Movie Review: "The Young Victoria"

The Young Victoria
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallee
Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Jim Broadbent
Rated:PG for some mild sensuality, a scene of violence, and brief incidental language and smoking

While I’m certainly over the “highly romanticized period pieces" of the past five years, I’m certainly not over how surprisingly good was Jean-Marc Vallee’s movie The Young Victoria. Like other period pieces, it boasts beautiful locations and high-quality costumes, but this film also brought some lovely cinematography to the story (which used lighting contrasts and soft focuses), and terrific back-and-forth editing style, making the production value of the film equal to any Oscar-contender of last year. While Ms. Blunt, who received some praise for her role, was strong enough for the part, the supporting cast of Friend, Bettany, and Broadbent were equally stellar. And the film seemed to focus on Victoria’s relationship with Albert more so than just their romance (meaning the film didn’t end when the guy gets the girl), giving the film the opportunity for more depth and staying away from modern clichés in story-telling. While it’s not necessarily a classic, Young Victoria is certainly unique, breath-taking, clean, and beautiful enough to bring out the romantic in us all. God save the queen!