SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Natalie Portman & Scarlett Johansson in "The Other Boleyn Girl"

King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) could not get a male heir to his throne when his wife Catherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent) gives birth to another daughter. Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) and his brother in law Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) has a secret scheme to instate the latter’s elder daughter Anne (Natalie Portman) in the court of Henry VIII as the king’s mistress and potential mother of his son.

During a hunting trip, Henry is injured and is nursed by Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and becomes infatuated with her. Henry sends Mary’s husband away on an assignment in order to get close to Mary, who finds herself falling in love with the king.

When Anne secretly marries nobleman Henry Percy without the King’s consent, she is exiled to France in disgrace.

The Boleyn family’s fortunes seem to be assured when Mary becomes pregnant. However, she is confined to bed for the remainder of her pregnancy when she almost suffers a miscarriage. In order to prevent Henry from wandering to another rival, especially Jane Seymour, the Duke of Norfolk recalls Anne to England to keep Henry’s attention. Anne successfully seduces Henry by revealing herself as a more sophisticated woman. She even manages to convince the king to never to bed his wife or speak to her sister. What’s more, Anne manages to persuade Henry to break from Roman Catholic Church when Pope Clement VII refuses to annul his marriage to Catherine. Thereafter, Henry declares himself the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and divorces his wife, Catherine. Mary assures Henry that Anne and Percy were never married due to her loyalty to her family. Anne weds Henry and becomes the Queen of England.

Despite Anne’s giving birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, Henry is unhappy with Anne’s failure to deliver a son. After she miscarries their second child, a desperate Anne asks her brother George to try to impregnate her. George’s wife witnesses the encounter which leads to the arrest, trial and execution of both George and Anne. Mary pleads for her sister’s life, but Henry refuses to change his mind. He even warns Mary never to come to court again, because her family’s disgrace could endanger her as well. Mary grants Anne’s last wish as she takes care of her infant daughter, Elizabeth who goes on and becomes Queen Elizabeth I.

Overall, the movie is well-adapted despite the complication of the history. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson performed quite well as their characters of the Boleyn sisters. Still, movie of this caliber does not suit everybody’s taste as some parts of the movie may bore you to death. Maybe Eric Bana can call himself lucky despite the failure of The Hulk movie in 2003 — what’s better than playing the King of England and being surrounded by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, not forgetting his other mistresses.

My ratings: 7 out of 10.