Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 12, 2007
6.3
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 101 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
57
Mixed:
24
Negative:
20
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
JordanM.Oct 23, 2007
A big "Ooops" goes here. Cate Blanchett - she's good, we knew that, so what else is new??? Nothing "golden" about the movie. Wish we did something better with our time.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
AndreaM.May 13, 2008
Ludicrous screenplay. Only Cate Blanchett shouldn't be embarrassed to have been involved.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
TonyB.Nov 10, 2008
A major disappointment, the film is spectacular to look at but difficult to connect to. As she always is, Cate Blanchett is excellent and so are those around her. The background music was frequently intrusive.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
AlexDFeb 7, 2008
The 1998 Elizabeth is probably one of the first movies I acquired on DVD back in the days; I absolutely love it. Oddly enough, I didn't rush to see E:TGA in the theaters, no particular reason, but I did pick it up on DVD while shopping The 1998 Elizabeth is probably one of the first movies I acquired on DVD back in the days; I absolutely love it. Oddly enough, I didn't rush to see E:TGA in the theaters, no particular reason, but I did pick it up on DVD while shopping the other day. What a complete disappointment, but I can't say it's very surprising. This sequel, because that's all it is and I mean that in the worst Hollywood sort of way, is visually striking.. and it somewhat ends there. I feel as if the visual ties to the 1998 original are intact, but the story is so light and half-baked in comparison. This is a shame given it's a great period of European history (much more interesting than how she obtained the crown in my opinion, dixit the 1998 original!), Elizabeth was a very interesting person and monarch in a complex situation. Clive Owen surprised me though, I thought he had the part of playing her lover, I was actually grateful it didn't sink that low (no pun, that's for the Spanish!).… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
JillP.Mar 20, 2008
Patently silly from start to finish. The whole thing seems like an endlessly long perfume ad, complete with billowing gauze and guttering candles in nearly every scene. All style, no substance, a movie does not make.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
ChrisNov 23, 2007
Sir Francis Drake, Martin Frobisher and John Hawkins are turning over in their graves after watching Clive Owen defeat the Armada as Raleigh, oh by the way he was on land the whole time.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
SarahP.Oct 14, 2007
Extremely disappointing. Boring and so full of misinformation. Costumes and wigs were pretty decent.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
PeterK.Oct 21, 2007
Played fast and loose with the facts and evolved into something much bigger and much less than the historical scenario that was Elizabeth's life and times. A pity that such great actors (and such a production) had such a poor treatment Played fast and loose with the facts and evolved into something much bigger and much less than the historical scenario that was Elizabeth's life and times. A pity that such great actors (and such a production) had such a poor treatment of history.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
ChadS.Nov 11, 2007
Cate Blanchett is forced to ride a horse and deliver a Mel Gibson-like speech because Sir Walter Raleigh(Clive Owen) is the pro-active character during the last moments of "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". Like Ed Harris("The Abyss") and Harrison Cate Blanchett is forced to ride a horse and deliver a Mel Gibson-like speech because Sir Walter Raleigh(Clive Owen) is the pro-active character during the last moments of "Elizabeth: The Golden Age". Like Ed Harris("The Abyss") and Harrison Ford("Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade") before him, Owen gets to perform the most dramatic of aquatic stunts, swim underwater. That should tip you off as to the problem with this most unlikely sequel. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is too big in scale. The film also goes overboard in demystifying "The Virgin Queen". She's too vulnerable, too weepy, in other words, too contemporary. The hissy fit she throws in the pavilion after Bess(Abbie Cornish) betrays her is an eye-roller. Blanchett is good, but this isn't "Dynasty".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
TyranianApr 7, 2019
Decent drama with good acting and visuals, reasonable writing though not that engaging.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
FilipeNetoApr 4, 2018
This movie is the sequel to "Elizabeth - The Virgin Queen" (1998) and, like all sequels, suffers from an inferiority complex towards the original film. It is a regular historical film, which depicts a key moment of Elizabeth I's reign ofThis movie is the sequel to "Elizabeth - The Virgin Queen" (1998) and, like all sequels, suffers from an inferiority complex towards the original film. It is a regular historical film, which depicts a key moment of Elizabeth I's reign of England: the Invincible Armada and the English resistance to Spanish ambitions. And Cate Blanchett (who continues to give life to the English queen) is still brilliant in her role, almost being able to become the queen that herself. Unfortunately, as in the first film, this effort follows without the merit and appreciation of the critics and the Hollywood Academy (the Oscar nomination for Best Actress that year did not pass that same). Geoffrey Rush continues to give body to Sir Francis Walsingham and do it with great talent and ability, even though his character has not here the strength it had previously. Clive Owen is perfect in the role of Sir Walter Raleigh and reaches, with this film, one of the most interesting works of his career so far.

Historically, unlike the previous film, it didn't seem very able to be faithful to the truth. The script is too imaginative and too much focused on an unlikely and theatrical affair between the Queen and Walter Raleigh. The Spanish Armada is barely portrayed and the struggle between English and Spanish, the natural film climax, ends up being completely emptied of relevance, which makes no sense and puts in question the film edition, and the quality of the script. In fact, there was no ability to foresee the importance of this point for the film's outcome. If the director (Shekhar Kapur) and writers (William Nicholson and Michael Hirst) thought that Blanchett's great interpretation, a very good cast, scenery, clothes and some romantic suggestions would be enough to save the film, they're wrong. Do not make omelets without eggs, says the people, rightly so. This film had everything to be better, to match its predecessor, but a bad script and editing laid everything to lose.

Despite its a very still and boring movie (sometimes seems that people have forgotten that they're almost to be invaded), this film is quite reasonable and worth seeing, especially for the excellent work of the actors.… Expand
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