Diana

Yet another film about the monarchy hits our screens, but will the movie about the 'Queen of Hearts' be more like The Queen or William And Kate?

Adapted from Kate Snell’s book Diana: Her Last Love, the film follows 'the most famous woman in the world'. After separating from Prince Charles, Diana meets London-based Pakistani cardiac surgeon Hasnat Khan. They start a secret love affair. As they become closer, they find that the media and family may keep them apart.

The script is poorly written and the dialogue is forced and sugary. Naomi Watts gives a good performance but is limited by the script. While her appearance and mannerisms are similar to those of Diana, her lines consist of weak attempts at humour, regular self pity and dramatic declarations of love that wouldn’t be out of place in a soap opera.

Lost's Naveen Andrews fairs little better with a character that feels very flat and underdeveloped. His expression throughout is that of a deer caught in the headlights, as he has a stunned look on his face even at the start of the relationship. The supporting cast are basically background fodder with no real purpose within the narrative.

The film is extremely safe in its depiction of events. Charles is never seen and Diana's relationship with her sons is ignored apart from a few lines about their lack of contact. Her relationships with Khan and Fayed are also portrayed in a simplistic, cut and dried way. It just feels like a really bad Mills and Boon novel. There is just nothing interesting in this supposed true story. Even Downfall's Oliver Hirschbiegel's direction is very dull and static.

The ending is rather cheesy and feels more like a soap opera than a biopic. No pun intended, but this is car crash cinema at its most dire. The Queen was overrated and rather tedious, but compared to this travesty it is a masterpiece. Overall, “Diana” is certainly one of the worst movies of 2013.