Cate Blanchett delivers splendid performance in “The Golden Age”

In "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," director Shekhar Kapur and his crew almost succeed in exploiting the film's positive assets to cover up its flaws. By and large, the movie's obvious splendor overshadows an entire chain of plot holes and missteps, unless you look closely enough and manage to resist the pompous soundtrack and the dazzling camerawork. Yes, they nearly got you fooled.

A follow-up to 1998's award-winning "Elizabeth," which focused on the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England, "The Golden Age" centers on the complex relationship between the Virgin Queen (Cate Blanchett), a devout Protestant, and Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), an adventurer who traveled to the New World and is seeking approval to return and colonize the fertile land.

Although intrigued by the man's storytelling and his respect for his motherland, the Queen is forced to devote her attention to multiple challenges risking to drive her to insanity. For once, Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton), a Roman Catholic and longtime enemy of Elizabeth, is orchestrating a plot to assassinate the Queen. At the same time, Spanish King Philip II (Jordi Molla) is deploying his Armada in an attempt to wage holy war against England and restore it to Catholicism.

To those seeking the solid character study and consistent plot that made the first film so brilliant, "The Golden Age" should be no more than a disappointment. Clocking in at 114 minutes, the movie struggles to cover a horde of historical events surrounding Elizabeth I, but eventually fails to explore them in depth. Instead, the plot is a confusing one, with new characters coming and going at a fast rate, and scenes constantly switching between England and Spain, and between the Queen's palace and numerous other locations.

In short, the structure of the plot is at times bewildering and hard to follow, especially during the second part of the film when the Armada approaches the English coast and the movie repetitively jumps from interesting dialogue to loud and hasty battle sequences. By good fortune, the first hour of the film is neatly organized and provides a solid and compelling insight into Elizabeth's at times fragile psyche and her durable faith.

As I mentioned earlier, the film's collection of memorable aspects almost mask the chaos that reigns over the script. Besides great costumes and a fantastic set decoration, "The Golden Age" is a beautifully filmed drama in which nearly every scene is strengthened by a masterful score composed by Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman. The pomposity becomes a little excessive toward the end, although it works well for the sake of the entertainment level for most of the movie.

The real driving force behind the film is Cate Blanchett, who delivers an absolutely flawless performance as Elizabeth I. She was nominated for an Academy Award for "Elizabeth" in 1999 but didn't win, and it wouldn't surprise me if she made the list again next year. Assisting her are Clive Owen, who does a satisfying job playing the handsome womanizer, and Geoffrey Rush, who reprises his role as the stern Sir Francis Walsingham.

With "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Shekhar Kapur has put together an above-average sequel to a first-class costume drama. The result would probably have been a better one had screenwriters Michael Hirst and William Nicholson only devoted more effort to the script, but if you are willing to overlook their faults, this journey inside of the mind of a fearless Queen is indeed, a compelling one.

Rating: B

Courtesy: Tnjn.com