Another week, another sequel – but wait, “Elizabeth”? Don’t we remember it as some slow period film from a decade ago? Well, it is and it isn’t. For while in title and cast, this is indeed the sequel to that dark exploration of 16th century England, in spirit, “The Golden Age” is practically unrecognizable.

It’s been ten years since the end of the last film – Elizabeth has settled well into her role of Queen, proving that a lone female can indeed run an empire. Faced with domestic pressure to marry, she rejects the cavalcade of princely suitors, finding herself drawn only to the adventurer Walter Raleigh (Owen). Meanwhile King Philip of Spain is building the largest empire in the world, inciting a Catholic holy war against Protestant England and planning to assassinate the Virgin Queen.

Critics have reviled this film, quite unsurprisingly considering the sudden tonal change. But its an obvious progression, with the switch from grimy palace drama to action-romance epic pretty fitting to a period brimming with seafaring swashbucklers and royal skirmishes. And what most fail to see is its nod to the rousing 40s soap-opera epics, complete with overdone dialogue, schmaltzy sex scenes and grandiose action that at times comes close to visual poetry.

Coupled with this revisionist attitude are another set of note-perfect performances from Britain’s finest. As the only Aussie among the crew, Blanchett’s performance is the obvious standout, especially compared to a decade ago. The insecurities of an adolescent queen/actress are long gone, and have been replaced by the hard edge and tenacity of a true ruler/award-winner. Her performance would have her running for an Oscar if the rest of the film was up to scratch as well.

While considerably inferior to its predecessor, the “Golden Age” is not the disaster most critics have painted it to be. Sure, it betrays the aesthetics of the well-plotted character exploration of the original movie, but you can’t say it isn’t some damn fine popcorn entertainment. And honestly, what more do you expect in a post- “Pirates of the Caribbean” world?  - 3 stars.

Directed by Shekhar Kapur. Starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Samantha Morton. Category IIA. 115 minutes.