Ever
since the trailers for Ridley Scott’s Robin
Hood first surfaced, everyone’s gripe has been the same.
“Starring Russell Crowe and being directed by Ridley Scott, it looks
more like Gladiator 2 than Robin Hood.” Know this: Robin Hood is far from being a Gladiator sequel and it is nothing
like the Robin Hoods we’ve seen
before.
Scott’s Robin Hood
is highly complex. It begins in France as a huge number of English
crusaders, under the direction of King Richard The Lionheart, raid a
French castle. When King Richard is killed in battle, all of his men
split for the coast, trying to beat the rush to catch a boat across the
channel. While en route to the sea, accomplished archer Robin Longstride
(Crowe) and his group of loyal friends – including Little John (Kevin
Durand, LOST) and Will Scarlett
(Scott Grimes, Band Of Brothers)
– have a run in with French soldiers seeking to destroy the king and
his army of crusaders. The results of this battle send Robin on a
personal mission to Nottingham, but not without crossing paths with the
king’s royal family and risking his life for the good of others.
Because
the events that happen from this point forward are surprising and fun, I
will refrain from getting into the plot any further.
This
telling of the adventures of Robin
Hood begins so very differently from those that we have seen in
the past that it is a bit confusing. If you can remember that this is a
reimagining of the characters and their tale, with an open mind
accepting the changes made, then you will find it a fun new twist on the
nearly thousand-year-old myth.
Although Robin Hood is rated PG-13, know that it is more
violent, graphic and racy than most PG-13 movies.
Robin Hood is not, by any means, a
perfect film. But it sure is fun. Cate Blanchett’s Maid Marion is more
in harmony with the women of our times than of those in which the film
is set. Several of the fighting sequences are corny. A few large chunks
of dialogue are hammy. But the refreshing new ideas applied to the Robin Hood mythology mixed with the
complex twists of the film’s plot make it worth watching.
While Robin Hood may not be winning the
most critics over, it did win
this one – and I wont be surprised if most audiences enjoy it the same.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
