Great period piece anchored by a career defining performance by Cate Blanchett

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2011)

I remember watching Elizabeth in high school and remember how this was the first period piece that completely drew me in. I remember the costumes being the main thing that drew me in, but revisiting it as a slightly more mature adult I realize that a great period piece like this is much more than costumes. Anchored by a career defining performance by Cate Blanchett the viewer is swept into England at a time of turmoil and uncertainty and are given a unique perspective as one of the most powerful people in history comes to power.
I really love how the writers chose to spend most of the movie showing Elizabeth as being human being with frailties and insecurities. I also enjoyed seeing her in love, but this ends up being the only weak point in the movie for me. It is mainly because I am cynical and do not buy into that type of undying love that Lord Robert and Elizabeth share with each other. That might just be me being cynical or that love at the time meant something complete different and I just cannot relate to it. It is probably because I am cynical. Other than this there are almost no faults with the movie.
One could spend pages talking about how good Blanchett is in this, but she gives us a remarkable transformation of a doe-eyed love struck girl to one of the most powerful and formidable images of power ever caught on film. Watching her psyching her self up in the mirror and then go out in Parliament and getting what she wanted was a fantastic one-two combination that really captures the transition that Elizabeth had to go through to become the leader of an entire country.
Together with an impressive supporting cast we get to see Attenborough play a role that he almost always seems to play, but plays it so well. He plays a man with nothing but good intentions in his heart while being misguided at times. Eccleston does a fantastic job of being a villain while doing almost nothing villainous. We honestly believe that he is doing everything for the good of his country, while never losing his villainous streak. Rush does a good job as her mysterious adviser and at the end I love how his intentions are made clear, but you are still not sure if you should trust him. I also loved seeing Cassel playing a character so far from what I have seen him in before. I loved picking out various actors and actress that I recognized from all over the place in small roles.
One of the most impressive parts for me was the sets. I honestly could not tell you if there were actually sets or castles that they shot on. Either way they are impressive and I was truly awestruck at some massiveness of some of the sets. As mentioned before the costumes were especially effective. I loved seeing Elizabeth going from simple dresses to some of the more impressive costumes I have ever seen, while never being out of character.
In the end this movie is one of the most impressive period pieces I have ever seen while at the same time being one of the most interesting character studies of a historical figure I have ever seen. With a timeless performance by Blanchett this movie is really a treat for any fan of film.