Review of Robin Hood

I love Robin Hood, and I do like Ridley Scott's films, so this did have the ingredients to be good. Sadly, while it was a valiant attempt, it didn't work for me. The film does look good, with the cinematography excellent and the sets, scenery and costumes authentic enough. The score was a nice touch, it wasn't amazing, but it worked on the whole thanks to some beautiful orchestration. Overall, the archery, fighting and sword play were well handled, Scott's direction is assured and there are some bright spots in the cast namely Oscar Isaac, Max Von Sydow and Mark Strong.

Conversely, my main problem with this film is that it doesn't feel like a Robin Hood movie. If anything it feels like a sequel to Gladiator, but with a less compelling story and bad dialogue. Yes I understand it is an origin story, but the film's tone is rather too serious. This is not helped by the sluggish pacing in the latter half further disadvantaged by somewhat dull chemistry between Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. The story doesn't always know which direction it wants to go, and I actually found myself confused by some scenes, and the film is much too long, an hour and three-quarters is a perfect length if done right. Then there's the script, which didn't flow very well at all. Also, Crowe didn't work for me. He tried hard to create a commanding and charismatic presence, but what let him down were his dialogue and his accent which came and went. I was disappointed in Cate Blanchett too, she is a fine actress who has given mesmerising performances particularly in Notes on a Scandal and the Elizabeth movies, but she isn't given very much to do apart from a nice touch where she joins in for the final battle. Ah yes the final battle, this was a disappointment actually too. It was well shot with some good sword play and the like but it was badly paced and kind of ran on a parallel with Saving Private Ryan but less gut-wrenching and compelling.

So all in all, a disappointment. Not the worst of the year, but it is to me the worst Robin Hood film and quite possibly Ridley Scott's worst film overall too. If you want the definitive Robin Hood, watch the Errol Flynn film, that is simply timeless with plenty of wit, great performances and one of the best scores of all time. 4/10 Bethany Cox