Review – Elizabeth

I can’t remember the last time I watched such an ineptly-directed movie. And that’s a real shame, because with the subject at hand (the early reign of Elizabeth I, which of course featured some crucial moments in European history) and the cast on board (particularly Cate Blanchett) a better movie could have been made. Sadly, Shekhar Kapur is not up to the task. Action, shot composition and editing are consistently weak, sometimes to the point of genuine error (such as the “blinking corpse” scene). Even the credits are mishandled, which of course ensures that the picture both starts and ends on sour notes. Though English history isn’t necessarily my favorite way to pass a couple of hours, I feel I could have gotten more out of this tale if it had been more skillfully told. Mildly amusing