I was really looking forward to this series. Helen Mirren is a favorite actress of mine so I try to keep up with her filmography. She did a phenomenal job of inhabiting the characters of Queen Elizabeth I and ll. I couldn't wait to see her portrayal of Catherine the Great whose character and life is full of great material. Unfortunately this script gave little for Mirren to work with. There was too much exposition and not enough compelling dialogue that was befitting the shrewd intelligent historical figures of Catherine and Potemkin. The settings and costumes were breathtaking but during the early scenes the actors (all of them) appeared to be too old for the age of the characters. What a snoozefest! Literally, I dosed off on the second episode. I usually can endure any period drama even if it's not something critically acclaimed but the writing was lazy and cliche. The conversations could have easily been between characters from a Hallmark channel movie or soap opera. I have seen Helen despite her age pull off being a sex symbol but I wasn't buying it that these young hunks were enamored with Catherine. There just wasn't any chemistry or well written dialogue to sell it. I made it through all four episodes in hopes the series would redeem itself by the end. Not. So I'm generously giving 6 stars because I love Mirren and for the costumes, settings/production value, and some splendid cinematography for a few scenes. Otherwise I might give it 3 like a previous reviewer.
Review of Catherine the Great
