Robin Hood - Russell Crowe version

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Robin Hood is a favourite story with almost a version every other year. From Errol Flynn to Kevin Costner, there are many iterations from the heroic to the slapstick. So will the paying viewer be interested in a slightly more mature (which is of course the polite way of saying over the hill) Robin, and a Marion which in a few years will need hormone replacement therapy?

 

The director has worked with Russell Crowe before, and for good or for worse, borrows heavily from his previous work, and many others. It will be a challenge to carve out a unique version of this frequently told story and Ridley Scott tries his hand at a twist which sees Richard the Lionheart dying early on and John his brother actually fighting French invaders, plus a turn of Robin playing the son of a Lord.

 

Well does it work? In a sense, the story works extra hard to distance itself from earlier versions of the story, and yet remain somewhat true to the often told tale. However we see scenes reminiscent of past movies that Ridley did, such as the Gladiator, in the color tones, the epic battle scenes (lets see if the arrows disappear in the DNR version of the DVD). Add plenty of horseplay and a beach scene which is a inverse play of Normandy and Saving Private Ryan, and you get the idea that they just put together a whole bunch of ideas and hoped that the the charisma of the two lead protagonists will carry the movie.

 

Well Cate Blanchett and Russell do have some charisma, but they look like a slightly geriatric version of the merry men, and its very hard to believe they have the young and energy to run shoot, and play heroes with swords.

 

Plot: thin but you may like the twist 3/5

 

Action: plenty of swords, slashing, bleeding, and action fans won’t be disappointed. 4/5

 

Chick factor: if you are into Cate in her 40s then this is your movie, but even when she did Ben Button, she was already in need of plenty of CGI to just look believable as a young lady. At least here she does not hide her age and she goes with the “old maid” thing well.

 

Should you rent/buy or forget it? Well I reckon its worth a rental, but not much more.

 

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