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No mere historical drama, Elizabeth is a rich, suspenseful journey into the heart of British Royal politics, and features a typically outstanding performance from Cate Blanchett.
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (11) | DVD (7)
Without [Blanchett], Kapur's extravagant history lesson (written by Michael Hirst) blurs into dark doings among men in tights. Sep 7, 2011 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…
Without [Blanchett], Kapur's extravagant history lesson (written by Michael Hirst) blurs into dark doings among men in tights.
Lisa Schwarzbaum
"Elizabeth" is superior historical soap opera that shrewdly sidesteps all the cliches of British costume drama with its bold, often modern approach. Jul 31, 2008 | Full Review…
"Elizabeth" is superior historical soap opera that shrewdly sidesteps all the cliches of British costume drama with its bold, often modern approach.
David Rooney
Kapur cunningly confuses gender roles, equates sex with death, and rattles through dark, stony passions with some considerable panache. Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
Kapur cunningly confuses gender roles, equates sex with death, and rattles through dark, stony passions with some considerable panache.
Kapur draws the best from an outstanding cast and delivers both an atmospheric romance and a mature exploration of a big theme - the dark duplicity, betrayal, and grubby ambition that runs through Britain's bloodthirsty history. Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Kapur draws the best from an outstanding cast and delivers both an atmospheric romance and a mature exploration of a big theme - the dark duplicity, betrayal, and grubby ambition that runs through Britain's bloodthirsty history.
Matt Ford
It's almost guaranteed to get a couple of Oscar nominations in the technical categories, and I think Blanchett deserves one, too. Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…
It's almost guaranteed to get a couple of Oscar nominations in the technical categories, and I think Blanchett deserves one, too.
Paul Tatara
Acted and directed with great energy and imagination. Mar 21, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Acted and directed with great energy and imagination.
CSM Staff
With her power constantly challenged by the state and the church, and with powerful men conspiring against her at every turn, it's little wonder that the strength of the first Elizabeth to rule England is legendary. Sep 15, 2017 | Full Review…
With her power constantly challenged by the state and the church, and with powerful men conspiring against her at every turn, it's little wonder that the strength of the first Elizabeth to rule England is legendary.
Keeva Stratton
Cate Blanchett gives a bravura performance in this dark and lurid account, which is done from a contemporary standoint as a conspiracy thriller, emphasizing the violent actions Jan 11, 2011 | Rating: B- | Full Review…
Cate Blanchett gives a bravura performance in this dark and lurid account, which is done from a contemporary standoint as a conspiracy thriller, emphasizing the violent actions
Emanuel Levy
Dank interior castle settings create a claustrophobic intensity that underscores the growing sense of paranoia and people's sinister machinations in this battle for England. Sep 12, 2007 | Rating: 83/100
Dank interior castle settings create a claustrophobic intensity that underscores the growing sense of paranoia and people's sinister machinations in this battle for England.
Dan Jardine
More often than not, it's a watchable and thought-provoking history lesson rather than the captivating, revealing, intimate portrait it wants to be. Dec 6, 2004 | Rating: B
More often than not, it's a watchable and thought-provoking history lesson rather than the captivating, revealing, intimate portrait it wants to be.
Jeffrey Overstreet
Drama of the ascendancy of England's most powerful queen brims with great acting, brilliant direction. Nov 7, 2002 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…
Drama of the ascendancy of England's most powerful queen brims with great acting, brilliant direction.
James Rocchi
Historians will take issue with some of the filmmakers' choices, but fans of juicy historical drama will just hunker down for the feast. Oct 15, 2002 | Full Review…
Historians will take issue with some of the filmmakers' choices, but fans of juicy historical drama will just hunker down for the feast.
Margaret A. McGurk
A handsome period drama that looks stunning but feels more like reading a History book, with a plain screenplay that doesn't offer many surprises and a cold, didactic direction by Shekhar Kapur that doesn't leave us engaged in the way that it actually should.
Super Reviewer
Clumsy filmmaking that doesn't always succeed in doing justice to the amazing screenplay, Cate Blanchett still manages to shine in a memorable peformance, a lot more comprehensive and profound than Kapur's awful direction.
Its an interesting Biopic, not intirely sure i completely understand everything that was going on in this movie, but the acting was superb, the costume designs was amazing and it was directed and made beautifully! I think Queen Elizabeth 1 is an inspirational woman for what she did and dealt with! From making England poor and defenseless to making England one of the richest countries of that era! Good Job by all accounts! An interesting movie, one a feel i may have to watch again!
Elizabeth chronicles the life of Elizabeth I from innocent young girl to one of the shrewdest and most politically savvy monarchs in England's history. Shekhar Kapur's story of the early life of the virgin queen certainly has a very impressive cast and the material concerns itself with one of the most fascinating periods of British history but the film suffers for his approach. The early part of the film resembles a melodramatic soap opera more than anything else and suffers greatly for his unsophisticated direction that seems far more interested with unnecessary visual embellishment than story telling. Things settle down after Elizabeth is crowned Queen however, and as Geoffrey Rush's Walsingham becomes more involved in the political machinations it all gets a lot more interesting. The performances are all solid and the costumes as attractive as you'd expect but there's something a little "made for TV" about it all. Kapur's direction is the main culprit, but the photography is also not as attractive as it might be making it lack the historically epic sweep I was expecting. It never descends into absurd romantic fantasy in a similar way to its sequel however, and as a whole Elizabeth stands up as a solid if unspectacular historical drama.
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