Movie · 2018 · Drama, History · 2h 4m · R · English
Curator score: 2.4/10 (168.3K ratings)
Bow to No One
Overview
In 1561, Mary Stuart, widow of the King of France, returns to Scotland, reclaims her rightful throne and menaces the future of Queen Elizabeth I as ruler of England, because she has a legitimate claim to the English throne. Betrayals, rebellions, conspiracies and their own life choices imperil both Queens. They experience the bitter cost of power, until their tragic fate is finally fulfilled.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.4/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.09/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
Metacritic: 60
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
Josie Rourke
Production
Focus Features, Working Title Films, 3dot Productions, Perfect World Pictures
Cast
Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, David Tennant, Guy Pearce, Gemma Chan, James McArdle, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Martin Compston, Joe Alwyn, Brendan Coyle, Ian Hart, Richard Cant, Guy Rhys, Thom Petty, Izuka Hoyle, John Ramm, Simon Russell Beale, Maria Dragus, Liah O'Prey
Curator Review
Verdict
A stately, well-acted historical drama with strong performances from Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, but it’s often more admirable than involving. The film leans into court intrigue, gendered power politics, and tragic inevitability, yet its conventional approach and uneven dramatic energy keep it from fully igniting.
Best for
Viewers who like prestige period dramas with political intrigue
Fans of performance-driven historical conflict
People interested in the Elizabethan era and rival queens
Audiences drawn to tragic, costume-heavy dramas
Skip if
You want a brisk, propulsive history film
You prefer sharper, more stylized period filmmaking
You’re looking for a highly accurate or deeply immersive political epic
You’re impatient with slow-burn court maneuvering
Overview
Mary Queen of Scots has the bones of a compelling duel-of-monarchs drama: two young women trapped inside systems built to contain them, each trying to survive power, marriage, faith, and succession. The film’s best asset is its casting, with Saoirse Ronan giving Mary a fierce, wounded volatility and Margot Robbie making Elizabeth feel guarded, lonely, and increasingly brittle.
Worth noting
What keeps it in the mixed column is execution. The movie often plays like a respectable historical pageant rather than a fully alive political thriller, and some of its emotional turns feel rushed or schematic. Still, when it focuses on the personal cost of rule, it lands with real force.
Bottom line
The strongest material comes from the tension between public duty and private desire, and from the way the film frames monarchy as a cage as much as a privilege. It’s not the definitive version of this story, but it is an elegant, watchable one with enough dramatic heft to reward viewers who enjoy period tragedy.
Top Letterboxd reviews
kyle (2★) · 2841 likes
saoirse: ay wee bruv didnye realize im queen nae, a got tae smash this blonde twaenk, pop outta baby n kill david tennant fer lookin like some wee shite rasputin twat.. this crown u wan? over me deed body
margot as pennywise the clown: [british accent] so this is getting us another oscar nom right?
sree (3★) · 2291 likes
"how cruel men are"
that's it. that's the movie.
jorgemol (3★) · 2053 likes
When Mary put her kingdom at risk for a guy just because he ate her out, I felt that.
robert · 1441 likes
damn lady bird got into some shit during her semester abroad lmao