Creative Writing: Victoria & Abdul Movie Review

Tonight I saw Victoria & Abdul with a few other ladies from my church who graciously invited me out to go see it (and they even paid for my ticket). However, although the company was lovely I can't say the same of the film.

The premise is a good one, and I thought it did a good job of being a rather romantic film without necessarily romanticizing the past to a drastic level (i.e. ignoring the fact that the British Empire was, indeed, an EMPIRE). And there were a few touching moments early on in the film regarding Queen Victoria's relationship with Abdul. Dench's performance was on point as always as the infamous monarch.

However, unfortunately I can't say much else for the film. The pacing was mediocre at best - the climax of the film felt off and the ending rushed - and the plot "twists" rather predictable, not to mention the general "romantic" feel of the movie was typical of Focus Feature productions (fun, but barely challenging). Additionally the music was okay - a few genuinely touching pieces mixed in with odd sound design choices (like emotional music being interrupted by Abdul's crying - a weird sound mixing choice since he visually had silent sobs which overlaid the swelling strings that was then interrupted by an actual sob escaping him and awkwardly loudly overpowering the musical theme).

Yet the thing that drove me the craziest was the cinematography and editing choices the filmmakers made. There was no cohesive visual narrative and the shots chosen felt like rushed "safety takes" rather than powerful statements. For instance, on Queen Victoria's literal death bed (and scene), instead of showing her dying they chose to have an in focus shot of her IV in the foreground with her lying on the bed in the background, out of focus. It held on that shot for what felt like minutes, but was at least 5 seconds, before cutting to the reaction of everyone in the room to her dying. As an audience member I felt like I was watching B-Roll coverage rather than what should've been the most emotional moment in the film.

So overall I thought this movie would've been more well-suited to a television special (perhaps on the BBC, like the logo at the beginning advertised for their BBC Films branch) rather than a theatrical release. And despite it's flaws the charms and heart of the movie was still felt - I just wish that it was better executed. 2.5/5.