This film is appalingly bad. historically inaccurate with some ridiculous scenes. If you watch it expecting it to be interesting or informative you will be highly disappointed. But the fact that it was so bad made it really funny. The king of spain and 'titanic' scene were my favourites!

It was with much anticipation I sat down to watch TGA but the mishmash of a plot and historical inaccuracies left me hugely disappointed.

A soon as Mary Queen of Scots spoke with a north east Scottish accent and not a French accent the game was up. I suspect this was done so American audiences would not get confused.

And what ever happened to Sir Francis Drake? It would be like the story of American independence with George Washington as a bit part player.

Could and should have been so much better.

Where indeed was Sir Frances Drake, he was supposed to be a key part in the defeat of the Armada! I was waiting for him to appear but he never did and also there needed to be a bit more fighting in the battle at the end, im glad the horses were alright but Walter did not defeat the Armada on his own! There were a few other facts they took out too!
It was good to have the eye candy of Clive Owen though (I love him) and as usual Cate Blanchett was fabulous! That speech about 'I too can command the wind Sir, I have a hurricane in me that will strip Spain bare if u dare to try me!' WOW! That was an emotionally driven moment!
I think it was Jonathan Ross who said something like, in this film, "it was like they got their historical facts from Wikipedia" hehe!

many reviews are saying, there wasn't enough of the armada. Elizabeth the golden age is about her reign, not just the armada. It isn't called Elizabeth: the spanish armada. I believe if any more was shown of the armada it would have become tedious. This film really is for you if you appreciate good acting.

Wow, one of the very few decent films knocking around at the moment. Elizabeth TGA is just so beautifully done, it doesn't smell of super high budget, but really, the acting alone just makes this fantastic.
I've heard a lot of people say historically it is totally incorrect, but actually, if you study English history properly, this interpretation isn't THAT far off, sure it's not "accurate", but mainly the events are condensed more closely, obviously you wouldn't want the film skipping years all the time, but if you check your history it's not that far off.
Cate Blanchett is just awesome both in the first film and this one, the script is excellent, really seriously, if you only buy 1 dvd over the next few months, make sure it is this one.
Supeeerrrbb

I was very disappointed with this film. I think Cate is a great actress and the costumes were beauftiful but it just seemed to jump from one thing to another and as for Walter, what a wet blanket. Apart from the inaccuracies from an historical point of view, it seemed to focus on the non-event of lust and longing between Elizabeth and Walter. Sorry but just didn't do it for me.

I have been waiting anxiously for this movie to arrive on dvd ever since its conception & was hopeing it would be released on blu-ray, but alas only on HD-dvd. I am rating this 4 stars for its lavish production, wonderful cinematography, authentic locations & fine attention to period detail & costume design. Having read so many mixed reviews, I came to this, like with most movies, with no expectations. The performances were uniformaly excellent, but the actors weren't given much to say or do that was entirely convincing & so far removed from Historical accuracy, that I really wonder WHY? Shekur Kapur obviously loves his subject, as do I, so why 'invent' things that never happened? It seems to happen again & again with historical bio-pics & this for me makes the characters less credable. In 1585, when the movie starts Elizabeth was in her 50's, yet she looked no older than the first 'Elizabeth'? Her 'affair' with the very wooden Clive Owen as Raleigh is completely inaccurate. Francis Drake only appeared in the movie for less than 3 mins at the climactic battle with the Armada & was given no prominence at all? I also feel that much more time should have been given to character development & to the movies ultimate finale, the defeat of Philip's Armada.

Considering also that this is a brand new movie, little effort had been made with the dvd's Audio & Visual presentation. whilst the picture was crisp & colours vibrant, there was lots of noticeable grain throughout & the only real use of the surround speakers was sporadic at most. It could & should have been so much better. I was disappointed with the film quality, but nevertheless, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film. The Score too, could have been a lot more dramatic & rich, but failed to deliver...

Lets hope that if Cate Blanchett agrees to filming the final part of Elizabeth's reign, the last 15 years. It will be done with a bit more attention to historical fact & accuracy. After all, she was born to play the Virgin Queen...Recommended, if you can ignore the gaping holes in fact...

Whilst certainly more lavish and star studded, thi doesn't quite match up to the original. It does miss out certain key events but is very engaging nonetheless.

this film contains classy performances from a very good cast.
leading the way 'cate blanchett' as 'elizabeth'
'cate' grows in stature every movie she performs in, surley this actress will in years to come be looked upon a a screen 'icon' for her acting ability.
the film takes a different shape to the 'very good' first 'elizabeth' film starring 'cate'
it focuses more on the 'historic' events that most of us heard about during 'history' lessons.
the 'demise' of her half sister 'mary' queen of 'scots'
her relationship with the 'fortune' hunter 'walter raleigh' played by 'clive owen' ( 'raleigh' being the guy that not only introduced us to the common potato, but also 'tobacco' 'thanks' 'walter' ? )
and of course 'spain's' ill fated invasion by it's huge 'armada' crushed by a violent storm and it's apposing outnumbered, out-gunned 'british' fleet lead by
'francis drake'
great film, great costume, and a damn good watch.

Cate Blanchett is absolutely fabulous in this film. She should be very proud of her performance in this important role. I am not one to watch many historical dramas, however, the story is conveyed brilliantly. The only down point to mention here is the inaccuracy of several key events.

The first film, Elizabeth, is a must see before watching this - At only £4.99 its worth every penny. It does not matter if you are watching this film for historical reasons or for general enjoyment, everybody will have a good time watching the CGI coupled with Cate Blanchett's bloosoming portrayal of a true Queen.