by Tony DayoubNew on DVD this week, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
lacks the rough, violent heart of the first Elizabeth
. The first one had a darkness creeping in on the edges of both the story and the cinematography that evoked the intrigue of the Godfather films
. Shekhar Kapur's sequel shuns the darkness in favor of the light, obviously illustrating the progress made since the dark ages of the first film's setting. However, save for Cate Blanchett's performance as Elizabeth I, it only serves to uncover the film's flaws.
