Network: Netflix
The BEST part of this whole movie is the last 20 minutes or so when King Henry meets his soon-to-be-bride, the strong and sort of sassy Catherine played by Lily-Rose Depp (yes, Johnny’s daughter). She is literally the most interesting part of this whole movie and has a HUGE career ahead of her in Period Movies if she wants it. (Thanks, Keira Knightly – I will take it from here!) I originally thought this was going to be a series, but it was a pretty dull, male-centric movie of how the young king must navigate politics and war after his father dies. That is not to say there are not great performances. Timothee Chalamet lives up to the hype as Hollywood’s current favorite young actor. Joel Edgerton – nearly unrecognizable – plays the ONLY person King Hal can trust and the soon-to-be-Batman, Robert Pattinson, plays a pompous, French prince in a role that is more enjoyable to watch than most of the roles he has ever done. They set up the movie to have a follow-up and I really hope they do – not because this one was so great but because, again, I am looking forward to seeing the interaction of Timothee and Lily-Rose who are rumored to be dating in real life. Unlike The Spanish Princess, you can watch this one with your mum or history buffs without awkward nudity popping up. The fight scenes are a bit bloody but that is much less awkward than romps in the Royal bedroom.
The Council Rules: Um, sure – watch it. Just skip to the parts with Robert Pattinson and Lily-Rose, otherwise it is good to have on during your Sunday afternoon nap!