Netflix currently finds itself dealing with the drama surrounding Queen Cleopatra, one of the most recent releases on the 2023 TV schedule. The docuseries has received a significant amount of backlash due to the fact that it depicts the Egyptian royal as Black. As a result of that creative decision, the streamer has even been sued and, all the while, certain individuals have been providing their professional opinions on the matter. TV critics shared their thoughts on the show as well though, based on Rotten Tomatoes, their sentiments don’t compare to the thousands of audience reviews, which don’t hold back at all.
As of this writing, the series only has nine aggregated critic reviews on RT, which amount to an 11% freshness rating. It’s interesting that so few analysts seemed to weigh in. But though there are only a handful of reactions from pundits, there are a plethora of reactions from viewers interestingly enough. Right now, more than 2,500 reviews have been submitted on the site and, while not all of them are critical of the program, the vast majority of them appear to be overwhelmingly negative. With that, Queen Cleopatra has a meager 2% audience rating right now. One user – who awarded it one star out of five – was brutally honest about why they disliked the production:
I just watched it and it was soooo bad😭 all I can do is laugh and cry cause how inaccurate it was. They made Cleopatra Vll a warrior first of all she wasn't a warrior and also I forgot on how many times they said their opinion and ideas about how Cleopatra Vll when it supposed to be historically accurate.
While some people checked out the show before the race controversy made headlines, others jumped in after the fact. One commentator said that they tried to go into the show objectively, given everything that’s transpired. But ultimately, they couldn’t look past other apparent flaws:
So with all the controversy on this i tried to watch it and kinda ignore all the historic ‘accuracy’ from this documentary ( i cant even write the word documentary related to this and not laugh ) and still was very bad.
Queen Cleopatra, which is executive-produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, aims to shed light on the life of the historical figure and pop culture icon. A primary goal of this documentary was to cover aspects of the queen’s life that aren’t typically taught within Western society. However, some seem to believe that a number of the details highlighted are false. Another user said:
This is not a documentary, it is a fallacy about a real person and it is disrespectful to all Egyptian culture, I do not recommend watching it
Queen Cleopatra: What To Know Before You Watch The Netflix Docudrama
At present, Netflix is facing a lawsuit from an Egyptian lawyer named Mahmoud al-Semary. The attorney accused the entertainment conglomerate of “erasing the Egyptian identity.” As part of the suit, al-Semary is asking that a court revoke the subscription service in Egypt, where 100,000 people reportedly pay for the streamer. Amid the controversy, series director Tina Gharvari responded to the pushback over her casting actress Adele James in the titular character. Gharvari stated that James conveyed the “beauty” and “strength” needed to play the role. She added that while it can’t be said for sure that the royal was Black, “what historians can confirm is that it is more likely that Cleopatra looked like Adele than Elizabeth Taylor ever did.”
Egypt’s Council of Antiquities also weighed in, providing thoughts that counter the filmmaker’s. The organization views the depiction as “a falsification of Egyptian history and a blatant historical fallacy.” Members also seem to take issue with the show being classified as a documentary and not a dramatization.
The conversation surrounding the series appears to be quite nuanced and could persist for some time. This isn't the first time there's been controversy over Cleopatra casting, as Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal has been retroactively analyzed. Gal Gadot also experienced controversy for taking on the role in an upcoming movie. More immediately though, it’s still hard not to take note of the slew of negative reactions to it. Whether public opinion continues to skew negatively remains to be seen.
You can check out Queen Cleopatra yourself and form your own opinion by grabbing a Netflix subscription and streaming it.
