User reviews

Jonathan Price is an excellent actor, and I've enjoyed his work in so many productions. Nonetheless, casting him as Prince Phillip doesn't work. Pryce as a person has far too much empathy in his bearing, too little "pomp". Tobias Menzies, although not the right age for this season, brought the Duke's royal arrogance and aloof carelessness perfectly to the character. Pryce just cannot void himself of his warm humanity sufficiently for the part. Also difficult is the casting of Dominic West as Prince Charles. West oozes a masculine strength and independence completely foreign to the winging, acquiescent Prince. The petulant boy who agrees to marry one woman, because his mother tells him to, while selfishly carrying on with his lover, could never be found in the abundantly self-assured personality of West.

... she really overdoes the 'head down, eyes up' look. Her voice is really good, though, as Diana. Also, Dominic West, while a lovely actor, is not a good Charles because he is not petulant enough; he actually has a very genuine smile, while we rarely see that from Chuck. :-) Chuck - oh sorry, King Chuck - is always self-pitying and probably only smiles at Camilla as far as we have ever seen; it's mostly self-pity and resentment that we see from him, hence my call of 'petulant'. I don't know why my review requires so many more words, but I'll fill it up with this so I can post it for your enjoyment.

A strong beginning to the show's third and final era. This season premiere introduces us to a whole new cast for the show, and the switch in actors is pulled off extremely well. It's always going to be slightly jarring to have a completely different person playing any of these parts, but the show has already prepared us for these drastic changes. On top of that, the performances are very strong across the board. Elizabeth Debicki is very good as Diana, and does a strong job with the portrayal. Imelda Staunton could not be better in the leading role, and does a truly great job of making the part her own while feeling like the same person as both Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman's portrayals. A very strong beginning, and I look forward to the rest of the season.

Beautifully filmed and good start ! Clearly building up to the inevitable disasters. Well written, well paced and well acted. I like this cast so far, Imelda Staunton is always brilliant so I won't worry about that. Loving the inclusion of the lesser known British actors this season. I don't understand all the outrage, it's based on true events with fiction filling in the gaps. Why can't some people and newspapers understand that ..? Although not much happened in this episode, it was clearly the warm up act. I imagine they can't give away to much, to early on. I am fascinated to see how they do it all. So far, 9.0/10 from me. Love it.

I have a major issue with the casting. Each actor who portrays one of the major characters interprets them in a different way. There is a considerable amount of inconsistency. Claire Foy plays the Queen as a vulnerable woman, Coleman plays her as the b*tch from hell and Staunton is just bland. Pryce's very sympathetic version of Prince Philip is a total break from previous portrayals. The same goes for West's Charles. We see consistency in the portayals of Margaret and DIana. The story moves away from showing a chnaging Britain but focuses sopa style on the drama. It is still enjoyable but cannot maintain the standards of previous seasons.

Series 5 of the The Crown is so enjoyable. Its contains unbelievable new age cinematography, with superb scenes and fabulous music. OK some casting is suspect. But does that really matter . I look at the bigger picture and how history and events mould into a Netflix version of British Royal History. Loving it. But its he music and how it entoxicates the senses and draws me closer and closer to the fantasy where my pleasure of watching this series sores to greater heights. The series is amazing. A true work of art . The locations have further enhanced my enjoyment. I have an OLED TV and that really makes a difference. Thank you Netflix.

Having now seen creator Peter Morgan's intentions for the beginning of the 5th series of this critically acclaimed show, it pains me to say this but I honestly don't see why "The Crown" rushed through the 1980s (arguably one of the most interesting decades in recent British & royal history) & skipped over so many iconic events it should've featured in S4, leaving that nation defining decade frustratingly underdeveloped... With hindsight, I'd argue that the previous season should've covered a span of 5 / 6 years & then this follow-up would've likely been beneficial, had it instead fleshed out Margaret Thatcher's later tenure & told the story of our cultural, political & societal evolution in far greater detail.

I say this because I'm seriously confounded how the writers & producers opted to omit all of that interesting inspiration (from historical fact) in order to prioritise speedily leaping to this section of the late monarch's era... When it does very little to justify why this warranted the rush, since it's off to such a tediously slow start here. Hardly seems comparably engaging & therefore, to me, feels sadly disappointing.

Moreover, I've reservations as to the quality of the re-casting; from his introduction, Dominic West oddly doesn't seem to be able to decide whether he wants to try doing the recognisable Prince Charles voice or not (flitting in & out of it between scenes) & Jonathan Pryce isn't even bothering to attempt Prince Philip either.

Of course, the cinematography's gorgeous & production values are mightily impressive (at times, resembling a Bond flick, aesthetically) but it doesn't have the same focus that the earlier seasons did & that abundance of style seems to compensate for a noticeable dip in substance. Whether this is because the crew has lost its lead director (Benjamin Caron) who previously steered the production through its prior years or the magic simply can't retain itself forever, it admittedly felt almost as if S1 (an an example) succeeded by holding its attention to a small ensemble of iconic characters. Thus, as the family grows, each member's pulling at the other's story & competing for screen time, increasingly spreading it all a bit thin with each & every installment.

The crown is back and stronger than ever. All though myself and I'm sure many other viewers are watching it through a vastly different light given the recent tragic events that have transpired over the past year. It was particularly interesting to watch the show now knowing how the Queens story ends. One of the bits of irony in this episode was how 31 years later Charles finally accomplishes his goals and fulfills the role he was born to do and how the rhetoric used to describe the Queen in the Sunday Times is often now used to describe Charles. The bit about Ukraine on the radio is also interesting to note how things have changed so much yet not at all.

In terms of the new cast it should come as no surprise that Elizabeth Debicki is the stand out star of the episode and I predict of the season. Her breathtaking performance as Princess Diana will make the Princess's inevitable demise all the more heartbreaking. It's been a joy to watch the interaction between Diana and her boys & I can't wait to see how that continues although I know their reaction to her death will destroy me. Debicki is also the only cast member so far this season who seems like their younger counterpart from previous seasons would actually age into them.

Speaking of younger counterparts it was a joy to see Claire Foy return as Her Majesty the Queen. The transition shot from Foy to Imelda Staunton, who's taking a turn playing the Queen this season, was executed flawlessly. But showing Foy may perhaps be a folly as it made me long for the days of her strong stint as the British Monarch. So far it's to early to tell how Staunton take on such an iconic figure will hold up to her predecessors. As of right now I can only see Staunton as the villainous Dolores Umbridge one of her previous roles. Let's just hope the costuming department stays away from pink this season.

As always the show is filed with beautiful cinematography. The shots that stuck out to me include the aforementioned transition between the young queen and present queen as well as the shot of Queen Victoria's portrait leering over Elizabeth's shoulders as she prays, a constant reminder of who has come before her and who she must measure up to. Perhaps the most powerful shot in the episode is as Diana & Charles board there yacht and the camera lingers on the cameras of the ever present and intrusive paparazzi, foreshadowing nicely what will be one of the most pivotal moments of the season & more likely series.

Overall the episode was a solid start to what's sure to be an even stronger season. The PM's monologue at the end provides a nice preview and road map of what we will see going forward and leaves the viewer excited for more!

The first episode of the crown was exactly what it should be!

This episode managed to continue the great season 4 finale and at the same time put the viewers on hold about the things that will came in the next episodes.

All the actors did there job and the actor who plays the prime minister managed to bring a whole new mystery around a person we already know.

The first episode was definitly a build up episode for the continue of the season, but still afterwards it makes you have the same exact feeling. That feeling of drama, that comes from the slowly process of learning the truth and details of some many iconic parts in history.

New Diana is too tall, too thin and looking under her eyes way too much all of which portraits Diana as some sickly odd charicature. Diana was not pathetic she was fragile but strong at the same time. When actors portray an existing or historical person it needs to come off more naturally than what we're seeing, it is really difficult to watch, overdone and wrong. Ana De Armas had the same issue portraing Marilyn and it just makes bad acting. The real person may have had certain behavioral quirks and manners but it is not all they ever were. You need to breath life to them not just mimic. In most recent portraials of actual people, Colin Firth did it best I've ever seen as Michael Peterson from HBOs The Staircase series. The voice and the manners were brilliantly similar and came off naturally eventhough he was performing a much less known character to begin with.

After really enjoying previous seasons, we were astonished by the completely wrong casting in Season 5.

Actors have basic personas; their skill is in credibly projecting a character and a plot onto that persona. Michael Kitchen, for example, makes us believe he is a detective named Foyle, but that detective has Kitchen's persona, as does every other character he plays. Dominic West makes us believe he is having an affair with a waitress in The Affair but the character's smiles, responses, attitudes are still those of Dominic West. And that's okay because we don't know the guy so we don't expect a different persona; there's no reason to doubt him.

The problem arises when he plays a real person that we know. That person's persona has to fit onto Dominic's if we are to believe him. Prince (now King) Charles is subtle and reserved, qualities Dominic West doesn't project. If I had never seen Prince Charles, I might imagine him acting and reacting as Dominic West does; but I have seen him, and the two can't be reconciled. It's like a Rolls-Royce being played by a Corvette.

Likewise Jonathan Pryce, whose persona is far too humane for Prince Phillip, and even Imelda Staunton, who is too much like a favorite aunt to be the queen.

It only took twenty minutes for us to realize that this season's cast is simply not credible. So we left. What a shame.

Prince Charles (Dominic West) was made 10 times more attractive (physically and otherwise) than in real life, without any resemblance and needlessly romanticized. Diana was made 10 times less attractive than she used to be, downright a caricature of a vacuous anorexic (Elizabeth Debicki). That was downright offensive to viewers. Quite a letdown after the great portrayal of Charles and Diana from the previous season. Enough to ruin my experience completely and drop the episode before it ended. It looks like the creators have tried hard to curry favor with the Palace. John Mayor (Jonny Lee Miller) and Princess Margret (Lesley Manville) were good. Camilla, just like in the previous season when she was prettier than Diana (really?) was ridiculously embellished compared to the real character (Olivia Williams.) Imelda Staunton likable as Queen Elizabeth II but Jonathan Pryce terrible as Prince Philip. Overall, after all this wait, a great disappointment.

Debicki's performance as Diana is absolutely the best I've ever seen and I cannot imagine any one performing it better. Her face, eyes, hair, walk, voice, right down to the smallest of her distinct mannerisms is perfection - and makes it look completely natural. I'm incredibly irritated that others are focusing on her height and being 'too thin'. Diana was nearly 6 feet! And she dealt with being too thin from time to time in her life. Is it so hard to see her slimmer than she really was? I think the fact people focus only on these points is actually giving a huge compliment to Elizabeth; "You're obviously playing Diana as a near 100% cloned doppelganger - but darn it, why are you so tall?" Elizabeth, if you ever read this, bravo. Absolutely incredible performance. I felt as if Diana were alive again.

Elizabeth Debicki is far too tall for the part of Diana . They should have cheated the camera angles or made the other actors wear lifts. Princess Diana was tall for a female of her era at 5'10", but Elizabeth Debicki is 6'3". That completely changes the dynamic with all the other actors. The scenes with the tiny Imelda Staunton as the Queen (barely 5' tall) are laughable. Also the Royals would never have permitted a marriage with a woman who was 5" taller than Prince Charles. In real life Diana wore flat shoes and Charles often stood on a step for photos so as not to emphasise that she was the same height as him. It is a shame because apart from that she is doing a great job in the part and is very believable. I'm sorry but I find her extreme height in this performance very distracting.

The magnetically intriguing story of the royal family continues with new actors in this big Netflix production. All actors are top class (especially Jonathan Pryce and Imelda Staunton)but the compelling interpretation of Elizabeth Debicki (Princess Diana),stands out. (Golden globe nomination beyond any doubt). Production designer,costumes and editing near perfection. The big production staging is really impressive. The strongest point is the amazing screenplay of Peter Morgan,you know the story and the characters but is so brilliantly placed that you are so involved that you cannot stop watching. Unmissable.

I won't get into casting. I also found some of the choices weak, especially Charles. This episode gets into the fragile decline of the relationship between Diana and Charles. If tension were a torpedo, that boat would be at the bottom of the sea. We see Charles openly complaining about his lot. His intractability in scheduling the events of the vacation are really sad. He lives in the past and that's all he wants to see, with virtually no give. Just a couple of compromises would have gained him so much favor, especially between him and his children, but he is incapable of putting away his petulant self. Diana is fragile and self centered in her own way. A rather mundane opening foray.

I have loved the last four series of The Crown (especially 1-2), but this latest series does not sit very well with me.

This episode sets up series 5 for a lot of discontent within the Royal Family and the country's view of them. My recollection is that this is a fairly accurate depiction of attitudes towards the RF.

This episode shows the lack of connection between Charles and Diana; he is a deep thinker, likes history and the arts, whereas Diana is all about shopping and frivolities. Whilst I think Elizabeth Debicki portrays Diana brilliantly, Diana comes across as petulant and whingey whiney (Prince Harry ?) to anyone who will listen. I am not liking Imelda Staunton as the Queen - I keep seeing Professor Umbridge!- but I think she is better than Olivia Coleman.

I shall continue to watch but I don't think the RF will be portrayed in a sympathetic light.

Like the previous season, the first episode of the season lays the groundwork and introduces you to the cast who will portray this generation and time period. It is always a treat to see Claire Foy again. I liked how the season started by showing the definitive Queen Elizabeth as played by Claire Foy. The crown almost comes full circle as we are taken to where it all began to a version and look of the Queen most of us were accustomed to seeing. The transition from the last season of Diana and Charles might have been better. We were left with a powerful moment at the end of Season 4 with a Diana who was lost and out of place and it feels like they jumped forward a bit. But again not a strong issue with that. Not a bad first episode.

I can't for the life of me understand the casting of West as Charles- at first blush I felt he's far too handsome and likable to pull off this role, and now it's all I see- Dominic West on The Crown, not Prince Charles as portrayed by Dominic West.

Same can be said for Staunton as the Queen- I like her well enough but we were so fond of Olivia Coleman and don't really see a need to change this portrayal out other than 'oh two seasons, time for new portrayals!!' Pryce seems a competent actor for Phillip, but same can be said, as Tobias was an incredibly talented actor who did a marvelous job.

Especially in regards to West- he's completely incapable of portraying the whining, sniveling Charles- and his 'look' is completely and utterly ridiculous. All I see is a person trying to seem princely, and the person he is pretending to be was never anything close to that.

With these being the final two seasons of a show so many of us enjoyed, it's baffling the choices made to portray the characters- it seems as though the casting directors may have become too confident and taken the bait of big names rather than what had largely proven to be the best course; those who felt more real in their roles and propelled the show to the top.

I sincerely hope I'm wrong and further episodes see them settle in more confidently but I'm not holding out much hope.

Most people have been getting upset by the casting. And while there are a few minor hiccups here and there, I'd say that overall the casting is still strong.

The sets and costumes are absolutely still at the very top. But what actually bothered me this season is just the way they slowed the pacing of the story down even further. And I don't mean this only in timeframe, but also just the rate at which interesting events happen in the episodes. Firstly, this season only covers five years, the shortest timespan of any season. Which wouldn't have to be a problem, but the importance and interestingness of the stories also took a tumble. Most of it is just internal family business, there's hardly any real politics being covered and the Queen is being overshadowed in her own show. Many character arcs feel like they've become stale.

Sadly this makes for an altogether weaker viewing experience. However, there are still some really strong moments in this season. I expect fans will still like this, just a bit less than before.

I arrived in the UK right about the same time Lord Mountbatten was killed as a member of "the forces" USAF. I left right about the time the Right Honorable Gentleman from Peterborough (Major) took over. When Charles and Diana got married we had to go to work, but we couldn't power up any aircraft. After about 1/2 hour our bosses came out and said we weren't allowed to touch any jets! So we went back to our shop and watched the wedding on TV. And we were 55 miles from London!

I find the whole Charles/Diane thing to be quite boring and "soapy". I loved previous seasons of this show where they dealt with significant historical events that affected the UK and the Crown. Both Charles and Di come off as immature and selfish, unwilling to put service to their country above their pettiness. Anyone who ever served in the military has experience and understands service before self. Don't get me wrong, I liked Diana and felt bad when she died, but this ain't supposed to be the Charles and Diana show. Hopefully they get back on track or they really just need to end this show.