Judi Dench has made a habit of playing royalty.
Perhaps her regal presence elevates her above other actors who are unable to
convey the weary majesty royalty brings. Having portrayed Queen Victoria
before in ‘Mrs Brown’, Dench created a path others have tried to match. She
returns to the role again in ‘Victoria and Abdul’. Almost a sequel/remake of
‘Mrs Brown’, it gives Dench another opportunity to command all comers from her
royally encrusted throne.
Nearing the end of her reign as British Queen, Victoria
(Judi Dench) craves decent company. Still mourning her husband’s passing,
she longs for something more apart from regular courtiers and hangers-on.
She finds this with her Indian servant Abdul (Ali Fazal). Striking up a
genuine friendship, they explore the path each has taken that has led to their
meeting. Along the way they encounter the usual problems of royalty and
prestige testing their union.
From her first appearance it is clear ‘Victoria and Abdul’
belongs to Judi Dench. Without her, the movie would have had little
value. Whenever she appears the story catches fire as her character
grapples with the mundanity of royal life. How she attempts to put spark
in her dwindling years is well realised in her relationship with Abdul.
His stoic determination to teach her new life lessons and stand up to stuffy
traditions makes ‘Victoria and Abdul’ worth watching.
As wonderful as Dench and the cast are, ‘Victoria and Abdul’
generally feels very formulaic. Director Stephen Frears fails to inject
much passion or flair to make the predictable script different from
others. The emotional beats feel forced, as if they’re needed to add
spice to a lukewarm story. The historical details and production design
is fascinating, just what’s within them isn’t very involving. The
screenplay has a manipulative air about it with the flow from point A to B
seemingly contrived to bring out the requisite audience responses.
Whilst the performances are excellent with a reasonably
engaging story, ‘Victoria and Abdul’ fails to linger in the memory. There
are many similar movies who have told this type of tale better. More of a
bronze than silver-plated success, ‘Victoria and Abdul’ is at least interesting
enough not to be sent to the proverbial cinematic tower.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 6
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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