Robin Hood (2010)
Ridley Scott has never made a bad film. Not all have been masterpieces, but Scott is one of the most consistent directors in the biz. I know what you’re saying. Kingdom of Heaven was awful. Yes, but have you watched the director’s cut? It’s 40 minutes longer but feels 40 minutes shorter. The whole movie makes a lot more sense.
I got the same feeling watching Robin Hood. It is a long movie already, but I sense that there is an even longer movie underneath. A better movie. A movie that makes more sense. Certain parts of the movie felt rushed and certain sequences required more explanation. Hopefully a future director’s cut will provide a better movie.
But pacing and flow were not the only problems. Russell Crowe, who I like, was completely charmless. He acted grumpy and tired throughout the whole movie. And this was supposed to be a prequel. Robin Hood, especially early Robin Hood, is meant to be young, agile, and playful. This Robin Hood is old, tired, and slow.
On the positive side, all the other performances were strong. The movie looked amazing, as all Ridley Scott films do. The action scenes were thrilling and impressive, but I did get the feeling that I had seen this all before. I’m not sure what went wrong with Robin Hood. The pieces are all of the highest quality, but they did not form an interesting puzzle.
The final verdict: wait for the director’s cut.
Professor P
Now this was one of the summer movies I actually paid the big bucks and saw on the big screen. I enjoy a Ridley Scott film especially when he takes a period of time in history and puts his spin on it. Of course this being Hollywood, facts pertaining to history have always been adjusted for film sake. The idea of making it a prequel to the history of Robin Hood was a nice spin on all the previous film versions of the character. It was good to see him as a tired worn out soldier because he had just spent the last 10 years of his life in the crusades which were not walk in the park. This was a tough time to live and they made for tough people. Just watch the mini-series "The Pillars of Earth" to see what crap living conditions these people had to deal with.
ReplyDeleteHopefully an extended version can be released that has a little more story or background on the other characters that make up Robin's posse. I would like to see a sequel with more of the ongoing battle between Prince John, The Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood. If this could be done I would hope it would follow in the same style that Ridley is know for.