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Mary Queen of Scots is the latest effort to bring 16th century British historical drama into the millennial age, and for better and worse, it bears many of the hallmarks of such an effort: It's got two legitimate movie stars at its core, with Saoirse Ronan as the titular monarch and Margot Robbie as her cousin Elizabeth I. Maybe it's just Westeros withdrawal talking, but I got a consistent sense that Mary and Elizabeth's rivalry compares to the one between Daenerys and Cersei on Game of Thrones. Mary, despite (or because of?) her Catholicism is the warmer, more progressive ruler, while the famously virginal, always tense Elizabeth, pox-afflicted and slathered in white face paint, resembles no one so much as a meth-addicted Harley Quinn in RenFaire garb. Toss in some hipster-worthy facial hair, a dollop of rough sex, and some nontraditional casting, and, even without dragons, Mary Queen of Scots should help tide you over until GoT returns in April.


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