|
Published on Friday, October 12, 2007 - 7:39am |
|
Massawyrm Showers In The Glory Of ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE!!
|
It's one thing to make history seem cool, even to those that hate the concept of learning. It's another thing entirely to make it fucking awesome. But that's exactly what Shekhar Kapur does with his follow up to the 1998 period piece that made Cate Blanchett a star. The very idea of someone making a sequel to such an academy award nominated/winning film is enough to give some folks a case of spastic colon. But this was one of those rare cases in which it's not as weird as it sounds. I mean, I remember walking out of Elizabeth nine years ago, saying to myself: Man, I want see another one about her in the later years. Apparently so did the folks that made it. Including Blanchett.
So here we are 9 years later and the question is: does this hold a candle to the original? Not just yes, but HELL YES. In fact, what's funny about this is that it not only follows the first movie perfectly, but hits all the right notes for a perfect sequel…according to the very laws of sequels that so seem to dominate the summer. There's another great villain, all your old favorites are back, and most importantly, the action gets a serious ramp up. Much like the original, the first two acts of this play out as a pretty standard, if not superior, period piece that serves to endear us to Elizabeth while setting up the incendiary third act. And the third act here is killer. While there is still some focus on political intrigue, this one actually takes us to war.
But that isn't what put this one over the top for me. Sure, the war ramp up is great and the few scenes they were able to afford were pretty god damned good. But what made this such an incredible follow up was the introduction of one of history's greatest scoundrels and most interesting personages, Sir Walter Raleigh. Now let's ignore the fact that he holds the distinction of being one of histories greatest men, the man who not only introduced the western world to tobacco, but popularized it by making it the 'cool' thing to do. Yeah. The guys my fucking hero. But aside from that he was an adventurer, possible lover of the virgin queen of England and by many accounts, a real honest to god pirate. So he's a smoking pirate who might have bedded the unbedable. Who could possibly be cool enough to play a guy that badass and do it justice.
Clive. Fucking. Owen. Damn straight. And what Clive Owen brings to the table is his usual air of unshaven cool in a film that you thought would be completely impervious to such notions. Remember when Brian Helgeland added rock music to A Knights Tale in an attempt to give the people of today a link to what kids in the middle ages might have thought was cool and connect them in some way? Well this is how you do it and make it work. Sir Walter Raleigh is awesome. Hella awesome. I want a fucking Sir Walter Raleigh poster on my wall right now. They go so far as to even give us one of those old Errol Flynn shots where he's hanging off the bow of the ship as it sails bay with a good old-fashioned camera swoop. And it tickled my insides with a child-like glee and made me want for nothing more than a Clive Owen pirate movie…
…and yet it never feels out of place or over done. Sir Walter Raleigh is cool, plain and simple, and that's why the queen is so readily fascinated by him. I mean think about it, if you had a choice between hanging out with some uptight Spanish douchebags or Clive Owen the Pirate, who would you spend time with? And the effect is masterful. This movie goes in very different directions than the first, telling another great story about one of histories most notable rulers.
Of course Geoffrey Rush is back as Elizabeth's own bad ass espionage guy in the shadows. And while he doesn't have nearly as much to do this time around as last, he's still given a couple of glorious moments that remind us just how vital (and cool) he is to the preservation of the crown.
Oh yeah. And Cate Blanchett is in it and she's pretty good. You know, as good as one of the worlds greatest living actresses can be. Did I mention Clive Owen?
It's not that this is a better film than Elizabeth (in fact I'm not convinced it is), it's that it is something of a very different film. It goes down very different roads than its predecessor, which works in its favor. Rather than having to live up to the original's formula, it tells another story entirely, feeling overall more like a true continuation of the story instead of just a sequel. And it helps a lot that there is an air of adventure added to this one. The pacing, the shot structure, everything about this feels like it is being amped up to achieve a marrying of the ideals we all love here at AICN with Oscar caliber sensibilities.
It's a wonderful film that I think most will find a lot more accessible than the first. As much as I love the original, there is a certain historical epic stuffiness to it that this film seems to be trying to eschew. The result is something that comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Seriously, if you're a fan of the original, Cate Blanchett or Clive Owen there is zero reason for you not to see this. Zero.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reader Talkback
Queen Liz the FIRST! by BenBraddock | Oct 12th, 2007 07:43:17 AM | Sounds good by kwisatzhaderach | Oct 12th, 2007 07:43:41 AM | Does everyone around here have
a man-crush on Clive Owen? by tonagan | Oct 12th, 2007 07:51:05 AM | The trailer looked good by Fitzcarraldo2 | Oct 12th, 2007 07:51:18 AM | mass.... by jezza | Oct 12th, 2007 07:52:07 AM | They could also make 'Aviator
2: The Madness' by Spandau Belly | Oct 12th, 2007 07:53:15 AM | i'm in . . . by reckni | Oct 12th, 2007 08:11:12 AM | So... by Pandas-R-Us | Oct 12th, 2007 08:11:29 AM | The early reviews for this
have been pretty
bad....(RT=sub 30%) by sambafreak13 | Oct 12th, 2007 08:31:35 AM | "p.s. the Fashion is FABULOUS
! ! ! " by Pound Sand | Oct 12th, 2007 08:41:15 AM | I love these movies.... by LORDRANDO | Oct 12th, 2007 08:47:52 AM | Where the fuck is John Dee? by Cagliostro | Oct 12th, 2007 09:35:33 AM | Liz by Cobbio | Oct 12th, 2007 09:51:40 AM | Clive Owen: Coolest guy in
movies today! by Klaus Herzog | Oct 12th, 2007 09:59:18 AM | I'll be at the cinema in a few
hours for this by sith_rising | Oct 12th, 2007 10:09:23 AM | Clive Owen is a twat. by Fortunesfool | Oct 12th, 2007 10:58:04 AM | Oh, Massawyrm, urine a lotta
trouble for your awful puns by AnimeJune | Oct 12th, 2007 11:03:41 AM | i have a mancrush on owen. by BMacSmith | Oct 12th, 2007 11:07:37 AM | Hope this isn't like
Showtime's Tudors... by Regina V. Dudley | Oct 12th, 2007 11:47:21 AM | Why Is Clive Owen so hot to
everyone but me? by theycallmemrglass | Oct 12th, 2007 11:51:02 AM | Cagliostro by Mr. Nice Gaius | Oct 12th, 2007 11:51:14 AM | Elizabeth: The Golden Shower. by Smerdyakov | Oct 12th, 2007 11:56:23 AM | Glory of? by AlwaysThere | Oct 12th, 2007 12:09:35 PM | The original "Elizabeth" was a
bigoted piece of Shit. by NoDiggity | Oct 12th, 2007 12:53:57 PM | Xiphos by Mr. Nice Gaius | Oct 12th, 2007 01:37:16 PM | Catholics and John Dee by oisin5199 | Oct 12th, 2007 02:03:24 PM | For a more balanced
review(s)... by Fish Tank | Oct 12th, 2007 02:12:20 PM | Wow. Rather effusive. by DarthCorleone | Oct 12th, 2007 02:35:10 PM | bullshit by ryman7 | Oct 12th, 2007 03:28:26 PM | Oisin knows his shit.... by Cagliostro | Oct 12th, 2007 03:28:28 PM | What, no Cantona? by CeefaxTheCat | Oct 12th, 2007 03:38:16 PM | Ha ha, JOHN DEE, REPRESENT!!! by Daddylonghead | Oct 12th, 2007 04:59:32 PM | Apparently shit is the new
piss by BillyPilgrim | Oct 12th, 2007 05:03:09 PM | Elizabeth... by Al Delvechio | Oct 12th, 2007 05:37:25 PM | Fuck Rottentomatoes, I'm
seeing this film anyway. by rbatty024 | Oct 12th, 2007 06:50:22 PM | It's STATHAM. Not Stratham or
Streatham like some tard up
there by Kurzinski Valentine | Oct 12th, 2007 06:57:46 PM | Mr. Nice Gaius by Cagliostro | Oct 12th, 2007 08:09:52 PM | Blanchett's performance by mrdinky | Oct 12th, 2007 08:17:58 PM | Really? Seriously? by Proman1984 | Oct 12th, 2007 09:13:46 PM | best idea ever by darwinwins | Oct 12th, 2007 09:47:57 PM | I don't believe you by chutneylix | Oct 12th, 2007 10:46:41 PM | Damn right. by 433 | Oct 12th, 2007 11:17:24 PM | Daniel Craig? by TheRealMoriarty | Oct 13th, 2007 03:05:08 AM | Daniel Craig by godwillforgivethem | Oct 13th, 2007 05:14:11 AM | Why the "Critics" Hate This
Second Elizabeth Movie by NoDiggity | Oct 13th, 2007 08:13:18 AM | the catholics are coming! the
catholics are coming! by mrdinky | Oct 13th, 2007 08:20:57 AM | Wanna see a good Clive Owen
film,rent by Grammaton Cleric Binks | Oct 13th, 2007 08:59:00 AM | You know NoDiggity, you make
me want to see the movie
even... by rbatty024 | Oct 13th, 2007 11:40:22 AM | Does Elizabeth do the Electric
Boogaloo or yell
"KHAAAANNNNN!"? by MrMysteryGuest | Oct 13th, 2007 12:16:49 PM | rbatty04 by damagedinc | Oct 13th, 2007 04:16:15 PM | what the...? by mrdinky | Oct 13th, 2007 08:40:38 PM | mr dinky (here's the best
answer I can give with a
little room) by damagedinc | Oct 14th, 2007 01:31:35 AM | Also... by damagedinc | Oct 14th, 2007 01:40:20 AM | conduit me arse by mrdinky | Oct 14th, 2007 03:12:57 PM | Golden Axe! by CuervoJones | Oct 14th, 2007 03:35:09 PM | mr dinky by damagedinc | Oct 15th, 2007 07:11:14 PM |
|
|