Diana (2013)

Sorry, this movie sucks

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I expected the film to offer new and meaningful insights into Diana's life which give clues to her lasting and immense worldwide popularity. This film does not live up to such expectations. It gives neither credit for Diana's combats and action nor does it do justice to her character and personality. The plot is uninteresting, boring and trivially pathetic. The story is about the last two years of Diana's life. What a strange choice! Despite the star-studded cast, the film is unmitigated disaster, strongly influenced by the worst kind of Hollywood sentimentality. Who cares about Diana's romance with Hasnat Khan? Her lifelong love was Charles, not Hasnat Khan. All Diana's romances pale in comparison with her love for Charles. The story of Diana's marriage and divorce is worth a Greek tragedy. Only an author of Shakespeare's caliber would be able to write a script whose drama, complexity and psychological intensity satisfy a discerning viewer. Apart from the drawbacks of the plot, the film fails with other respects. From the opening scene, this film must be remembered for its poor acting, miscasting and lack of understanding of Diana's role in the dramatic changes that have affected the relationship between royalties and people. Ironically, Elisabeth's reign can be divided into Diana's and after-Diana's periods. Physically, Naomi Watts does not bear any comparison with Diana. She's neither tall nor strikingly beautiful like Diana. Naomi Watts' portrayal of Diana is flat. She brings really nothing to the part. Diana's sex-appeal and enigmatic beauty have stuck in the collective memory, hence high expectations for her portrayal. The director should have chosen an unknown and talented actress with beauty and charm equaling Diana's. Casting the right actress for the part of Diana is a challenge. Diana is difficult to portray because of her charisma, aristocratic background, tragic experiences and psychological problems. Putting on sad looks à la Diana is not enough to generate interest in audience. If I had not known anything about Diana but had only seen this film, I would never feel for this character, nor would I be shaken to tears by her premature death. In short, after watching a few scenes with Naomi Watts as Diana, I dropped out and switched off the TV (the film was shown on French TV on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Diana's death). I would recommend the film to sentimental people enjoying love stories and not thinking much of Diana. The film butchers Diana's memory and heritage. People seeking depth and fresh insights into Diana's life should not watch it at any rate.

This is a decent attempt at re telling a part of Diana's life. Naveen Andrews is very good as Khan and Watts is certainly a passable Diana. It's a love story of course and people wanting a biopic should look elsewhere. If you put aside the fact it's Diana it's simply a love story of two people who are destined to not end up together trying to find a way to be. A decent watch and recommended.

I don't know why people think Naomi Watts wasn't the best actress in this because she really was! OK in some scenes, she didn't exactly look like Princess Diana but in most scene's she has done! She looked absolutely beautiful by the way!I loved how she had put a 'shy girl' attitude on her character, I have always thought Diana had that in her! Her voice was just so lovely and soft. Any little princess would've loved to have her as a mum! Naveen Andrews was the best actor to play an Indian doctor. He appears to be the person who never tries to slip his own accent. He really made a good job being in character. Some actors would let their own accents take over control when being in character.Bravo to all actors involved :)

All the bad press was so unfair. I really liked this movie and I can only recommend it to everybody who's interested in the topic. Can't be bothered about some factual or historical inaccuracies. Despite the fact that Naomi Watts looks nothing like "Lady Di" ( I was deeply disappointed when she got cast for the role) her performance is good enough to give us resemblance of real Diana, her fragility and insecurities contrasting with attention and power coming with the status of a global icon. Center of the storyline is well hidden, secret relationship so obviously it involves some creative inaccuracy. On other hand there is quite a lot of details inspired with press coverage from that period which brings the feeling of authenticity. Everybody seems to be quick to jump on a wagon of criticism but I think its done well and its interesting and enjoyable to watch.