Harbouring a deep love for Europe's history, this show was a must-watch for me.
Having watched the prequel in my JC years, I was keen to find out how the sequel would turn out, fully aware that more often than not, sequels were not worth the time.
Cate Blanchett is reinstated in her role as Queen Elizabeth, and in all glory at that. I must say that the effects are overwhelmingly powerful in furiously driving the plot forward, and some scenes beautifully etched in my mind. The movie captured poignant moments of Elizabeth, as a benevolent ruler - melancholic but beautiful.
Seemingly manipulative and driven by absolute power, Elizabeth is anything but that as subtly and brilliantly portrayed. I feel her loneliness as the virgin queen, not able to be loved as a person other than her status as a queen. Overwhelmed by pressure to marry and marriage proposals, she did not succumb. Intermingled with themes of love, friendship and war, this movie weaves them prettily into a neat set of storyline.
The charming seaman came along, charmed her heart but left her heartbroken. Trust broken and faced with an impending attack from the Spanish, Elizabeth's temper rears its ugly head. Ironically, the manipulation of effects only made it easier to emphatize with her. She yearned to be free, contrary to how one would expect a monarch to behave.
I enjoyed the tremendous effort in recreating the scenes of the monarchy, despite detractors criticisms of how all the magnificent effects only served to veil the powerful acting. After all, an epic movie would only be an empty shell without them.
My favourite snapshot of the movie - the depiction of how small she was in the world.
Merely a chess piece in the infinity of politics.
With strokes of luck, the Spanish were defeated in a surprising turn of fate with Elizabeth proclaiming to her people that she would meet them in heaven or the battlefield of success.
A very rich piece of work I would recommend.
4 out of 5 stars.
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