The Queen

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2016)

Loosely based on the life of Queen Elizabeth I, this historical drama examines her ascent to throne following the death of her sister and the hardships she faced as an illegitimate woman wanting to make her own decisions. The film is slow to warm up with a lot of time spent on Elizabeth frolicking about as a youth before taking the crown. The second half of the film flows better with a constant sense of imminent danger and unease. Much of Cate Blanchett's transformation in the title role also comes in the second half as she goes from nervously practicing a speech again and again to confidently telling all her advisors what to do. Highly praised as Blanchett's performance often it is, it is the cinematography that stands out the most here. 'Match Point' cinematographer Remi Adefarasin does a magnificent job shooting the film with spinning shots from extreme high and extreme low angles and lots of gliding shots throughout. The film's next best asset is the performances of Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and Fanny Ardant, but not everyone is well cast. Joseph Fiennes is only adequate as Elizabeth's controversial love interest while Vincent Cassel plays his role as a cross-dressing suitor with such an inappropriately comic edge that he feels like part of an entirely different film. The casting is generally good though, and the costumes and sets are as detailed as one would expect. This might not be the most accurate or enticing screen depiction of Elizabeth I, but for its insight into the fragile mentality of the monarch during the first few years of her reign, it is a hard film to pass up.