Elizabeth - The Golden Age is directed by Shekhar Kapur (The Four Feathers). The film stars Cate Blanchett (Lord of the Rings series, Babel), Clive Owen (King Arthur, Sin City), and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean series), and the musical score is contributed by Craig Armstrong and A. R. Rahman. The film is a follow-up to Elizabeth, released nearly a decade prior. Cate Blanchett reprises the role of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, who is facing numerous challenges during her rule. While being pressured into marrying her advisor (Rush), she falls for a high seas adventurer (Owen.) As if she didn't have her hands full with that issue, Spain has been growing in power - and war between the two nations is beginning to seem inevitable. ***

Elizabeth - The Golden Age is a terrific film. The acting, particularly that on Blanchett's part, is excellent. You won't have to watch the film for long to see why this role has gotten her nominated for an Academy Award. The sets and costumes are well-designed, and the cinematography nothing short of fantastic. ***

As good as the film is, though, it's not without its issues. For a good deal of the film, despite its intended dramatic nature, the film feels campy. Likewise, numerous pieces of history and other facts have been altered here for artistic license. In other words, if you're looking for something that's more accurate than dramatic, you should probably look elsewhere (I'm not going to list everything that's been changed or is inaccurate though, as that could take hours.) And there are plenty of times where the soap opera-style romance gets too much emphasis, and feels over the top. But as a whole, these issues don't change this reviewer's mind. ---

Image And Sound:

The DVD is presented in anamorphic widescreen and looks incredible. One of the film's greatest strengths is its cinematography and usage of colors - both of which come across excellently on here. Sound quality is nothing less - the dialogue, the brilliant musical score, and the sounds of war from later in the movie all sound terrific.

As a single-disc release, there aren't a ton of bonus features here. However, what has been included will appeal greatly to any fan of the movie. ***

The major extra here is feature-length commentary with director Shekhar Kapur. As much as I wish they could have gotten Blanchett and the other principal cast members to record a commentary, Kapur's track doesn't fail to please. He delves deep into the creation of his film discussing numerous aspects of the process. I admit, there were a few times I had a hard time understanding what he was saying, and keeping up with his fast speaking, but despite that the commentary wasn't any less enjoyable. ***

Roughly ten minutes or so of deleted scenes are also included. It isn't hard to see why they were removed from the final version of the film, as there are plenty of other portions of the movie that covered the information conveyed, and to a greater extent. Still, they're definitely worth watching if you enjoyed the film. ***

The Reign Continues featurette is what you've come to expect on DVDs over the years - your basic “cast and crew interviews” featurette. A nice, interesting look behind the scenes, it too is worth watching if you were a fan of the film. ***

Commanding The Winds is a look into the CGI phase of creation, and how it was used for the digital creation of the ships and special effects throughout the movie. ***

Inside Elizabeth's World and Towers Courts And Cathedrals are featurettes based on the filming, and where it took place. These shorts show the structures at which the film was recorded, as well as some of the sets that were built for the film. ***

Strangely, no trailer/teaser/etc. is included on the DVD. When you consider that this stuff wasn't included, and that the bonus features (not counting the feature-length commentary) total less than an hour, it really makes you wonder if there's going to be a special edition released eventually.

Final Words: