Elizabeth the Golden Age

One good thing about movies based on historical events is that you don't have to worry too much about spoilers. This movie is a tad fuzzy on accuracy, with artistic license taking preference over history, but you can't hide the fact that it's really great on the period costumes and the talent pool assembled for the lead roles.

Cate Blanchett can ace any role she decides to take, and when you add hunky Clive Owen and charismatic Geoffrey Rush, you have a dream cast to work with. Unfortunately, the movie centers on Elizabeth's attraction to Raleigh, and what happens when the monarch doesn't get her man, and takes much too long to get around to anything else.

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS)

1. Spain rocks under Philip II
2. Phil sets his sights on taking over England, because for one, their religion is all wrong, and secondly, they've got too many pesky pirates (arrrrh)
3. Elizabeth I's biological clock won't be ticking much longer, and she has yet to bear an heir, much less a spare.
4. Raleigh appears, bearing gifts from the New World. Taters and baccy are considered the IN-gifts of the season.
5. Raleigh dallies and dazzles. (Mainly because he's Clive Owen, who can dazzle with the best of them) Liz is smitten
6. Phil gets busy building boats and hatching schemes
7. Politics and religion get together and heads start rolling
8. Mary turns out to be quite contrary
9. War breaks, and so does Liz's heart
10. Liz dons shiny armor and gives pep talk
11. Spanish Armada meets an ill wind. Walter rallies, but battle scenes suck
12. Spanish fleet gets huevo en sus caras

All in all, this movie focuses on sets and costumes, dramatic scenes and romance, and doesn't really get fired up about details like historical accuracy. A good rental choice for the eye candy. Rated: 3.5 stars

Amanda Richards

Cate Blanchett is most excellent, again, as she was in the first of two; Elizabeth. Not the best reviewer in the world, and rating this one caught me off guard. But if you're going to buy and view this one, you must do likewise for the first, else you're only seeing half the story, this one being 2 of 2. Once again, it's just excellent, true to life. Buy it!!

I wanted to see this film when it was in the theatres, but it seemed it was gone in the blink of an eye. Having watched this long-awaited DVD, I can see why it had a short run.

I loved the prequel, "Elizabeth", and had eagerly looked forward to this sequel. Upon viewing it, I was a tad disappointed. It totally omits a pivotal character, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, the man who was Elizabeth's confidante and played a vital role in the events of the day. Instead, the screenplay chooses to focus on a supposed romance between Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth, which plays itself out against the backdrop of a serious threat of war with Spain. Unfortunately, this supposed romance simply does not ring true, striking a false note, and therein lies the rub. The screenplay was poorly written, and the film came across as choppy and poorly edited. Consequently, unless one is familiar with the historical events of the day, the viewer might find the plot confusing. On the plus side, the costumes, the sets, and, above all, the acting were magnificent.

Cate Blanchett, as always, is terrific as Elizabeth, although she looked like a woman in her thirties rather than one supposedly in her fifties, which has a somewhat jarring effect. Geoffrey Rush is once again excellent in the role of Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster. Clyde Owen makes for a very virile and dashing Sir Walter Raleigh, while Abbie Cornish is delightful as Elizabeth "Bess" Throckmorton, the Queen's lady-in-waiting and Raleigh's true love.

While I love period films, I would recommend that one rent, rather than buy, this DVD. Although I enjoyed the film, somewhat, I was torn between awarding it three or four stars. In the end, however, the crappy script overwhelmed the efforts of its stellar cast. I only hope that if there is to be another sequel that the script rises to the level of the talented cast. Unfortunately, here it does not.