"Elizabeth The Golden Age"

Over the past few years, I have become quite a fan of Cate Blanchett. She has performed almost flawlessly in every film she has been in, and in some instances, completely outshined the people surrounding her. In my next review Cate is the leading lady, and she simply blew me away. “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” was on the big screen last year, and being a huge fan of historical movies, I really wanted to catch this while it was playing in the theaters, but I just never made it. The first day the movie hit the shelves for purchase or rental, I was at the local best buy to snatch it up.

Going into this, I had already known that some of the so called professional movie critics did not like this film, (surprise surprise) (pearls before swine) however as with all movies I tried to go into watching this with an open mind. I think took a total of five minutes into the story that I realized this was going to be something special. About half way through the film, “something special” became a gross understatement, and towards the end, I realized I was watching what is arguably the best movie in five years.

For this particular work, you must keep in mind that this is a historical look at Queen Elizabeth, and is probably not the kind of movie that would appeal to some folks, but to those that appreciate this genre of film, you will enjoy every single minute of this epic and true story.

The story revolves around Elizabeth, the people and advisors that closely surround her during the difficult political time period in Western Europe of the late 16th century. Cate portrays Elizabeth as the caring ruler she was, having her own feelings and tribulations she deals with in her daily life as Queen, all the way to her decisions that ultimately ended up with King Phillip of Spain going to war with England. Cate’s acting aside, this war story that unfolds later on in the movie is breathtaking in and of itself.

Director Shekhar Kapur puts together a supporting cast that is truly memorable. Geoffrey Rush (pirates of the Caribbean) plays Sir Francis Walsingham. Clive Owen (from too many films to list) plays Sir Walter Raleigh, and a host of other actors play off, and around Cate in a brilliant fashion. There are just too many parts that are played to mention, but every last one compliments every aspect of this film, and makes for scene after scene of breathtaking acting.

Another part of this gem is the fantastic cinematography. With every single scene, the stage sets are stunning, from inside the castle walls, to he hillsides of England, to the mind blowing battle scenes on the ocean between the Spanish, and English ships, to the incredible wardrobe of every actor. Cate’s wardrobe in particular is just insanely breathtaking with its realism, and ornate design of costumes actually worn by the queen during that time period.

I’m just beginning to tell the tale of how much I enjoyed this movie, but I’m already out of room. I will try to sum this up as best I can. MASTERPIECE!

My rating for this movie is 9.5 out of 10.00