‘Mary Queen of Scots’ review — Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie are dueling queens

Mary Queen of Scots is a solid well-made historical drama with powerhouse performances by Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie

Mary Queen of Scots is an exemplary example of how a historical drama can feel modern and have modern themes without sacrificing the story its based on. Saoirse Ronan—following up her career-high performance in Lady Bird—is a powerhouse as the titular famed young queen with high ambitions.

So much of the power of the film comes from the performances, specifically Ronan and Margot Robbie, who plays Mary's rival Queen Elizabeth of England, and Jack Lowden—most recently seen in the underrated Calibre or 2017's Dunkirk—who is a revelation as Mary's second husband Lord Darnley.

When Mary Queen of Scots focuses on the interactions between these players it soars. It's no wonder considering the film's director Josie Rourke has a decade and a half of experience directing stage plays, which is what the movie often feels like—a stage play.

It's also apparent in the striking staging of many of the scenes. The film's opening introduction to the two queens at the center of the film is so powerful. As Mary—introduced as she's being walked to her execution—and Elizabeth appear on screen, we watch them walk from behind through a sea of men separating as they pass. It's marvelous.

The film begins with Mary returning to Scotland after her husband King Francis II of France dies leaving her widowed. With a claim to both the thrones of Scotland and England, she quickly begins maneuvers to strengthen her position in Scotland and secure her place as the successor to Queen Elizabeth.

Mary has the council of her illegitimate half-brother James, Earl of Moray (James McArdle) and the Earl of Bothwell (Martin Compston) guiding her through the politics, however, Mary clearly wants to be the one making the decisions. A main theme through the film is the two queens struggling to get men to look past their gender and allow them to rule as if they were kings. Queen Elizabeth even says at one point, “I choose to be a man.”

As the political intrigue continues, Queen Elizabeth—represented by her ambassador played by Adrian Lester and counseled by her lover Robert Dudley (Joe Alwyn)—slowly begins to become jealous of Mary's youth, beauty, intelligence, and ability to produce an heir.

The slow descent that Queen Elizabeth experience is incredibly captured by Robbie who is especially convincing as someone who is developing an inferiority complex to a seemingly invincible rival. On the other hand, Ronan's steely confidence as Mary—her motivation is sometimes terrifying—is juxtaposed with moments where she is losing a handle of it all, particularly when Lord Darnley comes into the picture.

The political intrigue is what makes the movie enjoyable to watch like an episode of Game of Thrones. Though, since it has less than two hours to tell an epic of a story House of Cards creator Beau Willimon‘s screenplay sometimes feels overstuffed. It also doesn't give room for the audience to discover the character's motivations or inner workings. Rather it dictates them.

Still, there are some stunning sequences that are captivating to watch thanks to Rourke's strong direction and John Mathieson's naturally lit cinematography. A battle sequence midway through the film—we watch as Mary on a cliff high above her rivals looks down knowing the physically and metaphorically has the higher ground—is chilling as is Mary's execution scene—spoiler alert for history.

Though Mary Queen of Scots is obviously a historical drama it feels updated. Many of the characters and background actors are actors of color and one character is even updated to being a queer character—Mary's confidant David Rizzio (Ismael Cruz Córdova). It proves that there is no excuse to not have diversity in a film.

Oddly though, Mary Queen of Scots feels less than the sum of its parts. There are rousing scenes mostly thanks to Rourke's direction and Ronan and Robbie's powerhouse performances—Lowden, Alwyn, and Lester deserve some credit on this front, as well. And the costume design by Oscar-winner Alexandra Byrne deserves to be in the Oscar conversation. However, the movie sometimes feels cold and disconnected.

Still, its feminist themes around women trying to succeed in a world stacked against them and dominated by men is particularly poignant and one of its successes. Mary Queen of Scots may not be perfect, but it has so many elements that make it a solid historical drama. The meeting scene between Mary and Elizabeth is worth the price of admission alone.

Mary Queen of Scots will be released in theaters on December 12th.