Quite good

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2000)

Now I have finally seen "Elizabeth" and in many ways it was better than I had expected. It has gotten pretty good reviews everywhere, but I had nevertheless expected a rather boring film. It was not boring at all, even if Elizabeth is so well-known that I knew what was going to happen (and *not* happen) most of the time. So, okay, that means it wasn't that suspenseful for me, but I still enjoyed it. Cate Blanchett was great as Elizabeth. While Joseph Fiennes has enough charisma for a hundred men, I still think that he could have done a better job. This is the second time that he has disappointed me since I don't think he was all that great as Shakespeare in "Shakespeare in Love". He wasn't *bad* in "Elizabeth", though, I have to say, just not good enough.
If you liked this, I recommend the French film "La Reine Margot"/"Queen Margot" which is a very similar film only better. It's also based upon historical facts and portrays a very violent time in French history.