There are two parallel stories, one pure-dee political and the other purely fantasy. The two stories, in fact, are not totally decoupled, and lead to a final contrast between the failure of the belief that the innocent exist for the rulers to exploit and the success of a recognition that a ruler exists for the people, whatever the price he or she must pay in the end.

This really excellent film shows how the royals, and in particular Queen Elizabeth, dealt with Princess Diana’s death — or failed to deal with it.

What we have is the adventure of one young man, ripped from his home, trying to get back to save his wife and child(ren) from almost certain death. This is a much more universal story than the collapse of a civilization, and one with which we can identify.