It is such a botch that it is difficult to believe that any of those involved with its production actually saw the original "Elizabeth," let alone helped make it.
Comment
10/11/07
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
34
%
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 AwardŽ-nominated Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush return for a gripping historical thriller laced with treachery and... [More]
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Rhys Ifans
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Reviews for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
121 - 140 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Reasonably entertaining show of flourishes, colors, strong emotions, some intrigue, and heightened moments of drama ... around a weak center.
10/11/07
Just f******* retarded.
10/11/07
Every so often Kapur shoots from behind a huge stone column or pillar; most of these pillars exhibit more personality than the movie.
10/11/07
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.
10/11/07
Top Criticthe most ornate episode of Saved by the Bell you'll ever see.
10/11/07
The Golden Age is frustrating because Kapur does seem to have a taste for nutball pageantry -- he just won't let himself go all the way with it.
10/11/07
Through it all, whether in muslin nightie, damask gown or silvery armor, Blanchett commands the screen as she commands the royal navy. Her unforced majesty makes a so-so film worth watching.
10/11/07
Elizabeth: The Golden Age is less a chronicle of counter-Reformation hijinks than a 16th-century episode of The Hills.
10/11/07
... the intrigue that made the original Elizabeth so gripping is simply an awkward complication here, emphasis on the awkward.
10/11/07
[Director] Kapur is like an American Idol contestant who mistakes a song for its high and low extremes.
10/11/07
Simply takes a chunk out of Elizabeth's life and says, 'Here's what happened during these years,' without bothering to shape it into a story.
10/11/07
Despite the ravishing Abbie Cornish, this is terminally melodramatic. The superficial treatment of the defeat of the Spanish Armada is deplorable.
10/11/07
Cate Blanchett returns to the role that made her a star, and though this sequel to Elizabeth (1998) is less defensible as history, as florid costume drama it's just as entertaining.
10/11/07
Elizabeth achieved its power by focusing on the central idea of how a callow princess became a great queen. In trying to re-create the formula, the sequel merely grasps about for a reason to be, and that makes for dull watching, indeed.
10/11/07
Emphasises the costumes, hair and sets over historical accuracy and depth of character. But it's still hugely entertaining.
10/11/07
as elaborate, silly and attention seeking as one of Elizabeth's feathery headdresses.
10/11/07
A distinct letdown from the 1998 predecessor that helped make Blanchett a star.
10/11/07
[Blanchett's] so perfect in the part that you almost don't mind the abrupt ending.
10/11/07
Like a bad second season of a breakout TV show, the original was laudable but the sequel's simply laughable.
10/11/07
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. 
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February 04, 2008:
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December 13, 2007:
Atonement Leads Golden Globe Nominations
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