Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Would one consider this as a sequel to the first Elizabeth film back in 1998? You could, if all you consider is the fact that Cate Blanchett still plays the title role, and that it basically picks up from where the last movie ended. But honestly, I wouldn't want to consider this a sequel, in the same way that I didn't consider "Simba's Pride" to be a sequel of "The Lion King".

The film falls short, despite the brilliant performances by Cate Blanchett and the grizzly Clive Owen (Geoffrey Rush once again gives subtle top-notch acting). I would attribute this to the lack of outdoor shots with several hundred extras---these are the types of shots that draw you in, especially if the costumes are accurate. In this case, the costumes are indeed accurate, but there are less people wearing them. What makes Elizabethan England believable is not the nobility but the regular people. We may have long shots of the Thames and of the Spanish armada, but these are computer-generated images. All the live actors are confined to indoor shots. It was only after watching this film that I've come to realize that it's the extras that make an epic.


Rating: Three and a half stars.