Elizabeth: The Golden Age

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Following up 1998's Elizabeth, which documented the virgin queen's early years and rise to power, director Shekar Kapur delivers The Golden Age, an exploration of her character. While Elizabeth (Blanchett) is busy deflecting unsuitable suitors and falling for the dashing Walter Raleigh (Owen), imprisoned cousin Mary (Morton) plans her assassination with the backing of Spain's devout Catholic king, Phillip II (Jordi Molla), who has promised to rid England of Protestants. The first half of the film has a lot going for it: lavish, detailed and not as stiff as your usual period dramas, The Golden Age allows the love story to take precedence and the subtle wooing between the Queen and Raleigh boasts a few cracking put-downs. Blanchett, arguably the best actress of her generation, knows how to play Elizabeth and has fun with the character, while Owen et al just about match her. After that, however, Kapur loses the run of himself: as the cloak-and-dagger conspiracies come to a head, the love story is ankled and The Golden Age loses what held it together. The lines get worse and the director becomes obsessed with inserting odd shots (usually unneeded aerials) into scenes. It's obvious that Kapur wanted to devote more time to the Spanish invasion, but time or money trimmed the battle back to such an extent that the grandiose Armada lacks any real significance - both visually and story-wise. A story of two halves, The Golden Age works better as a love story than a political conspiracy.