Scooter Chronicles

Over the course of a couple of afternoons, Marcia and I watched “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” starring Cate Blanchett as the Queen in a sequel (of sorts) to 1998’s “Elizabeth”. This time around Clive Owen, Geoffry Rush, Jordi Molla, and Samantha Morton.

Here is a rundown on what happens this time around, thanks to J. Hailey and IMDB:

Two faiths, two empires, two rulers - colliding in 1588. Papist Spain wants to bring down the heretic Elizabeth (Blanchett). Philip (Molla) is building an armada but needs a rationale to attack. With covert intrigue, Spain sets a trap for the Queen and her principal secretary, Walsingham (Rush), using as a pawn Elizabeth’s sister Mary Stuart (Morton), who’s under house arrest in Scotland. The trap springs, and the armada sets sale, to rendezvous with French ground forces and to attack. During these months, the Virgin Queen falls in love with Walter Raleigh (Owen), keeping him close to court and away from the sea and America. Is treachery or heroism at his heart? Does loneliness await her passionate majesty?

For those of you that didn’t know, Blanchett was nominated both times she has played Queen Elizabeth I. She is the only woman to be nominated twice for playing the same character. (I don’t know how many men have done the same, but I know Al Pacino is one of them as Michael Corleone.)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the movie. I really enjoyed the first movie and thought that Blanchett surely deserved the nomination. However, this time around I had read a few reviews saying that she was splendid again, deserving a nomination again, but the movie as a whole was lousy. Maybe the hype of it being bad helped, because I didn’t think it was all that lousy. Of course it wasn’t earth shattering by any means either.

I think Francis (Rush’s character) lacked punch. And on the other hand, I think Raleigh (Owen) was too confident. I am sure that many explorers of his time were highly confident, but his actions and what he said at times around the Queen seemed to be too much.

It was good to see the events played out, the famous speech in front of the army before Spain’s attempted invasion. But as a whole, I agree that it wasn’t as good as the first.