Visually Stunning

Rating: Null/10 (5 March 2004)

This is a very stylefully shot, beautiful period piece directed by renowned Indian film maker Shekhar Kapur (also check out his Bandit Queen and Four Feathers). It is also slightly empty, however it gives a nice overview of England's teenaged warrior queen (I guess - don't ask me about historical factuality in regards to Elizabethan England).
The story is pretty straightforward - a teenage girl must grow up superfast to survive a fiercely disputed crown and traitorous court. No one expects her to live long enough to become an effective monarch, but she still makes it through.
Jeffrey Rush is pretty good as the coldblooded Sir Francis Walsingham. The movie makes it seem that without him, England would have been a Catholic country, which I guess is an interesting idea to contemplate.
One favorite standout is French actress Fanny Ardant, showing that even at 49, she is HOT. Together with Monica Belluci's hubby Vincent Cassel, they make a very fine comical pair of wannabe pretenders to the throne of England.