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Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
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Reviews Counted:162
Fresh:55
Rotten:107
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: This sequel is full of lavish costumes and elaborate sets, but lacks the heart and creativity of the original Elizabeth
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $16,264,475
Synopsis: Reprising the roles they originated in seven-time Academy AwardŽ-nominated Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush return for a gripping historical thriller laced with treachery and... Reprising the roles they originated in seven-time Academy AwardŽ-nominated Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush return for a gripping historical thriller laced with treachery and romance--The Golden Age. Joining them in the epic is Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh, a dashing seafarer and newfound temptation for Elizabeth. Elizabeth: The Golden Age finds Queen Elizabeth I (OscarŽ-winner Cate Blanchett) facing bloodlust for her throne and familial betrayal. Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe, Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II (Jordi Molla)--with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada--determined to restore England to Catholicism. Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Raleigh. But he remains forbidden for a queen who has sworn body and soul to her country. Unable and unwilling to pursue her love, Elizabeth encourages her favorite lady-in-waiting, Bess (Abbie Cornish), to befriend Raleigh to keep him near. But this strategy forces Elizabeth to observe their growing intimacy. As she charts her course abroad, her trusted advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham (Academy AwardŽ winner Geoffrey Rush), continues his masterful puppetry of Elizabeth's court at home--and her campaign to solidify absolute power. Through an intricate spy network, Walsingham uncovers an assassination plot that could topple the throne. But as he unmasks traitors that may include Elizabeth's own cousin Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton), he unknowingly sets England up for destruction. Elizabeth: The Golden Age tells the thrilling tale of an era...the story of one woman's crusade to control love, crush enemies and secure her position as a beloved icon of the western world. --© Universal Pictures [More]
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Rhys Ifans
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton, Abbie Cornish, Jordi Molla
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Screenwriter: William Nicholson, Michael Hirst
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jonathan Cavendish
Composer: Craig Armstrong, A.R. Rahman
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
It may have been a gamble for director Shekhar Kapur to pick up the threads of his acclaimed film Elizabeth from nine years earlier but the result is overtly satisfying
But saddled with this dopey script, [Blanchett] is stuck pulling a series of poses and wearing one ornate gown after another.
a muddle that subsumes [its] premise in a mighty attempt to be several things all at once, with an uneven delivery
Making soap of statecraft, the film has plenty of juicy moments, but offers an inconsistent rather than complex view of Elizabeth.
Playing fast and loose with the facts, and generating little big picture meaning, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, stands as a series of individual court intrigues that fail to add up to any great epiphany.
The movie contains the usual palace intrigue and overblown dialogue. The only line missing is the one referring to Elizabeth as a king in petticoats.
The movie contains the usual palace intrigue and overblown dialogue. The only line missing is the one referring to Elizabeth as a king in petticoats.
Every time the camera finally settles on Blanchett's regal cheekbones, it's a relief.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age gives new meaning to "costume drama" in that it is a drama primarily about costumes. But the drama is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the temple.
The only thing connecting one Golden Age scene to the next is a choir of sopranos so insistent and shrill that you'll wish Elizabeth would behead them instead.
The main difference between the first film and its new sequel is this: In "Elizabeth," Cate Blanchett emerged as one staunch, formidable queen. In "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," she's been reduced to a drag queen.
The film is just about worth seeing for the wigs and costumes. But Elizabeth: The Golden Age sank without trace in American cinemas, and I fear it will do the same here.
Latest News for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
February 04, 2009:
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October 27, 2008:
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