Elizabeth Movie Review

450 years ago, no one would've thought a thing about a little intern boinking. Today, that's obviously big news, and it should have made the sexual, political, and religious escapades of Elizabeth all the more thrilling.

Too bad it doesn't. The tumultuous tale of young Elizabeth I's (Cate Blanchett) rise to power in the mid-1500s, we are treated to a two hour trip through her battles with the French, a number of suitors, the Pope, the Spanish, underhanded lords, and other nefarious types.

The problem is this all comes off as too cliquish, with Britons the obvious wink-wink insiders in all of this, as is typically the case with movies about roylaty. Despite a rash of good performances, lush camerawork, and great costumes, Elizabeth is just too stand-offish to really get into.

Lizzy gets jiggy.