Most critics welcome Elizabeth as a forceful historical drama that replaces the restraint of conventional costume drama with political intrigue and a modern pace. Praise centres on Cate Blanchett, whose performance makes the young queen’s growing authority convincing without losing sight of her private desires. Shekhar Kapur’s bold direction also wins broad approval: the reviews repeatedly describe a thriller, finding its visual richness and conspiratorial plotting both entertaining and effective at connecting personal change to the exercise of power.
The main disagreement concerns what that modern approach costs in historical understanding. The New York Times finds substance in Blanchett’s performance while noting that spectacle and contemporary flourishes take precedence over accuracy; the Los Angeles Times is more troubled, finding those contemporary attitudes distracting. Enthusiasm varies more than approval does, with the reservations concentrated on the treatment of history rather than the central performance.