A stellar performance in the title role is only one of many reasons to see this fab film.

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 1999)

Elizabeth, the story of the first stormy years of Elizabeth I's ultimately gloriously successful reign, is a masterpiece. Without being too untrue to the period, it manages beauty, suspense and great dialogue. Cate Blanchett is Elizabeth in a way that few actors manage to portray real people. I was overwhelmed by the richness of the values and the intelligence and complexity of the story. This is a movie for adults - go and see it right away.