Drama: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Samantha Morton, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Hollander, Abbie Cornish, Eddie Redmayne, Jordi Molla, Adam Godley

When Gwyneth Paltrow sobbed as she accepted the 1999 Academy Award for Best Actress, a more deserving winner sat serenely in the audience, smiling politely for the cameras.

Cate Blanchett should have been standing at the podium for her extraordinary portrayal of Elizabeth I in Shekhar Kapur's sweeping historical drama.

It was an electrifying performance, revealing the steeliness and vulnerability of a young woman who inherited a country at war with itself.

Reuniting with Kapur for this belated sequel, the Australian actress may yet claim her Oscar as the Virgin Queen.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a ravishing period piece which charts the tumultuous years when Spain's Catholic monarchy declared war on the Protestant queen.

Production designer Guy Dyas and his team painstakingly recreate the opulent 16th century court and the high drama at sea as Francis Drake attempts to repel the Spanish Armada.

The film opens in 1585. Elizabeth I (Blanchett) has been on the throne for almost three decades but the winds of religious discord are howling throughout the land.

Across the Channel Spain's King Phillip II (Molla) is preparing to despatch his fleet of ships to depose the Protestant queen and install cousin Mary Stuart (Morton) in her place.

"England is enslaved to the devil. We must set her free," he proclaims.

Elizabeth's burgeoning relationship with explorer Sir Walter Raleigh (Owen), a commoner with bountiful charm, sets tongues a-wagging.

Raleigh is one of the few men to openly challenge her.

Unable to pursue the romance, Elizabeth watches as Raleigh gives his heart instead to lady in waiting, Bess (Cornish).

Her rage and despair becomes a guiding light in the battle against the Spanish.

Blanchett gives another virtuoso performance as the strong-willed woman born into power who rues: "I have given England my life. It must also have my soul."

Owen cuts a dashing figure as Raleigh and Geoffrey Rush is an insidious presence as spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham.

The romance between Elizabeth and Raleigh tugs at the heartstrings, as the queen agonises over her duty to her people and her wounded heart.

Historical accuracy is blown to smithereens during the climactic battle, as Elizabeth stands triumphantly atop the white cliffs of Dover, her frock billowing in the winds of change, witnessing her country's finest hour.

FOUR STARS