THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
Hello readers,
The highly anticipated Netflix series, The Crown was released last Friday and all episodes can be streamed straight away. Since the series is the second most expensive drama made by Netflix, many people were having high hope for the series to turned out well. From lavishing costumes, props and even the settings in the Great Britain, The Crown managed to paid off the gamble well, especially with strong cast and brilliant storytelling.
Starring Clare Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, The Crown chronicles the life of Her Majesty as she ascended the throne at the age of 25 after her father, King George VI passed away. As the series continued, there are political rivalries, romances and even personal intrigues which would stand in Elizabeth's path, testing her endurance and also pleasing both public and the internal of The Crown.
Firstly, I would like to give praise to the cast, especially Foy as Queen Elizabeth II. I was sold the moment she entered the screen and even more so when she was sworn in as the Queen in Episode Two after King George VI suddenly passed away in his sleep. While Foy managed to capture the elegance and grace including how she waved to the crowd and giving speeches, she also managed to show us that the struggles she had in both public and personal lives as she tried to do anything in her own will to stand firm to her own decision. While Matt Smith as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, provides a lighter comedic performance to brightened up the serious drama, it is no doubt Jared Harris as the King George VI managed to make The Crown even more engaging. Somewhat similar to Colin Firth's Oscar winning performance in The King's Speech, Harris managed to bring us a saddened king and father who was already suffering not only his stuttering but a serious illness which he knew very well that someday his daughter would have to take over. In both first and second episodes, Harris's captivating performance was already enough to make me take a pity on his character and like almost all the people in the series when he died, I wept for the character as well.
Secondly, although I only watched up to six episodes, I would like to applaud how organised the series is. Each episode lasts for an hour or so and yet at the same time, each ends with a wonderful, clean cut cliff-hanger and excitement, leaving us as audience an understandable summary even if you never caught or pay close attention at the beginning. Each episode is named after a character in the series who happened to used the word in his or her conversation and to certain extent, the series has already been hinting us what is to come for Her Majesty and her loved ones and even in The Crown. Thus, kudos to the creator and writer, Peter Morgan for managing to cover one or two topics into an episode, leaving us not having our head bombarded with many plots at one go.
Lastly, The Crown as I mentioned earlier, managed to paid off with their effort especially in the lavishing costumes (if I am not wrong, there are an estimated total of 350 costumes in this season) and the settings. This can be seen from the scene when Elizabeth and Philip got married at the Westminster Abbey. Thousands of people gathered to watch the union, the decors hanging proudly and so many more, even the camera zooming out to show the whole setting making us very involved in the wedding, just like how the people of that era felt. Very magical, breathtaking and delightful.
In conclusion, The Crown is a joy and such privilege to watch, especially the long wait since early this year. As a long awaited series by Netflix, I do urge you to give this series a watch this month. Unlike other Netflix series, I would say that The Crown though it was a long awaited one, it did not leave me disappointed and as the series goes on, I am even more hooked onto the series, waiting for what would come for Queen Elizabeth II as she deals with the eye of The Crown, Royal Family and even the public. Good news is, The Crown has already been commissioned for a Series Two even before the premiere last week and the episodes streaming. Better yet, the series is said to have at least six seasons, so I am looking forward to how it would continue as the years passed and the character development of the outstanding cast, especially Foy's young Queen Elizabeth II.
Ratings: 8/10
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