johnlink ranks ROBIN HOOD (2010)
ROBIN HOOD is a project I’ve been tracking since its inception. Since we are talking about a fictional character, it never particularly bothered me that they were re-imagining the origin story. I hoped that Ridley Scott’s take would not take the cute/easy route, and would instead use the chance to reestablish these beloved characters in a unique way. I finally got a chance to catch the film on HBOHD the other day…
I watched ROBIN HOOD (2010) on 5.13.11. It was my first viewing of the film. TRAILER HERE
I know many have complained about how this story deals with its characters. For me, there really wasn’t a big problem here. I had fun with the way these tropes, these known commodities, were jostled but not thrown away. The film ends where our normal Robin Hood story may begin. But in the meantime, he’s already completed much of the history we know.
So with that aside, and with the understanding that putting this in a ‘Robin Hood’ universe helps make these characters identifiable, I would say that this is a pretty good epic flick. This isn’t on par with Scott’s GLADIATOR, because the rewriting in ROBIN HOOD has left it feeling like a movie which never knew how long it was going to be. The exposition is a little too much, and the payoff a little too forced. Not bad, not eye-rolling, but certainly not flawless.
The performances are wonderful. Loved Max Von Sydow as Robin’s ‘adoptive’ father. Crowe and Blanchett light up the screen; a perfect pairing. My favorite, though, is LOST’s Kevin Durand as Little John. Of the merry men, he is the most fleshed out, and the most likable.
I would love to see Scott’s R Rated vision of this. Not that I need nudity and blood, but there seemed to be a lot of editing around planned violent moments. A lot of cuts which were forced by decency. That’s when PG-13 annoys me most, when a movie which should have just been left on its own is, rather than being forced to manipulate itself into a certain ‘safe’ mold.
This is a fun one to see, especially for those familiar with the Robin Hood story. I certainly had fun with it, and would like to do a marathon sometime with all the different versions. I’ve watched Flynn, Elwes, and Crowe in the time of these reviews. I’ve just got to get to Connery and Costner now!
SCORES
FILM: 6; MOVIE: 8; ACTING: 7; WRITING: 6
6+8+7+6+0=27
FINAL SCORE: 6.75
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