Victoria and Abdul Review

"Life is a carpet...we weave in and out to make a pattern."


Victoria and Abdul was directed by Stephen Frears and stars the likes of Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Adeel Akhtar and Eddie Izzard. The film follows Queen Victoria in her later years who is tired of her royal duties, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk called Abdul Karim.

Victoria and Abdul is certainly a very impressive film, from watching the trailers for the film I really liked the overall look of the film and was very interested in how the relationship would play out, not just in terms of the film, but the real life friendship between Queen Victoria and Abdul. I can certainly say that I was extremely impressed with this film (more than I thought I would be!), sure there are little issues here and there in terms of pacing but it is a very enjoyable film. One of the standout elements and most important elements to the film is the relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul. Both Judi Dench and Ali Fazal give fantastic performances and create a really heart warming relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul and it is this relationship which captivates and engages you as an audience member (it really does!) and in my opinion carries the entire film. The historical setting during the later years of Queen Victoria's life also is a strong setting for the film, even though the film is based on a true story and real relationship, the directors decision to incorporate themes of the British empire and the Indian quest for independence really build an important subtext to the relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul, whilst presenting audiences we an insight into an interesting time period in British history. Also I would like to mention that this film has some beautiful imagery, and the tonal and visual differences between India and Britain are beautiful to see in comparison to each other, but even the visuals surrounding dialogue sequences are also really well shot and keep audiences engaged in the relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul.

Whilst I certainly enjoyed the film as a whole, there were a couple of little issues that I had with the film. One of the biggest issues I had with the film was the pacing. The first and final act of the film in my opinion is well paced (and really engages you as an audience member), but personally I felt that the second act of the film dragged. This is probably down to the fact that a lot happens in the first act of the film and we are introduced with a lot of characters, that by the time we get to the second act of the film, nothing important really seems to happy and just feels like filler for the final act of the film. Whilst this does not ruin the overall film it certainly stops the film from reaching its full potential. I also thought that the reliance of side characters to state the point that Abdul was of Indian Heritage and was not accepted by the British higher ups, because of his heritage became a little unnecessary. Whilst it did serve the purpose of representing the time period and the views of the higher ups of the British Empire, but unfortunately that is all what the side characters spoke off which reduced them to simple two dimensional characters.

Overall I enjoyed the film and the relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul which was brought to life by two incredible actors. Both Judi Dench and Ali Fazal give fantastic performances which really creates a heart warming, entertaining and informative film.

Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars