So much has been said and written about The Queen that this brief review almost feels unnecessary. The film has been gaining critical momentum for the past few months now, and almost every critic and film buff around the world is rooting for Helen Mirren to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

She will, of course, since there are no other strong contenders in sight, except maybe Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. But Helen plays England's Queen Elizabeth II (the one who's still alive today) with such magisterial precision and sensitivity that it would be hard to deny her the prize.

The story takes place in the summer of 1997 when news broke that the much-beloved Princess Diana had died in car accident on the streets of Paris with her Egyptian lover Dodi Fayed. Diana's estranged husband, Prince Charles, and their sons, William and Harry, are distraught. But the rest of the royal family of England is unmoved. After all, Diana was regarded by them as an outcast, a pariah, a commoner.

They are, however, very much alone in their sentiments. The vast majority of the English population loved Diana for her beauty, her vulnerability and her courage. Her doomed marriage to Charles made her look ever more human to them. They thronged the gates of Kensington Palace to weep openly and lay flowers before it. Despite knowing all this, Queen Elizabeth remained cold and unperturbed to the country's grief — until her new Prime Minister, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen), persuaded her to come out of her shell and console the nation...

Skillfully directed by Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons, Mrs Henderson Presents), The Queen is a sharp and absorbing dramedy that puts the spotlight on the royal family, suggesting perhaps that the English monarchy is a dated institution that could be done away with. Dramatically speaking, there's not a single false note or mis-step in The Queen, leaving us to proclaim: "All hail The Queen."

Don't miss the best new film of 2007.