Good portrayal of Elizabeth's rise to the throne of England

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2017)

Elizabeth is a realistic portrayal of Queen Elizabeth's ascendance to the throne of England. The casting is good, from the exquisite Cate Blanchett to the fine Joseph Fiennes. Blanchett does a wonderful job at portraying Elizabeth and her Oscar nomination was very well deserved. The production of the film is great. The costumes are wonderfully designed and historically accurate. The makeup is spot on too, hence the Oscar win for best makeup. The movie begins with a scene of "heretics" (people who renounced or went against the Catholic Church being burned, by the order of Queen Mary, aka Bloody Mary. Then we see Mary's death and Elizabeth's ascendance to the throne. It is very uncertain times and her ascendance is a turbulent one, and the film depicts it all very well. The middle part of the movie may have some viewers drifting, since it is slightly slow moving, but the ending is worth staying around for in my opinion. This film is not in the greatest movies of all time category, and it shouldn't be. It's not amazing, but it is well made, and really does the source material justice, and if you are a student studying this time period, or just really interested in history, then I suggest it. 7/10.