Elizabeth: The Golden Age (HD DVD, 2008)

Overall I enjoyed the movie. There have been too many recent films about the Tudors and Elizabeth in particular, but this film looks good and it keeps you entertained. It's set at the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Elizabeth is shown as tough, smart, and married to her country. She also suffers from bouts of insecurity and irrational jealousies. This film is more hagiographic and melodramatic than its predecessor.

The film tends to ignore the facts when they get in the way of the story. Elizabeth was 55 at the time of the Spanish Armada and she was never a looker. Blanchett's Queen is youngish and attractive. Blanchett's acting performance is powerful and impressive but also a bit stagy. The way the politics of the time are depicted is a bit too black and white. The Spanish look grim and are dressed in dark colors. They are portrayed as crazy, religious zealots. Spain had a right to be upset at English privateers / pirates who attacked their ships and stole their gold. Mary, Queen of Scots is shown as a dowdy, schemer who disliked Elizabeth. The reality was that Mary was a pretty bimbo who made bad choices when it came to men.

Parts of the film veer too much towards soap-opera. Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen)becomes a favorite, but when Bess Throckmorton, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting and Raleigh get secretly married, Elizabeth becomes jealous and behaves badly. Later, Raleigh and Francis Drake are shown defeating the Spanish at sea. In reality Raleigh was looking after the coastal defenses in the South West of England and didn't marry Throckmorton until 1591. The real Raleigh was a brilliant man: soldier, explorer, writer, poet and courtier and probably deserves his own film. The film is good fun but it's simplistic, cartoon history.

A MUST SEE MOVIE
OVERALL
8.5/10

I am a history buff, so I love this story of Elizabeth 1 I think the actress did a wonderfuly job of portraying her, I would like to see her in other historical movies.

The first movie "Elizabeth" was so intense,and interesting which is hard to put on screen as historically correct, because the main character is one that has been deceased for over 400 years. So the actress had to visulize and become the person (Elizabeth) that she was portraying. Not just Play her. A magnificant performance from one actress who is so very young. Bought "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" to see how she continued to rule 10 years after becoming The Virgin Queen. I can't get enough of this type of movie. The costumes and acting of all involved are excellent. Show that some forms of Government and Church have not learned a lesson from the past and continue to make the same mistakes in the name of the church.

I loved the set-up of the period in terms of religion. The costumes and scenery were stunning. The intelligence of Elizabeth was well portrayed. Perhaps the relationships with Walter Riley could have been better. Overall, great "sequel", since I loved the original.

I decided to buy it because I loved the original, and since it was available in HD-DVD.

While not as good as the first - this sequal is super sharp on HD DVD. Sound is good also. If you have the first you need the second. Out of print on HD DVD.