Elizabeth

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Christopher Eccleston, Richard Attenborough, Vincent Cassel, Emily Mortimer, Daniel Craig
Directed by: Shekhar Kapur
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Biography
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows the rise to power of Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett), and how she deals with a number of problems, including deception and the desire for her to be overthrown.

Review:

Tim: Elizabeth is certainly a good movie. It masterfully tells the tale of the rise to power of Queen Elizabeth. This is no easy story to tell, as there is a huge cast, multiple alliances and betrayals, and much more. That is what surprised me- how absolutely dense and thick this movie is. It took a great deal of effort for me to keep up with the story, keep everything straight in my own mind, and still have room to enjoy the movie.

The film is helped by impressive performances from the cast. Cate Blanchett gives a terrific performance, and deserved her Academy Award nomination (although I agree with the decision that she didn't deserve to win). She pulls off the transition from naive, innocent girl to a troubled, intelligent strategist. She has a few scenes where she absolutely crushes her role. The performance is great. Geoffrey Rush is also quite enjoyable, though he gives a performance I couldn't quite get my mind around. It is odd, but in a very subtle way. Richard Attenborough, Joseph Fiennes, and Vincent Cassel all add in good performances. It is humorous to see a younger Daniel Craig in a small role as well.

Elizabeth is a complex, complicated movie. The positives are that the movie tells this story in an entertaining fashion. The negatives include the film's density, as the plot is so thick and complicated that it takes effort to sit through. This causes the movie to feel especially long, even if it tops out just over two hours. I enjoyed this movie and the history lesson you get about Elizabeth. She was a fascinating individual, and Cate Blanchett does a wonderful job bringing her to life.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Good German, Babel