Elizabeth I
HBO | Channel 4 | Release Date: April 22, 2006
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: The lavishly beguiling historical drama is pumped up on passion, wit and the majestic fire of Helen Mirren's thrilling performance as one of history's most intriguing rulers. Read full review
100
New York PostLinda Stasi
Season 1 Review: "Elizabeth I" soars on every level from the writing, to the directing to the acting. Read full review
100
Christian Science MonitorGloria Goodale
Season 1 Review: Mirren is TV-biography magic. Read full review
100
People WeeklyTom Gliatto
Season 1 Review: An explosion of fireworks. [1 May 2006, p.39]
91
Entertainment WeeklyAlynda Wheat
Season 1 Review: Mirren's Elzabeth is emotional... But with that comes soemthing as rare on TV as it is rewarding--a love affair involving people over the age of 50. [21 Apr 2006, p.67]
90
Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik
Season 1 Review: Elizabeth I features two of the finest actors [Mirren and Irons] in film and television inspiring each other to some of the most spectacular work they have ever done. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: Elizabeth is mercurial, powerful, unpredictable - qualities made real, and a bit frightening, because of the intensity with which Mirren commits to the role. Read full review
88
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: As Elizabeth movies go, this version has neither the sweep of Glenda Jackson's Elizabeth R nor the easily digested entertainment value of Bette Davis' Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. But it has Mirren, and that's reason enough to make it and watch it. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: Mirren... hits a dazzling career high. Read full review
80
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Somewhat plodding through its opening hour, "Elizabeth I" gains steam and then soars through its concluding installment. Read full review
80
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: An engrossing, humanizing portrait of the British monarch. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Season 1 Review: Elizabeth [is] portrayed by Mirren in as brilliant a performance as you're likely to see. Read full review
80
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: Mirren, a true virtuoso at the height of her powers, is what makes this excellent two-part film worth watching, but there are many other pluses as well. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalAmy Finnerty
Season 1 Review: Impressive... Ms. Mirren leaves her authoritative stamp on the role of Elizabeth. Read full review
80
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: No matter how opulent this production, Mirren is never upstaged, and she is the best reason to keep watching. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)John Leonard
Season 1 Review: [Mirren] delivers big-time... Congratulations should also go to Nigel Williams, whose screenplay for Elizabeth I is as sassy as Tom Stoppard’s was for Shakespeare in Love. Read full review
70
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
Season 1 Review: It is a great performance [by Mirren], strong enough that it overcomes the flaws of "Elizabeth I." Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: "Elizabeth I" was made for television and is not a lavish, big-budget production. Visually, it is no match for the 1998 movie. But what "Elizabeth I" does offer is not insignificant: a richly drawn portrait of a powerful woman who is both ruthless and sentimental, formidable and mercurial, vain and likable. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: Irons and the rest of the cast are spot-on. The writing and directing are fairly crisp. Perhaps, though, tracing Elizabeth's life for 20-plus years subtracted from my becoming intently involved in each period of this biopic. Read full review
60
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: [It] would be an above-average Masterpiece [Theatre] installment. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: The film as a whole is a strange case of mostly excellent parts that make an overlong and tedious whole. Read full review
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