All-in-all, this is a good sequel to the original...
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After nearly a decade, director Shekhar Kapur returns with stars Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush in the sequel to the highly regarded and masterful "Elizabeth." While the first film was not the most historically accurate film, it provided a very nice look at England´s ´Virgin Queen´ and provided an absolutely gorgeous look at 1500´s Great Britain. The film was powered by a stellar cast and Cate Blanchett took full advantage of her early role and showed the quality of her acting skills with an absolutely incredible performance. Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough and Vincent Cassel were all magnificent in the ensemble period piece and given the pedigree of the original, I was quite interested in seeing the second film, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."
The second film benefits from having both Blanchett and Rush return to the roles of Queen Elizabeth and Francis Walsingham, and Brit Clive Owen comes along for the ride as Sir Walter Raleigh and serves as the primary love interest of the ´Virgin Queen´ after the character portrayed by Joseph Fiennes was sent packing in the first film. The affable Rhys Ifans secured a small role in the film and some may recognize Samantha Morton. Abbie Cornish has a major supporting role as the lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a few even lesser-known actors round out the supporting cast, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" managed to hold on to its two primary stars, but the film does suffer in not having the numerous talented actors that helped earn the first film an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
The tone of "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is completely different than the first film. "Elizabeth" was all about female empowerment and how somebody is willing to go to any length to secure power. The Queen was more than willing to murder those that oppose her and "Elizabeth" mixed many elements of the darker side of human nature in its storytelling. This second film finds the Queen pouting and crying a number of times and it is quite easy to realize that her world is falling apart around her and she is not nearly as strong a person as she appeared to be as she claimed the throne. The first film was about a Queen Elizabeth that knew what she wanted and proudly attained her goals. This second film finds a Queen that suffers from inner turmoil and just moments away from a potential nervous breakdown.
"The Golden Age" finds Elizabeth (Blanchett) holding the throne as Queen and still refusing to find a husband and produce an heir to the throne. She still holds her claim as the ´Virgin Queen´ and only entertains her trusted friend and advisor Francis Walsingham (Rush) when he mentions possible suitors. The Protestant Queen continues to be under the scrutiny of the Catholic Church and has Phillip (Jordi Molla), the King of Spain devising a plan that will usurp the throne from Elizabeth and bring her Catholic cousin Mary (Samantha Morton), Queen of Scots, to the throne. While suitors try to earn the affection of the Queen, Elizabeth meets an explorer, Walter Raleigh (Owen), whom King Phillip II calls a pirate. Elizabeth soon finds affections for the man who tells tales of a New World.
When Walsingham uncovers a plot by Mary to kill her cousin, he pushes Elizabeth to order the execution of the Queen of Scots and she is beheaded. This was the moment that Phillip was waiting for and he is ordered by the Catholic Church to lead an Inquisition upon the heathen queen and place is young daughter as the new Queen of England. Spain commands a massive armada and is the most powerful nation in the world and Phillip feels confident that he can bring an end to Elizabeth´s reign. Although Raleigh was placed into prison by Elizabeth for marrying her primary lady-in-waiting Bess (Abbie Cornish), he is released and helps produce a plan to use ´fire ships´ to break the formation of the mighty Spanish Armada and free England from their assault. Elizabeth protects her kingdom, but loses the affections of Sir Walter Raleigh.
This film is another achievement in costumes, set design and visuals. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is a stunning looking period film that brings the beauty of 1585 England back to life. The film contains more colorful costumes and sets deserving of royalty than the first film and uses digital technology to move beyond the visual scope of the first film. The true visual achievements in the film is the digital armada created and the impressive sea battle that occurs in the film. Even with watching "Elizabeth" a number of times and being quite familiar with the visual style of that film, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" impressed me a great deal with its powerful and impressive visuals. This is about as good as a period film can get in delivering realism.
The story and delivery of "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is not nearly as powerful as its predecessor. After the primary three actors, the quality of actor is not nearly as strong as the first movie, but the lesser appeal of this sequel does not rest entirely on the shoulders of the unknown supporting cast. I felt the story of "The Golden Age" was not nearly as entertaining and contained a number of recycled themes and was at a slower pace. The impossible love story between Elizabeth and the film´s leading man was already experienced in "Elizabeth" and although a new set of twists was introduced, the idea that the Queen will not marry or procreate to deliver an heir is something we are all too familiar with. Another flaw with this sequel is that the historical inaccuracies in "The Golden Age" are more intrusive and damaging than the ones seen in the first film.
Blanchett and Rush bring new emotional sides to their characters and they have evolved their roles in a manner that keeps their characters fresh. Blanchett now portrays a Queen that is on the downswing of her reign and she is on the downside of her life. She has failed to secure a husband and a successor and is a lonely woman that had once known great love. She is no longer a proud figure, but a sad one. Rush´s Francis is quickly nearing the end of his life. He knows he is in poor health and does not want to leave his beloved family behind, but he is a highly devoted servant of Elizabeth and continues to protect her and keep in her power as the stress and strain of his job brings death closer and closer. Both actors exhibit incredible emotion and their performances are just as strong or stronger than the acclaimed work they did in the first film.
I enjoyed "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," but perhaps only half as much as I enjoyed the first film. The film´s stars are all quite good in this film and Clive Owen held his own nicely while sharing the screen with Blanchett and Rush. The supporting cast was not bad, but the level of talent did tail off when you look at the veterans that provided their talents in the first movie. This second film is still an amazing visual tour de force and I absolutely love the look and feel of the two films created by director Shekhar Kapur and at some point I will probably revisit this second film to take in the sights once more. However, even with the spirited performances of the two primary stars, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" lacks the soul of the first film and the film feels like a slow moving lesson in royalty and not like the powerful drama that marked its predecessor.
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[release]22741[/release]