The critics have their say on Mary Queen of Scots film

Mary Queen of Scots has fascinated film makers in three centuries, with the latest big screen outing now appearing in our cinemas.

Irish actress Saoirse Ronan stars as Mary, who, having been widowed, returns to Scotland to claim the throne.

However, it’s not as simple as she would wish, as her brother James Murray and his lords are unsure of a female monarch, and south of the border, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth (played by Scots Australian Margot Robbie) feels threatened by the Catholic queen.

It may not be historically accurate – given that it shows Mary and Elizabeth meeting – but it’s gaining positive reviews from the professionals.

The Guardian film critic Mark Kermode made it his film of the week and gave it four stars out of five.

He said: ‘As Mary, Ronan embodies both the vibrant spirit and iron strength of her character. Some scenes, such as those in which she shares the close company of her ladies in waiting, have the air of a coming-of-age movie, full of youthful laughter and candid confession. Yet from the moment Mary strides ashore and marches toward Holyrood, it is clear that she possesses a steely resolve.

‘While Ronan is terrific, Robbie has arguably the more difficult role, conjuring an engaging portrait of someone whose position has made her “more man than woman”. It’s a credit to Robbie that Elizabeth’s anguish shines through the stony visage behind which she is increasingly forced to hide.

‘Very occasionally the theatricality becomes overwrought – a meeting in a remote cottage beset by billowing sheets looks like something that would have worked brilliantly on stage but smacks of contrivance on screen. But for the most part this is admirably cinematic fare.’

Film magazine Empire also awarded the film four stars.

Reviewer Helen O’Hara said: ‘It is, of course, a quick breeze through the real history. Beau Willimon’s script occasionally reduces complex relationships to broadly drawn incidents that feel unrealistic in comparison to the cast’s more internal performances. Some of the design choices feel deeply anachronistic too (was Mary’s palace really half-hewn from the living rock?).

‘The biggest issue is that one showcase meeting that should be a highlight becomes the film’s weakest moment — it’s oddly written and strangely stilted. But the conviction of Ronan and Robbie, and a strong supporting cast, nevertheless make this a compelling clash of personalities. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, and it’s sad when even an enemy queen is closer to understanding your problems than the people you love.’

Saoirse Ronan as Mary, Queen of Scots (Photo: Universal Pictures)

Another four star review comes from Robbie Collin in the Daily Telegraph.

He writes: This lush and ravishing period piece offers a close inspection of the tickings and whirrings of the Scottish monarch’s early reign, going past the martyr-whore image of popular legend. The focus is Mary’s relationship with her cousin, Elizabeth I of England – and as two powerful young women penned in by the male-dominated mechanisms of 16th century statecraft, theirs is a rivalry with acres of common ground.

‘The film is led by a performance of thrilling regality and nuance from Saoirse Ronan as Mary – note-perfect.’

Steven Reid a senior lecturer in Scottish history at the University of Glasgow, reviewed the film for The Independent.

He wrote: ‘When newspapers and magazines cover period dramas, historians are always asked if they are accurate. As far as the new Rourke film is concerned, the answer is no, of course not.

‘Yet again audiences will come away thinking that she met Elizabeth I in person; that there was a romantic involvement between Mary’s husband Henry Stewart Lord Darnley and her Italian secretary David Rizzio; and that 16th century Scots were wild and uncultivated.

‘The films of Mary have also been consistent, depicting her mainly as a sympathetic, strong heroine. It may or may not be the real Mary; we will never know for sure. So there isn’t a lot of point in worrying about historical accuracy when it comes to this Scottish icon. Take her as you find her, and rest assured that it won’t be long before Hollywood decides to serve up another new version for mass consumption.’

However, the Daily Mail’s Matthew Bond only awarded it three stars.

He wrote: ‘[Mary’s] star-crossed tale is horribly complicated. Because it’s not just England v Scotland, it’s also Tudors v Stuarts, Protestants v Catholics, clan v clan, cousin v cousin, sister v half-brother, redhead v redhead…

‘It’s this labyrinthine complexity that makes Mary Queen Of Scots such an uphill struggle, particularly early on. Yes, it’s perhaps a little odd to have the Scottish queen played by the young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, and the slightly older Queen Elizabeth by the Australian Margot Robbie but, hey, that’s the modern film industry for you.

‘No, the real problem is the seemingly endless round of male characters of middling importance, the list of which just seems to go, confusingly, on and on and on.’