Robin Hood (2010 Film)

From director Ridley Scott, director of Gladiator, comes an all new take on the famous Robin Hood legend. Instead of the usual story of Robin the Outlaw, we now see a story about Robin's story before his exile. Richard the Lion Heart has just been killed in an invasion of a French castle in the Crusade and Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) and his gang want out of the war. They use the chance to deliver the crown to the new king of England to their advantage in securing a trip back home. However, in order to do this, Robin must pretend to be Robert Loxley of  Nottingham. In order to protect their lands, Robert's father Sir Walter Loxley (Max von Sydow) asks Robin to pretend to be his son and this, of course, means also pretending to be Lady Marion Loxley's (Cate Blanchett) husband. The newly ascended King John (Oscar Isaac) is hardly kind to his people as he calls for a means of taxation already and asks Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) to make sure that the taxes get paid. Unbeknown to him, Godfrey is actually an agent of the French. He is trying to stir up troubles in order to divide England so that the French may make their assault. Will Robin be able to unite the people against the incoming French before it's too late?

My opinion on this movie is somewhat mixed. I'm a little disappointed in not seeing the Robin Hood legend we all know and love as the plot but, again, this version is morel like the prequel to that story. Besides, the Robin Hood legend is, again, just a legend, that can be open to variations, so I'm not complaining too much about that. Perhaps, if Scott decides to make a sequel, we will be able to see the known Robin Hood legend then. In a sense, the film is very much like the Robin Hood version of Batman Begins.

The characters and actors in this film are quite strong. Oscar Isaac is able to portray a very slippery king, and Max von Sydow portrays a fabulous a blind Sir Walter Loxley. You can tell that all the actors are very mature in their acting. Perhaps my only complaint here is Mark Addy who plays Friar Tuck. I find his character to be a little too comical for a serious film such as this. Cate Blanchett portrays a mature and serious Marion though her end battle was actually quite silly. Her portrayal of Marion was different from what I had expected, as I envision Marion to be a more gentle lady but is also someone who can readily defend herself and her people when needed. I was also expecting her costume to be somewhat more grand instead of the more common-people attire she wore in the film. Matthew Macfadyen plays a comical Sheriff of Nottingham though I admit that I was expecting a someone a little more serious.

Many applaud Robin Hood for the battle scene at the end, but I actually find this scene to not be well staged. For one thing, there are several anachronisms here, such as the type of boats the French use to land. The boats used had not been invented until a few centuries later! King John's inexperience in battle is shown very clearly and well portrayed here but I find the battle scene to be rather staged. Things move slowly and are not quite as chaotic or organized as I would have liked. In keeping with its PG-13 rating, the amount of gore has also been cut down to a PG rating instead of a R rating. I wasn't much of a fan for gore in the first place, so that rating really doesn't quite bother, though I was hoping that the battle scene could have been a little more epic.

I'm not too pleased with the soundtrack either and, for me, the soundtrack plays a big role in a film. When the English are riding into battle across an open meadow, the music is missing a certain sense of excitement or epic. Instead, the film focuses on a more somber tone. There's nothing wrong with a somber tone but the music lacks the deep evocation of music usually associated with many other good movie soundtracks. The tune for Merry Men was quite good though. It's the song playing at the start of the DVD menu if you're looking for it. There's certainly potential in the composition but the soundtrack of Robin Hood needs to step one up!

There's also a few questionable choices of narrative here. I don't know about you but I like my heroes to be...well...heroic. As you can guess, I wasn't too pleased with the way Robin killed Godfrey by shooting him in the back with an arrow. And also, shouldn't he have checked to see if Marion was alright before going after Godfrey? Don't just leave her lying there in the water! Also, there is the matter concerning the "wild" children in the forest. In the film, they seem to be more of on the outskirts of the plot. There really was any devotion of the film to their story and this leaves me wondering what their purpose in the story was in the first place.

As for the filming, how should I say this? The filming itself was just incredible! The scenery was absolutely beautiful and the aerial takes just stunning. Everything is just done on a very large scale and the image of hundred of horses galloping across an open field is simply majestic. If not for the plot, the music, or the acting, certainly watch Robin Hood for its scenic locations!

Overall, the film is average for me. There's really nothing distinguishing it apart from the beautiful scenery and the mature acting, but it's not a horrible movie either. Go watch Robin Hood nevertheless as you certainly won't lose anything from watching it.