I don't understand the bad reviews....

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2008)

This is about as good a film, for watching purposes, as I've seen in a while. Excellent acting, great cinematography, well-flowing editing, and just a pleasure to watch.
The dynamic between Elizabeth, Walter Raleigh and Bess is nicely played out, making clear the difficult and unfair position Elizabeth is in as a woman whose only way of truly maintaining power in the eyes of those around her, as much as they try to convince her otherwise, is to not subjugate herself to any man, as much as she wants to be with one for personal reasons. (Unfortunately this is still an issue that is not so far from home.)
Again, for "watching purposes," as I say - meaning, for the pure enjoyment of watching a well-made film - this is far better than a lot of the stuff out there, and certainly, in my mind, deserved more attention. The cinematography is gorgeous, the soundtrack cues timed perfectly, and the cuts move the film along very smoothly.
Not quite sure why the film isn't looked upon more favourably....