Film Review: The Virgin Queen

This four part mini series was aired on Masterpiece Theatre back in 2005/2006 and stars Anne-Marie Duff as Elizabeth 1 and Tom Hardy as Robert Dudley. Beginning near the end of the reign of Mary 1, the story follows Elizabeth and Dudley from the very beginning her reign all the way to the end...literally: the last episode ends with the queen's death. Anyway, I found the series decent, and thought Duff did a good job showing the mercurial queen's many different sides. However, compared to Cate Blanchette's or Hellen Mirren's versions, it doesn't quite measure up. Hardy was not quite as strong as Dudley, and didn't really have the command that one would think Dudley would have. I'd say the costumes were decent, but nothing that made me gasp.  A "hey, I know that guy!" moment: the actor playing Essex was last seen playing Cranmer in The Tudors. All in all, a film to see as a fan of the era, not horrible, but not great. 2 out of 5 stars