ACED Magazine

Rated: TV-NR
Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Sam Neill, Callum Blue, Henry Cavill, Henry Czerny, Natalie Dormer, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Nick Dunning, James Fran, Jeremy Northam, Gabrielle Anwar
Created By: Michael Hirst

Everybody knows the story of King Henry VIII, as well as those of his six wives, and their fates: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, and survived, in that order. But...you've never heard the story quite like this.

Showtime's The Tudors is a dramatization of the story of King Henry VIII and his exploits (in both politics and the bedchamber), but do not watch the show in place of studying your History notes: it takes large liberties and deviates significantly from the facts. Even so, it does entertain, and that is, after all, what it is meant to do!

Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays the young monarch, a 25 year-old who lusts for power and women and who, in both cases, always gets what he wants.

I wouldn't consider The Tudors as a show to be some of the best programming on TV today. Some of its ingredients are poorer than others, and it certainly has its shortcomings. Despite that, as a whole, it draws you in: the series is dark, heady, and intoxicating. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is the fact that the show is visually stunning.

The colors are rich, the sets are breathtaking and the costumes (as well as the people in them!) are beautiful. One could do far worse than to allow one's eyes to take the show in; it is truly a treat to watch, and for one who cares significantly more about presentation than about content this might very well be the perfect dramatic show. In fact, the content is also far from terrible (though equally far from terrific).

The scriptwriting is the weakest facet in the series, and the arrangement of the plotline leaves a fair amount to be desired as well. Although there is a great deal of other content, such as England's relationships under the King's reign with France and Spain, it certainly feels like the most prominent storyline in the first season is meant to be King Henry's courtship of Anne Boleyn.

The show also focuses on Henry's sister Princess Margaret, namely on her forced marriage to the decrepit King of Portugal and her affair with Charles Brandon, up until she suffers an unfortunate fate.The acting is nothing to sneeze at, although the actors' performances could benefit from better direction.

The true standouts are Gabrielle Anwar as Princess Margaret, Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, and Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon. Maria Doyle Kennedy (playing Catherine of Aragon) and Nick Dunning (playing Thomas Boleyn) are also very good in their roles.

All in all, one could do much worse than watch The Tudors. If you were hesitating about getting the DVD of the first season (which comes with free episodes of other Showtime shows, as well as several featurettes on the show's production, costume design, and their favorite places in modern London), go ahead; as long as you choose not to pay too much attention to the content of the series, you'll enjoy it!

This Reviewer's Rating: 3.5 / 5 

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