Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Review
Shekhar Kapur’s Sequel Lacks the Luster of the Original
Cate Blanchett reprises her role as the Virgin Queen, and Clive Owen stars as the privateering Walter Raleigh, but pomp and circumstance take the lead.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age attempts to recapture the earlier genius of 1998’s Elizabeth, with Cate Blanchett reprising her role as the now mature, if indecisive, queen wrestling with questions political and personal.
Machiavellian Plot: Mary Stuart, Walter Raleigh and the Spanish Armada
It’s 1585. Elizabeth has been on the throne for 27 years. England is still divided between Protestants and Catholics. Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), a potential rival to the throne, is imprisoned. Catholic Spain, the world’s greatest power, is uneasy: King Philip II (Jordi Mollà) is looking for a reason to crush the heretic queen. Meanwhile, a train of suitors vie for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage, and she wants none of it.
Enter the dashing Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), fresh from adventures in the Americas, where, he boasts, he has founded the colony of Virginia, named in honor of the virgin queen. Elizabeth is roused, her curiosity and passion piqued, with a longing for romance dormant for years.
But Mary plots against Elizabeth; loyal Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush) plots to find her a more suitable match; Spain builds its Invincible Armada; and Raleigh lusts after Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish).
Raleigh is also restless to return to the Americas. But Elizabeth, struggling under the royal mantel as well as her own buried desires, wants him near. She knights him, tells him he is needed in England.
The Sequel Falls Short
Directed by Shekhar Kapur (who also directed the original), with a screenplay by William Nicholson (Gladiator) and Michael Hirst (Elizabeth, The Tudors), the film offers a rich tableau for conflict and drama. But alas, it does not live up to its predecessor.
Questions of credibility nag. Elizabeth, as mentioned, has been on the throne for 27 years: She would have been fifty-two, her virginity no longer an issue, her looks a far cry from Blanchett’s delicate chiseled marble.
More importantly, the film equates pomp and gorgeous symbolism with moving narrative. Time and again, viewers are presented with enchantingly iconic imagery, depicting Elizabeth’s isolation-cum-deification as a figurehead for her country. The costumes (by Alexandra Byrne, nominated here for an Oscar), as well as scenery, are indeed spectacular. But the plot lacks focus and depth, and the dialogue misses the razor subtlety of the film’s younger sister.
Blanchett is lovely (too lovely), and she gives it her best, though her performance is not on par with that of her earlier role. As wonderful an actress as she is, her Oscar nomination here doesn't fly. Owen is appropriately charming, but his character is not as exciting as the firelight intensity he’s photographed with. Rush does a fine job, but cannot overcome the fact that his character here is a Johnny One Note.
To be sure, the movie is entertaining and is well worth a look on DVD. It contains no existential revelations, no moments to make viewers question world views or personal paradigms, or move them to breathtaking awe. But it offers plenty of spectacle, and an interesting, if gossamer, look at a crucial turning point in world history, with one of its most spectacular figures as the axel.
Grade: B-
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 114 min.
