Based on real life events that follows the lives of Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) and King Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) of Botswana following World War II, A United Kingdom is a play-by-the-numbers romance movie.
Similar to the far more entertaining Loving (which came out around the same time), A United Kingdom deals with interracial love that was so frowned upon by Western European nations that threatened diplomatic relations for the African nation.
The reason why I state in my headline that A United Kingdom divides the audience is not based on the interracial aspect…that’s just stupid, people have been intermixing since the beginning of time (go read The Bible, it happens in there quite often). It’s because the story is so generic that I almost fell asleep sitting through this thing. If it wasn’t for my friend sniffling along and me asking, “What are you crying for?” repeatedly, I wouldn’t have made it through.
Both Oyelowo and Pike are fantastic actors in their own-right, just watch Selma and you will know how great Oyelowo is, but the material they were given just doesn’t work. I often refer to something like as, “playing the notes but not making music.”
The only interesting part of this Blu-ray are the two featurettes on filming in Botswana and the Legacy of Seretse and Ruth. I would have much rather seen a documentary on the royal couple than sit through something that should have been just as entertaining.
A Kingdom United is out on Blu-ray and DVD today.
- Overall Score
The Verdict
A Kingdom United is a hot topic issue that is luke-warm in pulling your heart strings.