The Young Victoria

Village Voice by

Man, British heritage cinema can be dull when assembly-lined for the export market.

The New Yorker by Anthony Lane

From the start, it feels handsome, steady, and stuck; the ties that bind the historical bio-pic are no looser than those which constrain a royal personage, and the frustration to which Victoria would later admit is legible in the face of Emily Blunt, who takes the title role.

Time Out by David Fear

Vallée and his lead get high marks for kittenish revisionism. In all other respects, however, this movie is indistinguishable from every other throne-and-scepter biopic to hit the screen.

Variety by Derek Elley

Well-groomed, upscale, three-hankie entertainment for the “Masterpiece Theater” crowd.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

The Young Victoria feels like a wasted opportunity and is among the least impressive in a long line of motion pictures about British royalty.

Empire by Kim Newman

An elegant, entertaining, informative picture with a gallery of vivid supporting turns, this provisionally crowns the winning Blunt as a Brit-pic star - but it skimps a bit on the bodice-ripping, blood and thunder.

The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt

Emily Blunt, one of the best and most glamorous actresses to come out of England in recent years, makes an unusual but highly successful choice for the young Victoria.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

The Young Victoria has a subtler flow than you might expect, and at times it's calmer than you may like. Director Jean-Marc Vallée's images have a creamy stateliness, but this is no gilded? princess fantasy.

Film Threat by Phil Hall

Emily Blunt’s Victoria and Rupert Friend’s Albert come across like museum mannequins – utterly devoid of any genuine passion.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Emily Blunt makes Victoria as irresistible a young woman as Dame Judi Dench made her an older one in "Mrs. Brown" (1997).