Robin Hood (Ridley Scott)

As a child and still today, my favorite Robin Hood movie is the animated Disney version followed by “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn and then by “Prince of Thieves” with Kevin Costner. I am also a fan of Mel Brooks’ film and even wrote about it in my university final paper concerning Neo-postmodernism. This version by Ridley Scott seems to surprise people by not telling the tale that we are familiar with. When I first saw the preview however, I knew that Scott would be departing from the classic tale in many ways and so the story was not a surprise to me. I was entertained but I would have to say that it is almost worth the $10 ticket price. While the design and acting was well done, the story did not receive the attention that it should have. “Robin Hood” could have been a great show if we got to know the characters a little bit better. Relationships could have been stronger in the film and this would have made the story more dramatic.

The design of this film was great. I believed the world that I saw as I did with “Braveheart”, Scott’s own “Gladiator” and to some extent "Prince of Thieves". The design also departs from some medieval stereotypes that we have seen in other Robin Hood movies. Nottingham is a good example of this. In past films, whether featuring Robin Hood or not, we have seen towns and cities in Medieval England with tall homes all cluttered together. Nottingham in Scott’s film gives you similar impressions that Hobbiton did from “The Fellowship of the Ring”. It is a place you would love to live in and it is a place worth defending. The homes are separated with farmland clearly visible. In the story of Robin Hood, you must have sympathy for the people of Nottingham in order for Robin’s deeds to be justified and this is achieved in this version of the tale. I was also impressed with how well handled the scene was where Robin delivers the crown in London. I felt a similar mood watching the scenes in “Gladiator” with the Emperor. A legitimate royal presence is created in “Robin Hood” with the delivery of King Richard’s crown. This helps in making John a pitiful excuse for a ruler.

The acting is well done also with the exception of William Hurt. I particularly liked Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow and Scott Grimes in this film. Russell Crowe’s role is similar to his in “Gladiator” as a warrior who is more respected than the current ruler. He still creates enough distinction between the characters of Robin and Maximus thankfully. Cate Blanchett is a good Maid Marion and you believe her change of heart from disliking Robin to loving him. It is hard for me to really like Blanchett in her films because most of the time, I am not that attracted to her. She is pretty in real life and her costume in “Lord of the Rings” gave her appeal. She is beautiful in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” but in this film, she is not as pretty as she could be. There is a good chemistry between Crowe and Blanchett and that is the most important thing.

The story is not bad. I just felt that more attention should have been given to it. I like stories about imposters because of the drama and comedy that is created such as in “The Road to El Dorado” and “A Knight’s Tale”. It was cool to see how the legend of Robin Hood began but it was hard to immerse myself in this tale. The emotional build up leading up to the big battle was lacking and I wanted to feel anxiety towards Robin’s situation. With a story like this, they could have created more drama with Robin pretending to be a knight. There were some great moments in the middle of the film but then things calmed down when more nervousness should have been fashioned. As the climax drew near, I was not afraid for any of our main characters. I knew that they would live & win in the end and without suspense, the film story was not as good as it could have been. Finally, we all know movies that have a great team of characters and this film could have been one of those. I would have loved to see more chemistry and fellowship between Robin and his men.

“Robin Hood” is a movie that is good to see at least once but the second time is less entertaining. In contrast, "Gladiator" is always enjoyable. The design is well done and the acting is handled nicely. I love a good story though but this movie had nothing that was extremely special. A sequel might be fun in that we get to see a tale that we are used to and we would also get to see this new cast play it out but I doubt that will happen. I would suggest that it not happen. Spend the time and money on something original and/or special.

3 Stars