It is a testament to 1998's critically acclaimed Elizabeth, that director Shekhar Kapur was able to get his principals back to reprise their roles for his sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Golden Age takes up with Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) years later, well into her reign, and the game has changed, although the players and largely the issues stay the same. In Golden Age, Elizabeth has become confident, powerful queen torn between the romantic appeal of and admiration for Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), attempts on her life by Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton), and protecting her country from a growing conflict with Spain. Geoffrey Rush (who comes back to play Elizabeth's advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham) described Golden Age as 'operatic,' and the term is right on. The movie takes dull pages of a history book and turns them into powerful, enveloping, stirring, and gorgeous drama. Every shot, every costume is decadent with color, and every single twitch of Blanchett's face is imbued with meaning as she negotiates her way through her warring roles of being a woman and being a queen. But the real show-stopper is Morton, who puts a whole new wickedly engrossing spin on the character of Mary, Queen of Scots and absolutely eclipses anyone who shares the screen with her.
ReelzChannel Rating: 