Ammonite is unhurried in a way that won't be everyone's cup of tea. But then again, neither was the fieldwork essential to palaeontology in the 19th century. Fossil collection can be a slow and sometimes boring business, which is presumably why so many men of learning left Mary Anning - poor, working class, self-educated - to do much of the work involved in excavation, then took all the credit when the items were displayed in London museums. The film's opening is also a little slow at times, but it is right to pay heed to the labour-intensive natture of this vital work.

... Winslett's transformation from gruff loner to passionate lover is particularly fine. Initially unhappy at being lumbered with a frail gentlewoman, their connection takes her by surprise. She has convinced herself that she needs isolation, even enjoys it, when in reality she has had no choice. Women at this time either had to be owned or alone. This is a story about Victorian misogyny and female friendship more than it is about Anning herself. From here, the film departs from fact as Anning and her new friend become lovers. However, it isn't so much the film's pace or infidelity to the truth that is most likely to disappoint, but rather the scant attention it pays to Anning's actual acheivements. ...