In this movie, Helen Mirren doesn't just play Queen Elizabeth...she practically IS Queen Elizabeth, to the point where we don't feel like we're watching a performance. And an amazing performance it is, worthy of the Oscar she nabbed. But unlike "The Last King of Scotland," a mediocre & overrated film that was saved by Forrest Whittaker, "The Queen" also happens to be a riveting, one-of-a-kind movie. But even if "The Queen" sucked, it would be worth catching at least once simply because of Mirren.

The film chronicles the week following the death of Princess Diana, mostly focusing on the reactions of Queen Elizabeth & her family and newly-appointed British Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen). In the wake of the tragedy, Blair's image-conscious, PR-friendly approach to British politics, in which he feels the Royal Family should definitely express public mourning, is at odds with Elizabeth's traditionalist views. With the exception of equally image-conscious Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, the family initially feels no need to appear in public to make statements of any kind. That's partially due to Elizabeth's view of her out-dated role as a monarch, but also because, despite the public's infatuation with her, Diana is no longer a member of the royal family. We also get the impression that Elizabeth didn't like Diana much. The Royal Family, Elizabeth in particular, is mercilessly ridiculed by the media & public, and is portrayed as cold and uncaring. Though Blair doesn't agree with the way Elizabeth has handled the tragedy, his respect for the monarchy finds him doing whatever he can to save the Royal Family from themselves, and salvage what good will the people of England still may have for them. But the film shows a Queen at a crossroads between long-held tradition and modern ideals; she's frankly bewildered by the verbal and media-driven abuse, as it's the first time in her long history as Queen where she appears to be truly hated by some. "The Queen" is an actor's showcase if there ever was one. As Elizabeth, Mirren strikes a perfect balance between the emotionally aloof woman presented by the media, and one who's simply unaccustomed to publically expressing her emotions. When she does show genuine emotion, she's usually by herself, which is beautifully presented in a wonderful scene where she accosts a handsome deer on her estate, only to later keep her feelings bottled up after it's killed by a hunter. It's one of those performances that just couldn't be so brilliantly pulled-off without an actor of Mirren's caliber. While she's most of the show here, Mirren is aided by a remarkable supporting cast, headed by Sheen as Tony Blair (surprisingly sympathetic) and another great turn by James Cromwell as the gruff Prince Phillip. Prince Charles comes across as sort of a sniveling wimp (much like most of us picture him as), but as the prince, Alex Jennings is effective enough. The film also benefits from a smart, low-key script that wisely allows the characters to drive the narrative, not vise-versa.

I was very impressed with the image of this transfer. Presented in 1.85:1 enhanced widescreen, it looks great, with vibrant, accurate colors and sharp lines. Maybe it was the way I had my equipment set up at the time, but I was a bit less impressed with the sound. The wonderful music score is well-rendered, but for such a dialogue-driven film, I was surprised how muted it is in the mix.

This disc offers two audio commentaries. Director Stephen Frears & writer Peter Morgan's is the better of the two, as it is more interesting in relation to the making of the film. The second, by historian Robert Lacey, serves as more of an introduction to how the British monarchy works for those unfamiliar, but is of far less interest to movie fans. Also included is a perfunctory 20-minute making-of featurette, which includes comments by most of the major cast & crew.

"The Queen" is undoubtedly worth seeing for Mirren's performance alone, but the movie itself is very entertaining as well, featuring a smart, witty & intriguing story of the clash between old & new ideals through fairly recent events. It's a movie worth revisiting more than once, and is therefore highly recommended.