Nicely compelling

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2007)

At the end of the Tudor dynasty a queen rules over England. It's a time of great religion based conflict where the Catholics and the Protestants want to bash each others heads in. It's the time where the Spanish try to invade England with a massive armada.
Not being a man of history I do not know how far the events depicted in this film deviate from the truth. What is depicted is a queen living her life in a this turbulent time. A queen that is imprisoned in her life, a queen that goes to war with her soldiers, a queen that is in many ways a normal person like any other (and that in many other ways isn't a normal person at all).
The film is in effect a costume drama and those stand or fall by the way they get acted out and how events fit together. For me this film worked out very well. Cate Blanchett plays an excellent role as Queen Elizabeth and thereby carries the title role with verve. Clive Owen fits well as the more or less pirating adventurer that aids her in her life in many ways. All other actors revolve around them and each other in matching style. Added to that the events that keep the pace of the film going, a great musical score and a complete lack of unnecessary additions. So, added all together, it's a great compelling story that might or might not be true, and it's a great watch.
8 out of 10 turbulent Queens