Cate Blanchett is Queen... literally! She is a magnificent actress and whilst Elizabeth is a great film it is by no means the totally enjoyable romp is could have been. Everything about is hints at greatness but it falls down as slightly disappointing. The cast seem to be doing everything they can to bolster what I think might have been a slightly weak script... or at the very least, a driving plot.
The 1998 original is a far greater film. Maybe less accessible but more memorable and enjoyable for those reasons. Geoffrey Rush (Walsingham), Abbie Cornish (Lady in Waiting), Samantha Morton (Mary Queen of Scots) and Clive Owen (Raleigh) are all excellent in place as are the beautiful costumes (some very modern looking and luscious) and scenery. Unfortunately, with the addition of so many other characters, and the rather dragging yet undeniably predictable love affair triangle between the Cate, Cornish and Owen, Elizabeth the women seems to get a little lost along the way.
There were definite references to some old Errol Flynn films (Fire Over England (1937) and pirate flicks) in the Armada scenes which in another film might have been appropriate but in this wanna be heavy weight just detracted from the otherwise serious substance. It seemed to descend into a rather weak, Vaseline-lensed love fest. We didn't even get to hear the famous "I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman but I have the heart and stomach of a king" speech at Tillbury (whether true or not!). What a let down - but maybe that's just me having studied this period at school!
I'd love to go on more about this film (so maybe it wasn't that bad after all) but time is short. I will say that there were parts which invoked great emotion in me and others which really made me laugh. Even with an undercurrent of murder and intrigue I wanted more. Overall it was very enjoyable just a little light!
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