Queen Cleopatra

This must be the jewel in the crown of Hollywood's obsession with identity and the perfect example of a whole smogarsboard of mistakes. From the unfortunate trailer that must have been designed with the explicit intent to create controversy- why elser put that silly old woman with her grandma into it?-to the girl power vibe that Jada Pinkett further emphasized with her melodramatic narration. The director seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between fiction and documentary. People keep bringing up the example of Liz Taylor, yet the movie never claimed to be a historically correct account, but pure entertainment. This is not the case with this unfortunate concoction that puts Cleopatra into the same basket with other African queens (whatever that means), though neither her ancestry nor her position imply she had anything to do with Egyptian heritage apart from the fact she ruled over the country. If the world's leading Egyptologist who's currently searching for her tomb, Zahi Hawass, calls this a fradulent mess, the only thing viewers whose grandmothers had some basic education can do is to give this self-righteous pile of wishful thinking a skip. In the attempt to make her look more relatable, textured and stronger, Adele James made a fool of herself. I suggest to the director to stick to fiction in the future. If she continues with her wrecking ball-approach to history, who knows how far she might go. Maybe the granny from the trailer knows it, but I don't want to know. Let's hope we can put this traumatic experience to bed soon and I hope the same thing doesn't happen to Adele James' career as well.

I made the decision to be the one to actually watch this.

It's worse than expected and I had severely low expectations.

There is nothing redeeming about this. The acting is wooden, there's so many leaps in logic it's genuinely concerning. This should be called Based on Cleopatra.

The Roman men are portrayed in a comical way that really shows the creators have a crippling bias against Europeans.

They threw in some weird fight training that would never have happened and some dance stuff...for some reason.

The lead actress is perfect in that she's boring, bad at acting, and looks about as much like Cleopatra as everyone in the world who saw the previews has already stated.

Netflix should give everyone a free month for having produced this wreck.

A badly acted, badly mate, poor docu series, Netflix have put out an absolute howler with this one.

I have always thought the purpose of a documentary was to educate, as much as entertain, there is so much about this that just doesn't work, I'm not quite sure I recognise the title character at all.

There is not enough input from the experts, and what there is, I just found so questionable. What should have been dramatic, exciting and educational, was dull, flat and uninspiring, what a shame, Cleopatra's story is a fascinating one, this does not do her any justice.

I spent a couple of hours on a drab Sunday evening watching it, I genuinely hope you don't do the same, genuinely don't waste your time on this one.

1/10.

As an avid history enthusiast, I had high hopes for the Queen Cleopatra. However, upon watching it, I was left utterly disappointed and frustrated. This show, marketed as a historical drama, not only deviates from established historical facts but also presents a revisionist and fantastical version of Cleopatra's story.

One of the fundamental principles of any historical adaptation is to remain true to the events and characters of the past. Unfortunately, this series throws that principle out the window. Instead of providing an accurate portrayal of the legendary Queen Cleopatra, it takes an absurd and misguided approach, reimagining her as a sorceress with supernatural abilities. This fantastical element completely undermines the rich historical context and erodes any credibility the show might have had.

Moreover, the series seems to prioritize sensationalism over historical accuracy. Important events are either altered or entirely fabricated for the sake of creating dramatic tension. This kind of reckless manipulation of historical events not only distorts our understanding of the past but also sends a dangerous message to viewers. As George Santayana once said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." By blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, the Queen Cleopatra mini-series fails to educate and enlighten its audience about the fascinating history of ancient Egypt.

Furthermore, the characters in this series lack depth and nuance. Cleopatra, an iconic and complex historical figure, is reduced to a one-dimensional caricature. Her intelligence, political acumen, and strategic brilliance are overshadowed by her fantastical powers. The portrayal of other significant historical figures, such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, is equally disappointing. They are depicted as shallow and inconsequential, devoid of the depth and charisma they possessed in reality.

In addition to its historical inaccuracies and shallow character development, the dialogue is clunky and uninspiring, failing to capture the grandeur and eloquence associated with the time period.

Firstly, I need to say that I don't care that a person of color was chosen to play the lead.

That being said, to call this work of pure fiction a "Documentary" is ridiculous. I watched the first episode and had to give up. I do understand that to make a series about someone who lived a couple thousand years ago will required much "filling in of the blanks" but, come on!, at least fill in those blanks with something that was remotely probable.

I am sick of hearing people talk about historical people based on fictionalized Hollywood portrayals of them. This farce will just add to that.

This series, my friends, is FAKE NEWS.

Pure and poor fiction - nothing more.