It's flawed and it does feel longer because the big finale is less like a battle and more like an on-screen version of battleship, but Cate and Clive are still worth a look.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Tomatometer
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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 Award®-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 Award®-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 (Oscar®-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 Award® 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
Want to know what a gifted actress Cate Blanchett is? Watch her keep a straight face throughout Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
The film is beautifully shot, filling the screen with brightly saturated hues that give it an almost fairy tale-like visual sense, rather like a series of Pre-Raphaelite paintings brought to life.
F. Scott Fitzgerald once remarked that there are no second acts in American lives. If only the same could be said about Shekhar Kapur's 1998 Elizabeth.
The script is the flowery prose of an overly earnest high school student.
An Elizabethan-era version of the madcap energy, penny-novel intrigue and intentional historical inaccuracies of Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge!.
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.”
Golden Age starts well, and with sharp wit and crisp dialogue. But as the story moves toward the tentative romance with Raleigh, the film drifts into melodrama...
Breasts heave and the sea storms as historical music swells in Shekhar Kapur's overwrought follow-up to Elizabeth.
There are movies that are so bad they're good, and then there are movies that are so bad they're completely awesome.
Cate the Great once again imbues the Queen with her captivating mix of steely strength, regal dignity, take-no-crap toughness, and intimate vulnerability.
Raleigh embodies England's drive to explore, to conquer, to make commerce%u2014to "build," as he puts it.
This is romantic fantasy, not history, and much of the time you fully expect Kapur, here making his third post-Bollywood feature, to turn his cast loose in song and dance.
This sequel to 1998's Elizabeth...shares the faults and virtues of its predecessor.
Spectacle, costumes, wigs and an inaccurate history lesson rules the day.
Latest News for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
February 04, 2009:
Exclusive: Inside Pinewood/Shepperton - A Photo Tour
Every year, the BAFTA film awards present a trophy for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Introduced in 1978, the award recognises an organisation or a person's career... More...
October 27, 2008:
EnglandDVD.com: Cate Blanchett's workaholic Queen Liz too busy for boy toys, in this royal runway strut more about fashion statements than political statements. ![]()
More...
February 04, 2008:
RT on DVD: The Brave One, Assassination of Jesse James Fire Onto DVD
It's a week of bravura performances among new releases, so pick your favorite headliner and go: Jodie Foster going vigilante (The Brave One), Casey Affleck turning traitor (The... More...
December 13, 2007:
Atonement Leads Golden Globe Nominations
The nominations for the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning. Did your favorite films, stars, and songs make the cut? More...
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