--- title: "Elizabeth: The Golden Age: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/elizabeth-the-golden-age/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/elizabeth-the-golden-age" critics_score: 51 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 51 from 15 reviews: 4 positive, 5 mixed, 6 negative. The critics are split, and the spread tips towards disappointment. Almost every review agrees that Cate Blanchett is the reason to watch: her Elizabeth is called commanding, forceful and compelling even by critics who dislike the film around her. Most also agree the sequel falls short of the original, which several remember as darker and more surprising. The costumes and the scale of the Armada sequence are credited even where the drama is not. The reservations cluster on Shekhar Kapur’s direction and on the music. Several reviews find the staging over-indulgent and melodramatic, and the score is repeatedly described as pounding and deafening, drowning what tension the script has. The spread is wide, from a four-star notice at Radio Times to two stars at Time Out and a D+ at The AV Club, which blames rushed storytelling for leaving Elizabeth underdeveloped. Slant Magazine stands apart in reserving its praise for Samantha Morton’s Mary rather than for Blanchett. ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Rating 4/5. Papamichael gives the film a positive review. She singles out Cate Blanchett as a compelling presence in her return to the role. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-iy6259/elizabeth-the-golden-age/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2007. French finds the sequel compelling, with Cate Blanchett carrying its allegorical and historical drama. He especially praises Blanchett’s forceful embodiment of Elizabeth’s intelligence and authority. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2007/nov/04/features.review37) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2007. Festival review. Honeycutt finds the film a robust, entertaining historical epic, though it lacks the original’s capacity to surprise. He especially praises Cate Blanchett’s commanding performance and the spectacle of the Spanish Armada sequence. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/elizabeth-golden-age-159131/) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2007. Hunter opens by doubting that the sequel can match its predecessor's achievements. The excerpt praises the original's impact and Blanchett's star quality, but gives no specific verdict on this film. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/elizabeth-the-golden-age/4034465.article) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 2.5/4. 12 October 2007. Ebert finds the film visually lavish but dramatically unconvincing. He singles out Cate Blanchett’s performance as a strength amid the film’s excesses. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/elizabeth-the-golden-age-2007) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 2 November 2007. The review calls the sequel lesser than its predecessor but still stirring and entertaining. It praises Cate Blanchett’s performance, while finding Shekhar Kapur’s flashy direction distracting. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/elizabeth-the-golden-age-review/) ## Empire — Will Lawrence Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2007. Lawrence finds the film over-indulgent and melodramatic, likely to beguile and repel in equal measure. He praises the performances, especially Blanchett and Rush, while noting that some viewers may struggle with the director’s epic intentions. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/elizabeth-golden-age-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating D+. 12 October 2007. Phipps judges the film a shallow, noisy disappointment that fails to make meaningful drama from its historical events. He faults its rushed storytelling and overbearing score for leaving little room to develop Elizabeth. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/elizabeth-the-golden-age-1798203172) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 2/5. 29 October 2007. Walters gives the film two stars, signaling a negative verdict. The available description singles out a scene of Spain preparing to invade England, including Inquisition robes being dyed. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/elizabeth-the-golden-age) ## Slant Magazine — Keith Uhlich Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2007. Uhlich finds the film’s pageantry and pretensions mostly empty, despite some entertaining pleasures. He praises Samantha Morton’s stately performance as Mary, Queen of Scots, while criticizing the film’s superficiality and visual excess. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/on-the-circuit-elizabeth-the-golden-age/) ## IndieWire — Anne Thompson Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2007. Festival review. Thompson finds the film overblown and bombastic, though Cate Blanchett remains worth watching. She particularly objects to its deafening music and inflated, effects-heavy spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general/tiff-atonement-elizabeth-the-golden-age-187147/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2007. Festival review. McCarthy finds the sequel melodramatic and diminished, with little to recommend beyond Cate Blanchett’s performance. He singles out Blanchett’s presence for praise and criticizes the reductive history and relentlessly pounding score. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/elizabeth-the-golden-age-2-1200556507/) ## The New Yorker — Bruce Diones Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2007. The review finds the film poorly written and dramatically ineffective, with a soap-opera feel that dilutes tension. It praises the careful costuming but criticizes the bombastic score and spectacle for substituting for finesse. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/10/29/movies-26) ## Eye for Film — Tony Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2007. Sullivan finds the film an entertaining, grand-scale historical spectacle, though less dark and compellingly directed than its predecessor. He especially praises Cate Blanchett’s performance as Elizabeth, while noting that Clive Owen’s Raleigh feels one-dimensional. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/elizabeth-the-golden-age-film-review-by-tony-sullivan) ## Paste — Jeremy Goldmeier Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2007. Goldmeier finds the film visually sumptuous but ultimately weakened by the lack of a compelling human force. He praises Cate Blanchett’s compelling performance as Elizabeth, which anchors the film’s contrasts and spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/elizabeth-the-golden-age) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/elizabeth-the-golden-age.md