Catherine the Great

a.k.a. "Catherine the Pretty Fucking Terrible". 2 hours in and honestly I don't know what the hell is going on other than Catherine is getting boned. And Helen Mirren is literally old enough to be the real Catherine the Great's great-grandmother. So, yeah, that was a great idea.

Turgid and convoluted telling of Catherine's reign may have worked better if it had properly leaned in to the hysterically soapy depictions of Catherine's love life - by asking the viewer to take this bodice-ripping earnestly, it sets itself up for disaster almost from the get-go. Sparks to life when the focus shifts to HOUSE OF CARDS/GAME OF THRONES style machinations; as always Mirren does her best, but her character as presented appears risible and foolish. Excellent production design though.