Sumptuous costuming. Gorgeous palace depictions and English gardens. The setting is the 1830's and the story of the making of a queen. And it is a good story. Emily Blunt does a good job of portraying the pre-throne Victoria. The backdrop is not all that dynamic, and yet it is necessary to set the stage--the film could have shored this up a bit more quickly, and allowed us to watch more of the early years unfold. In any case, Victoria is the only child of three brothers, one of whom is the king. So at a very young age, it is clear that she is to ascend to be queen.
At a very tender age her manipulation begins. Initially, as all good adolescents do, she believes she can handle it more or less on her own. She has an uncle who is eager to attach her to a Germanic prince, and sends Albert to woo her. The timing of that relationship is critical--not only does Albert truly care about her, once she is queen, all future relationships are subject to increased scrutiny. And it works. Not without fits and starts, an assassination attempt and a tiff with the people. Albert and Victoria share an interest in the greater good, of being part of social change--that is the piece of the movie that is summed up in a couple of lines at the end, and I would have enjoyed seeing more of that story unfold.
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