Top Historical Drama Movies Everyone Should See

  Anyone who knows me knows I love period dramas. I also love historical fiction, and with my love for that, I have found a lot of historical dramas that everyone should see at least once. So, I'm going to wax poetic on this post. Here are my 6 historical dramas everyone should see at least once. 

6: The King (2019)

    Before he was Paul Ma'dib Usul Atreides, Timothee Chalamet was Hal or Henry V in Netflix's 2019 historical drama, The King. Following the story of Shakespeare's version of history following King Henry V of England, The King is a retelling of the play and historical accounts, often intertwining the two, at least from what I could tell. Timothee Chalamet did very well portraying a drunken layabout who becomes king begrudgingly. His acting chops really shine in this movie, and it took me a moment to not realize that he's not British. Robert Pattison as The Dauphin of France is hilarious. He's chewing scenery like it's licorice, and seeing Robert Pattison in a new way is amazing. The one gripe I have is that Lily-Rose Depp needed to be better utilized. They could have given her a bigger character. I hear she can really act when she has material that suits her. Besides that, I totally recommend this movie. As I said, you can find this movie on Netflix.

5: Mary, Queen of Scots (2018)

    Based on the John Guy book of the same name, Mary, Queen of Scots follows the titular historical Queen as she becomes Scotland's queen and her rivalry with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. The movie stars Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as the respective Queens, and they do so well portraying them. The movie does well trying to balance having two POVs surrounding their rivalry. Though the film should have been renamed to show it's not just Mary's movie, what it does accomplish along the lines of acting and the script and telling a version of the iconic feud outshines its stumbles. You can find the movie on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.

4: Outlaw King

    Is there anything Chris Pine can't do? Well, whatever it is it doesn't include him carrying a historical epic on his back. Outlaw King is a Netflix movie about Robert The Bruce, a 14th-century king fighting for Scottish Independence. Chris Pine, and breakout star at the time, Florence Pugh make this movie. The dramatics, CGI, script, and acting are so so good. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and stream it this weekend.

3: Gunpowder

    Fresh off his role as Jon Snow, Kit Harrington dons a doublet and boots in this 16th-century period film (or miniseries if you're in the UK) and portrays Robert Catesby, the actual orchestrator of the Gunpowder plot that is remembered every 5th of November. Gunpowder follows the start and the end of the plot to kill King James VI and place his daughter, Anne, as England's catholic monarch. The cast led by Kit Harrington is amazing. Harrington himself does fantastic playing a man hellbent on religious liberation by any means necessary. Liv Tyler plays Catesby's relative, and she does very well in the role. This film brings back the days of The Tudors or Borgia where everyone seems to be believable in their roles. There's no one I think is out of step with the story they're telling, and I think it is an Elizabethan movie done well since Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth movies. 

Fun fact, during the production, Kit Harrington learned he is a descendant of Catesby, which I think is cool. You can find it on Max. It is well worth the watch.

2: 1917

    Despite it winning multiple awards including Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars, 1917 is a war movie no one talks about, and I want to change that. Inspired by stories of director, Sam Mendez's grandfather who was a Lance Corporal, 1917 follows two friends in WW1 who have to stop an offensive attack that could cost 1600 men including one of the friends' brothers their lives. This movie was predicated on the idea that it was a one-shot movie, where there were basically no cuts, and boy, is this movie a masterpiece at that. Dean-Charles Chapman and George McKay are fantastic! This movie is also littered with short stint scenes by caliber actors such as Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, and literally so much more. This movie deserved the awards it won, and I think it could give other WW1 movies a run for their money. You can find this movie on Netflix, Prime, or Apple TV+.

1: Elizabeth & Elizabeth The Golden Age

    Going back to the decades of French hoods and ruffles, Elizabeth and its sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age are historical period drama standards in my opinion. Cate Blanchett as the Virgin Queen is breathtaking as she goes from being unwanted by her older sister and Catholics to being Gloriana, Queen Bess. Both movies are the perfect example of period drama done right. Though there are some historical inaccuracies, and I wish the end of The Golden Age was seeing Elizabeth in her well-known deathbed, appointing James VI as her successor, the movies as a whole are fantastic. They explore what most Elizabeth portrayals skip over or skim through, and for that, it deserves number 1 on this list. You can find this movie on HBO Max.

 

Have you seen any of these movies? Are any of these movies on your tbw (to be watched) list? Let me know down below.