Apart from the artwork and Miss Blanchett...it is nothing spectacular

Rating: 4/10 (3 November 2007)

With an exciting historical topic and a very influential all-star cast including Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush, this movie looked like the next grand epic since Kenneth Braughn's "King Henry V". Despite the many negative reviews I have read, I still wanted to see this movie. I usually agree with most film critics, and unfortunately I have to agree with them one this one. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" could have been a spectacular achievement, but it falls short on almost everything of which makes a historically epic movie.
The first hour of the film was nothing more than men trying to woo pretty ladies of Queen Elizabeth's court. The movie felt like a chick flick. The acting is even drier in this section of the movie. Clive Owen is no more than a chick magnet and a typical action hero, and Geoffrey Rush seemed bored with the movie itself, and just went with the flow, following Blanchett's lead. Miss Blanchett though seemed to enjoy herself, bossing everyone around as queen, wearing pretty costumes and make up, and getting all emotional over every little detail; she would be happy in one scene and totally mad in the next. I have to admit though that this made her quite an ambivalent character
In the midst of all this, the movie tries to develop a conspiracy in which one of the Queen's distant relatives wants to assassinate her. This conspiracy is hard to follow; no names are given, so I don't know who is who, much less who ends up murdered and why. When this conspiracy quelled, the remaining hour is made of a wannabe action flick. For no apparent reason, the King of Spain, who is no more than an annoying figurehead that jabbers quickly in Spanish, wants to take over England.
This then leads to the big, epic battle in the North Sea. It takes forever to get to this sequence, and then it delivers as one of the most boring battle scenes I have ever seen. There's not enough explosions, death, and fighting to make it enjoyable. As far as my history goes, the naval battle in the North Sea was among the grandest and largest battles in world history. There are a lot of ships present, but there's not much happening with them. When this is all over, the movie wraps up with a happily ever after ending.
I may sound that I absolutely loathe this movie, but I don't. This film had some of the most beautiful cinematography and costume designs that I have seen since "The Curse of the Golden Flower." The set production and make up design was also as equally amazing to look at. And the score was very pretty, although it was a bit bombastic in the start and end of the film, occasionally overriding the dialogue.
It's not the worst movie I have seen, but it is certainly not the best. From the elegant artwork and the "ambivalent" performance by Miss Blanchett, I give this a 4/10.