Judy Dench is the bomb.

Her performance in Victoria and Abdul is superb.

I can’t say the same for the movie though.

The first part is really amusing as Abdul becomes a part of her life.

But as time goes on, and as everyone, and I mean everyone, in the palace crowd, is mean, spiteful, racist and evil, it begins to feel like the makers are selling us short.

I find it hard to believe that among the teeming dozens at court, not one person shows one second of humanity ever, upping the monster quotient scene after scene.

The makers acknowledge that Abdul wasn’t perfect. It would have made the movie a little more believable if everyone else except the queen was perfectly despicable with every breath they take.

The movie begins by saying it is a true story, mostly.

I would call it a true story on occasion.