Review of Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) by Khristina W — 27 Apr 2014

9 years after Elizabeth (1998), director Shekhar Kapur returned to make this sequel, which had double the budget of the first film, and a few cast members from the first film back as well. But it's not as focused and tight as the first film, and it's much more epic and it loses some of the heart that the first film had, and even though is it a cold film, it has it's moments.

In 1585, Spain is a devout Catholic country, and King Philip II (Jordi Molla) see's Protestant England as a threat, and plans to wage war on the country. In England, Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) refuses to marry, even though she is being pressured into marrying her loyal advisor Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush).

If she dies childless, her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton) will become Queen of England. While Elizabeth is wooed by Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), who has returned from the New World with many of their products, Philip II is planning to send an Armada of 130 ships to England, to try and take over the country.

While the first film was intelligent, brooding and compelling, this one seems to have been dumbed down for the American market, sort of a Queen Elizabeth for Dummies film. But, Blanchett is brilliant in the lead role, showing strength and tenacity.

But the film could have benefited from having a better script.