Reviews

The Great is quite great

Historical comedy might not be accurate, but definitely is funny

Reporter Colleen Brownley

The Great is a loosely based comedy series on Catherine The Great’s rise to power in Russia. But even though the main premise of the show is to be historical, it is also hysterical. The show starts off with a naive girl who believes that she is marrying a gentleman who will woo her and love her. Unfortunately, her husband does not meet up to her expectations, and pretty soon the lifestyle of the 18th-century Russian court destroys her optimism. Soon, however, Catherine (Elle Fanning) falls in love, but not with Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult), instead with Russia and she wants it all to herself.

The show is most definitely not historically accurate, but the general plot of the show is accurate. The upside about taking liberties with the storyline was to increase the humor and drama of the show. Most quotes from the show worth mentioning are explicit so I will refrain from mentioning them. But, the show is definitely something to watch.

The acting in The Great was also superb, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult did an exceptional job at portraying their characters. Even though Peter is supposed to be cruel and the antagonist of the series, his backstory and Hoult’s acting made me sympathize for his character. But, ultimately the show’s main plot is about overthrowing Peter so I tried not to get too attached. Elle Fanning definitely deserves some type of award for her performance in this series. The way she displayed her emotions was breathtaking. Instead of simply crying, she sobbed, instead of being happy, she was ecstatic. The show was meant to be dramatized, to be elevated, and she in turn, elevated her emotions to make her character seem raw and uncensored.

Another aspect of the show that had me in awe was the visuals. The costume designs, the camera angles, and the scenery were all stunning. I would kill a man to wear some of the elegant garments in The Great. The director, Matt Shakman, of the show, is most likely proud of himself. Most shots followed the actors, to make them the main focal point, but when the camera strayed from them to showcase something else it was spectacular. The castle was the setting scene for most of the show and it was almost as if I could visualize what the rest of the rooms would look like. There was definitely a color scheme, mostly deep ruby reds, different tones of gold, black, and brown.

This show was excellently written, the flow of the series was not too fast or too slow. When the character’s personalities progressed and changed they still shared traits they did before. Even though it wasn’t entirely accurate, the main points of history were there, and the characters who were written in all had a purpose in progressing the storyline.

The Great is featured on Hulu and if you aren’t convinced to watch it at least look up the trailer, that should convince you. Even if you don’t want to watch it, face it you have nothing better to do.