She commands even the wind

In 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar for her role as Viola in "Shakespeare in Love," a role that, while entertaining, did not deserve the award; certainly not when another Oscar-nominated role carried far more gravitas and pathos - Cate Blanchett's Queen Elizabeth I in "Elizabeth."

Nine years later, the sequel should land Blanchett another nomination, and if the trailer is anything to go by, she's a shoo-in for the award. Blanchett's become a queen again, and we witness her power, fragility, rage, pride, and yearning.

If I had to pick a favorite scene, it would be Elizabeth armoring up to face the Spanish Armada and giving her troops some pep talk, or rather, that famed Speech to the Troops at Tilbury. An excerpt: "I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a King, and of a King of England too! And I think it foul scorn that Spain or Parma or any prince of Europe should dare invade the borders of my realm". After that, it would be Elizabeth telling off the Spanish diplomat: "I too can command the wind, sir!" If I were one of Cate's young sons watching his mother in that scene, I'd probably faint dead away from terror.

Here is the international trailer that preceded the just-released North American one.