Review | 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...

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | Apr 14, 2021

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

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | Feb 17, 2021

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

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

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

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

Full Review | 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.

Full Review | 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.

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

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

Full Review | Jul 7, 2020