Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Shekhar Kapur's sequel to his smart 1998 costume drama "Elizabeth" takes us farther along the reign of England's Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett, in an Oscar-nominated performance), as the Virgin Queen faces holy war from the Catholic fanatic Philip II of Spain. It's ostensibly the story of the Spanish Armada but both Elizabeth and director Kapur are far more taken with the dashing explorer and roguish pirate Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) and the flirtations and infatuations of an impossible romance. Cate is marvelous and Owen dashingly charming, but it descends into bombastic costume drama: a little bigger, a little more lush, and a lot less nuanced than the original film. Geoffrey Rush keeps watch over the international intrigue as her loyal advisor, and Abbie Cornish, Samantha Morton and Rhys Ifans co-star. Features commentary by director Kapur, who delivers one of my favorite utterances on a DVD commentary ("I'm not sure why I did it, it seemed like a good idea at the time"); the 11-minute featurette "The Reign Continues: Making Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (a routine overview with the cast and crew); and featurettes on the production design, the historic locations and the creation of the armada. Also available in HD DVD format.