Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: ****/5

Cate Blanchett dazzles us once more as she reprises her role as Queen Elizabeth. In this sequel, her kingdom faces religious and political persecution from King Philip II (Spain) and the Catholics he claims he represents. Here we see how religion is used as a means of obtaining political power (and its accompanying riches of course).

Apart from her role as the virgin queen, Blanchett shows us how the queen is just as human as we are. From her coquettish stance with her ladies-in-waiting while boating, to the role of teacher to the poor Austrian prince who tries too hard, to the ultimate heartbreak as she finds out how he’s had an affair with her favourite lady-in-waiting, Bess (Abbie Cornish); yet again, we see her strength as she strives to protect her kingdom and people from the Spanish Armada. Most impressive is the scene where she is dressed entirely in white, standing at the cliffs facing the tempestuous seas tossing the Spanish Armada around as it goes up in flames (courtesy of Sir Raleigh (Clive Owen) and his brilliant strategy of using fireships). It looked as if she really had divine intervention!

Another really sad scene was the one where Elizabeth herself, constrained by her royal blood, cannot dance freely with Raleigh, and she gets Bess to dance with him, while she imagines herself to be in his arms…

Samantha Morton, starring as Mary Stuart, Elizabeth’s own cousin who secretly organises a rebellion in an atempt to ursurp the throne, but belatedly realises that she’d become a pawn for the Spanish (who wanted the throne for himself), gave us a beautiful scene of a woman’s whose lifetime dreams are shattered but faces the guillotine with such courage.

And if the acting fails to wow you, the set definitely will! Done up in all the majesty and opulence of a prosperous kingdom, combined with the lovely cinematographia, “Elizabeth - the Golden Age” is truly a worthwhile watch!

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