Fantastic Film! A Must-See!

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2007)

I had been reading other comments that others made and many people did not seem impressed with this film at all. However, I thought it was brilliant! Many people are saying that what upset them is that it was not historically accurate. In the special features on the DVD, the director expresses that it was not meant to be a completely accurate portrayal of Elizabeth's early life. It was supposed to be one person's take on her life.
Another thing that I found interesting was that many people have been saying that there was poor acting in this film. I would definitely have to disagree. Before seeing this film, I had only ever seen Cate Blanchett in one film (Notes on a Scandal) and I had thought she was fantastic in it. I love Shakespeare in Love and I love Gwyneth Paltrow and everything, but I think Cate Blanchett should have won best actress in the Academy Awards for 1998 because her role was very complex and difficult and she appeared to master it. Geoffrey Rush was amazing (as usual). There were moments where I couldn't help but picture Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbeam while he was speaking. One of the things that shocked me was how many people have been saying Joseph Fiennes was not good in the movie. I thought he was absolutely perfect. I saw Shakespeare in Love and was amazed by him and then heard about Elizabeth from a friend and decided to watch it. Before watching the film, I came on here and was reading comments about Elizabeth and was a little skeptical when I started watching it. I was afraid that my good opinion of Joseph Fiennes' acting would be dampened. However, it was quite the opposite. I thought his portrayal of Lord Robert Dudley was amazing and no one could have done it better. Fiennes does not receive the credit he deserves for the role he plays. I thought his portrayal in this movie was absolutely heartbreaking (considering what his character went through). It was an all-around great film and I believe it is a must-see!