Mary Queen of Scots | Rotten Tomatoes

Mary Queen of Scots

R

Released Dec 21, 2018

2 hr. 4 min.

Biography

History

Drama

TRAILER

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List

62%

296 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary Stuart defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I. Each young Queen beholds her sister in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence.

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Premiered Apr 02

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Critics Consensus

Mary Queen of Scots delivers uneven period political thrills while offering a solid showcase for the talents of its well-matched leads.

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Audience Member

Entertaining, well-acted

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Alec B

Even if the final 10 minutes are quite compelling, the rest of the movie isn't much more than a elaborately costumed tawdry melodrama.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Dan S

HORRIBLE!! Cast was awful! Use more Scottish people or English not people that do not fit into the history! Ridiculous! Musician was suppose to be Italian!! I am half Italian. Couldn't they get someone British thats Italian by ancestry with the Scottish ancestry? Gets me annoyed. I love history especially European and British history and I watch period films like most people who love history like I do. Be authentic with the cast!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/23

Full Review

Savannah G

Soairse is Fantastic! Love Margo but really think that Soirse was the the one who shone through. really cool to see this story play out! love the history and he performances really brought the magnitude to the front of what took place! Well done!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/20/23

Full Review

Thomas S

If you like strongly scripted and well-acted period dramas then this is for you. Ronan and Robbie are excellent well supported by Martin Compston and Jack Lowden

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

Full Review

Jelisije J

A movie that is takes many liberties with the historical content that was not needed. All the actors did a good job with the source material that they were given and the movie does a good job with the similarities and differences between the two female leads characters.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Josie Rourke

Director

Saoirse Ronan

Mary Stuart

Margot Robbie

Queen Elizabeth I

Jack Lowden

Lord Darnley

Joe Alwyn

Robert Dudley

David Tennant

John Knox

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Mary Queen of Scots: Trailer 2

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Mary Queen of Scots: International Trailer 1

2:24

Mary Queen of Scots: Trailer 1

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

It's a shame that everything collapses when the queens finally meet in a sequence that has all the heft of a gauzy Chanel fragrance spot.

Feb 21, 2020

Full Review

Udita Jhunjhunwala

Livemint

In spite of being handcuffed by uninspired storytelling, [Ronan and Robbie] excel in communicating strength, vulnerability and isolation as two monarchs ruling in a man's world.

Jul 29, 2019

Full Review

Roxana Hadadi

Pajiba

Few movies make a better case for reexamining the patriarchal historical truths we've come to accept than the impassioned, intricate Mary Queen of Scots.

Feb 7, 2019

Full Review

Greg Carlson

Vague Visages

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

Nov 8, 2023

Full Review

Andrea Thompson

A Reel of One's Own

“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...

Rated: D

Dec 19, 2022

Full Review

Brian T. Carney

Washington Blade

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

Full Review

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Synopsis

Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary Stuart defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I. Each young Queen beholds her sister in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence.

Director: Josie Rourke
Executive Producer: Amelia Granger, Liza Chasin, Kate Pakenham
Screenwriter: Beau Willimon
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Focus Features, Working Title Films, Perfect World Pictures
Rating: R (Some Violence and Sexuality)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 19, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.4M
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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