During the last two years of her life, Princess Diana embarks on a final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

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Sabbir Malik from London
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Entering the cinema auditorium with a pre-conceived pessimistic judgment on the film yet determined to watch it anyways, I can only say that I am glad that I had not allowed for media and critic opinion to dissuade me from watching "Diana." The film does not portray Diana in a bad way at all. If anything, it reiterates the absolute disgusting habits our press have had in terms of absolute disregard and disrespect for people's privacy. You feel a certain connection with Diana throughout the film, and see her for the "normal person" she was deep down. Naomi Watts' performance was spectacular, and she certainly did Diana justice. Although the film is most certainly disliked by many - i.e: the media, Islamophobes and daily mail readers... It is disliked for the mere fact that the film provides an insight into things that make certain people very uncomfortable, such as the prospect of the Princess of Wales marrying to a Pakistani Muslim, and the fact that Diana was actually a human being, with feelings, and with a difficult life.

So all I can say is, ignore the media, and make judgements for yourself. Perhaps after watching the film, you would rate it as highly as I have, or perhaps you may walk out half way through... Regardless, it's a fantastic film with a beautiful portrayal of the 'People's Princess'... Be warned: Take some Kleenex with you...The ending... is rather emotional

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alwynhuk from United Kingdom
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This film took me by surprise due to all the negativity surrounding it. It actually turned out to be a decent film that I enjoyed. I've always loved Naomi Watts and she pulls of a great performance. So she doesn't look exactly like Diana - what actress does? Diana was very unique looking and Naomi is definitely the right person for the role.

Naveeen Andrews also pulled a strong performance and the film had good pacing and never got dull. The film was respectable to Diana and I liked how they ended the film.

Please do not judge the film before seeing it. The British press were never going to praise this film. Well done Naomi.. you should be proud of this film.

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Thaatu-1 from Finland
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I went to see this movie almost without any expectations. Granted, in my mind, Naomi Watts's performance in "Mulholland Dr." was exceptional, but that was over ten years ago, so I made a deliberate effort not to compare the roles. I had not seen any reviews and did not know anything about the movie, except its title character. I knew the main outlines of Diana's life and had seen some of her interviews, although I was more familiar with her death. Thus I had no opinion of Diana herself, except that I had heard a little of her famous charity work. With these things in mind I went to the theater. To me the movie was excellent. The atmosphere was enchanting and at times haunting. Watts played Diana like a shape shifter, matching her every move when the character presented herself to the media, while breaking her facade in private. She portrayed tons of difficult emotion that had to convey an aristocratic filter created by the character's upbringing. Diana's life was presented as a complex mixture of personal and public, feelings and constraints, that lead to her being slowly crushed by the outside pressures she could not control. The movie's purpose was obviously apolitical and tried to convey Diana's driving force that was interpreted in the movie as love. It succeeded in this very convincingly. The credit for this goes not only to Watts, but also the director Oliver Hirschbiegel (who, I now notice, directed "Der Untergang", an exceptional film in its own right) and Naveen Andrews, who played his role with credibility and originality. Altogether I found the movie to be on-par with the best biographical dramatizations in film, even coming close to "King's Speech".

Now that I had seen the film, and had been thoroughly impressed by it, imagine my surprise when I tuned in on IMDb. At this moment the score was 4.9. I immediately noticed a pattern. Of all the 2900 voters 446 (15.4 %) had voted 1. In fact the value 1 dominated the chart, being the most frequent vote of all the values. I interpreted this is a symptom of pure ignorance. Obviously the movie is not the worst of all time, like for example "The Room", "Manos: The Hands of Fate" or "Plan 9 from Outer Space". There in fact seems to be an almost organized effort to trash the movie. I do not think this has much to do with the film itself, but is a continuation of the politicization of Diana's life. I would recommend, when reading reviews, to recognize the critics who judge the film based on their own preconceived notions and those who judge the film on its own merits.

My score for "Diana" is between 8 and 9, which rounds it up to 9.

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geoffgee from Sheffield, England.
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I went to see the film 'Diana' this afternoon and can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The film took me on a very convincing journey into what it must have been like for Diana as she struggled with coming to terms with her own inner conflicts (eg the feeling that she was destined always to be an 'outsider' to whatever family she aspired to belong to) while striving to rebuild a life for herself after separating from Prince Charles and to find the love she so desperately yearned for. The story is by turns happy and sad. I found myself smiling for Diana when things were going well, heartbroken when they weren't. Naomi Watts does an absolutely amazing job of portraying Diana. Her's is undoubtedly the weightiest role in the film and she puts her heart and soul into it with a wonderfully nuanced performance. Naveen Andrews playing the part of Dr Hasnat Khan also deserves much credit. Other actors and actresses played lesser roles, but all were well cast and contributed significantly as members of Diana's remaining 'entourage' (some also in roles as 'confidants'). Cinematography, location photography, interiors, sets, music and directing were all excellent. I've never been much of a 'royalty follower', but having seen this film I feel I know a lot more about Diana, her day to day life, and the last love of her all too short life. Don't be put off by low ratings (or negative reviews) - this is a moving and well made film. Highly recommended. 8/10.

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phd_travel from United States
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The last few years of Diana's tragic life post separation and divorce is depicted in this biopic. It is fascinating, voyeuristic and quite moving.

Good points: Naomi Watts acts well. She has a satisfactory Diana accent and good imitations of her facial expressions. She captured Diana's essence despite being much more petite in build and having more delicate facial features than Diana. Good effort to recreate famous photographic moments and wardrobe and clothes. Physical resemblance isn't a must. After all Helen Mirren doesn't look like the Queen but she still won an Oscar. So Naomi's portrayal should be nominated at least.

The story highlights Diana's efforts in the campaign against land mines. And it gives her life a meaningful legacy. The hounding of the press and photographers, and her intimate daily life are fascinating to watch. Also the tragedy of her personal isolation and quest for happiness are very moving.

There are some faults. The balance of the screenplay was off when it came to her romantic life. Other TV biopics have shown the disintegration of her marriage but not so much the later relationships. However in this movie too much was spent on the affair with Dr Hasnat Khan. Naveen Andrews wasn't dignified enough for the role of a specialist doctor. He seemed crude and coarse. Quite disturbing to see her in his squalid flat. More screen time on the relationship with Dodi Al Fayed would have helped show contrast and give a more complete picture about her last months. The scenes on the yacht and Ritz Hotel are nicely done and should have been longer.

Overall worth a watch for the perennially fascinating subject matter.

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Kamal Ahmed from Washington DC, US
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I hardly write reviews but the average rating of this movie forced and compelled me to sign in and write one for this one. I have been waiting for this one since its production days and now that I finally managed to watch it, I am really surprised to see it has been rated so low on average. The film is great and I loved it. Naomi has done a wonderful job especially with her expressions and her accent. She did justice to the character. Nobody other could have done Diana's character in such a magnificent, delicate and magnificent way. It was because of this movie that I was so touched that I watched Diana's interview with BBC once again after so many years. I compared Naomi's impressions of Diana during that very interview and she was just amazing. It's a beautiful film and the cast has done an amazing job. It doesn't happen very often that the admirers and fans of a famous personality can be pleased by someone else by being the same. Naomi did that successfully.

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Hot 888 Mama from Jacksonville, FL
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DIANA spares no expense in recreating the final two years of life for "the People's Princess." It is filmed on several continents, in countries ranging from Angola to Pakistan. The filmmakers strive to get every detail right, even hiring a piano tutor for Naomi Watts so she can appear to be as accomplished playing Bach as Diana. Naveen Andrews as Pakistani cardiologist Dr. Hasnat Khan is excellent here as an even bigger loser than was his character on the TV show LOST. Just one word from Dr. Khan would have clinched world peace (and a Nobel Prize for Diana) in August, 1997. But the movie shows he would NOT return her call about their pregnancy together (and the imminent conversion of her and her sons to Islam). Dr. Khan put his personal yen for privacy above Di's grand plan to marry the East and the West in perpetual bliss. This gave her smirking palace guards (lurking in the background throughout DIANA) a chance to cram her and her matchmaker Dodi Fayed into a rigged vehicle with a "drunken chauffeur" patsy so an MI6 stunt driver could crash into a wall and finish off the trio. Recent polls show 70% of the population knows this allowed British Prime Minister Tony Blair to rid himself of "an inconvenient woman," and plot 9-11 with the American president. Instead of world peace, humanity lost its last "great white hope," receiving endless war benefiting only the world's military industrial complex.

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chrisliz57 from Australia
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I can understand why Diana might be a disappointment for most.

If one is after a detailed portrait of "The Loneliness of the Disaffected Princess" then this film will only partially fulfill.

If, however, one is after a simple, easy to watch love story about the affair so well hidden from the public eye in the 18 months prior to her sudden death, then fulfilled you shall be.

The disappointment for me came from the fact Diana's director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, created Downfall, the depiction of Hitler's final days. The film was an Oscar nominee, a deserved reward for its depth. Diana is his first foray into a love story. He talks of his research coming from the 2004 inquiry and The Kate Snell book of the affair. I suggest that the details coming from those sources was light and frothy.

The film is pleasant enough with a shallowness to match a children's wading pool, but as I say, it depends on what you are expecting. Oh, and Naomi Watts is lovely but not quite as beautiful as The Princess we remember!

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shawneofthedead
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On paper, DIANA had everything going for it: the biopic had lined up one of the finest actresses working today for the title role (Naomi Watts), and paired her with a serious-minded director (Oliver Hirschbiegel) who had turned Adolf Hitler's final days into a gripping, powerful drama (Downfall)... there was even a precedent set by The Iron Lady, which proves that a biopic can be mediocre and/or take liberties with its subject and still provide room to think, feel, and appreciate the pure strength and power of the performances on display. Not so with DIANA, sadly.

Watts plays the tragically doomed people's princess just as her marriage to Prince Charles is properly disintegrating. Left with a husband in name but not in fact, Diana tries to figure out how to redefine herself independently of her estranged Royal Family. The answer, apparently, is to fall in love with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews), who inspires her to do more and better with the media attention lavished so excessively upon her.

The senseless tragedy of Diana's death in a car accident, hunted down by media to her very end, looms large over the entire film, as well it should - but it's not the only tragedy that befalls it. That dubious honour belongs to Stephen Jeffreys' script, which is full of unrealistic characters and ponderous dialogue. For all of Watts' valiant efforts, there isn't much wit and soul to her Diana. The cunning ingenuity she displays in her battle against the Royal Palace in the first ten minutes of the film fades away rather too quickly, leaving her to be defined almost entirely in terms of a soppy, soapy love story that never really takes flight.

Any depth of character or charitable intent that she's given is connected to her growing love for Hasnat: a reductive and regrettable approach if ever there was one. It doesn't help that Hasnat is portrayed in so frustrating a way. Andrews is just as hamstrung by the script as Watts, forced to deliver painfully awkward and stilted lines while playing some kind of spoilt man-child who alternates between throwing tantrums and pleading for Diana to understand the inexplicable predicament he believes himself to be in.

Anyone searching for depth and complexity here will be sorely disappointed. DIANA provides few, if any, real insights into a public figure who suffered some of the greatest slings, arrows and presumptions attributable to media speculation and persecution. Rather than clearing away some of those cobwebs and claptrap, this melodramatic biopic adds to them: reducing a complex, troubled human being trapped in extraordinary circumstances to the shallow, unsympathetic female lead in a badly-written, utterly banal romantic drama. If there were a greater tragedy than Diana's untimely death, it's the fact that she's forced to live on in this film.

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barbraajohnson from Indianapolis, IN
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I never read reviews before I watch a film because I want no preconceived ideas of the quality of what I'm watching. I prefer to make those decisions on my own. I can see now that is a very good policy. Reading some of the reviews after having seen Diana I was shocked because I found the film to be a terrific portrayal of Princess Diana by Naomi Watts. Yes, Watts is truly a good actress and also a beautiful woman. Yes, she is much shorter than Diana and, therefore, perhaps not quite as elegant; but she couldn't have done a better job I don't believe.

I think most people were disappointed because Watts did the unthinkable; she didn't bring Diana back from the grave. Diana is STILL dead. She did, however, very nicely portray Diana as a real person with real feelings and much of the film was very surprising if the writers have guessed accurately about the actual conversations which took place between Diana and the supporting cast. I liked the person Diana in the film, whom Watts created, even if that isn't truly the REAL Diana, it's a way I'd like to remember her. We will never really know for sure, will we?

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Certifications:
Argentina:Atp / Australia:M / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) / Canada:G (Quebec) / Denmark:7 / France:U / Germany:o.Al. / Hong Kong:IIA / Hungary:12 / India:U/A / Ireland:12A / Japan:G / Mexico:B / Netherlands:12 / New Zealand:M / Singapore:PG13 / South Korea:15 / Sweden:Btl / Switzerland:8 / UK:12A / USA:PG-13