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Shekhar Kapur's first effort in exploring the life of one of England's most beloved monarchs, Elizabeth, was a success on every level - the rich, saturated colours and emotions of the characters and the period are still too vivid to resist. Back in 1998 Cate Blanchett was somehow overlooked for the Academy's actress gong in favour of Miss Paltrow's turn in Shakespeare in Love, but she should be at least nominated again come springtime for her performance here in the sequel. Like Elizabeth, the Australian actress has grown into the role that has (arguably) defined her career, turning from an inexperienced monarch to a cutthroat strategist who frequently sidesteps her court's desire for her to marry and secure the throne. With all the extraordinary sets and costumes presented in this film, Blanchett is possibly one of the only actresses in Hollywood who could actually surpass such grandiose surroundings in terms of conviction, majesty (excuse the pun), and authority.
Even though Blanchett hogs the spotlight for all the obvious reasons, her back-up isn't too shabby. Geoffrey Rush reprises his role as Sir Francis Walsingham very appropriately in the understated and foggy manner history and his director require. In Tudor times, falling out of favour from a high level of political power occurred frequently and Rush encapsulates the nervy yet controlled sidekick well - he obviously needs self-confidence to attain his position in the first place but he realises that he cannot constantly push a monarch with Henry VIII's temperamental blood too far. Clive Owen is also a stand-out as Sir Walter Raleigh. The man who would have been a perfect James Bond is very believable as a love interest and swashbuckler, even if the history textbooks downplay his involvement in the Spanish Armada victory. The CGI shot of Blanchett looking out to the sea of flames after Raleigh has almost single-handedly defeated the dastardly Catholics is the highlight of the picture. Speaking of the villains so to speak, Samantha Morton as Mary Stuart oozes all of the bitchiness one would expect, but like Rhys Ifans' Jesuit Robert Reston and his gang, she isn't given enough development time. Suitably though King Philip II of Spain is the biggest threat to Elizabeth's England and Jordi Molla does a pretty standard job. His daughter however, Isabella, played by Aimee King, is the true haunting menace of our Mediterranean foes with her constant eerie silence!
Plot-wise Elizabeth: The Golden Age picks up where its predecessor left off with Kapur illustrating events from 1585 to the fall of the famous Armada (1588). Unfortunately, romantic intrigue and maritime battles occupy too much of he film's time. As good as Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish) is it would have been a more stimulating watch if Kapur and his screenwriters had concentrated more on the political conspiracies of the age. Avoiding the drama aspect doesn't necessarily say audiences aren't approving of history lessons, but rather some of us don't appreciate the art of acting as much anymore and would prefer to see regurgitated (and sometimes historically inaccurate) action formulas played out on screen instead.
The summary
Though not as strong and memorable as Elizabeth, the continuation of the monarch's story still looks beautiful and illustrates the epoch adequately.
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