Sadly, someone agreed that a sequel to "Elizabeth" (1998) was required so we ended up with this rather fanciful vehicle for a still competent Cate Blanchett but not so much for a terribly wooden Clive Owen as the seafaring Walter Raleigh. Following the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), England is facing impending invasion by the Spanish Armada. The (largely forgivable) factual inaccuracies that dogged the first film are somehow magnified in this rather poor follow up. It really does miss Sir Richard Attenbourgh and despite the best efforts of Geoffrey Rush is left too much to likes of the somewhat flighty Abbie Cornish. As you'd expect, the film looks great and the use of CGI is effectively complementary - especially as things hot up, but none of that really helps enliven the rather ponderous pace of this history. Fortunately the Queen didn't live too much longer after this so we ought to be safe from "Elizabeth III - the Essex Years."

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