"To be hunted all the days of his life, until his corpse unburied, is carrion for foxes and crows."

A few tips for getting the most enjoyment possible out of Robin Hood:

1. Forget that it's an adaptation of Robin Hood, entirely. Just pretend like it's a middling medieval drama/adventure movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett (who's spectacularly underused), with some very vague connections to the Robin Hood legend. Everything is changed about, added too, and embellished beyond recognition. There's nothing wrong with trying to put a fresh spin on an old tale (if it works), but you'll be greatly disappointed if you expect any more than loose connections to the well-known versions of the adventures of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. 

2. Don't expect Gladiator in England. Robin Hood desperately tries to be epic, sweeping, grandiose, and politically involving, but it doesn't come near the heights of the mega-popular, critically beloved Gladiator. It's not a bad movie, and you could enjoy it (if you keep your expectations at a reasonable level), but it's okay at best and deeply flawed at worst. Crowe doesn't put half the heart, passion, or effort into Robin Longstride that he did into Maximus. The characters are one-note and static, and the plot is overly-ambitious and needlessly complex. There is less than zero chemistry between Crowe and Blanchett. Robin's back-story was a contrived mess that added nothing to the movie except empty minutes to the running time. 

The main flaw with Robin Hood is that it's so preoccupied with being serious and deep, that it forgets to be fun. There's nothing wrong with trying to take a story like this in a more realistic direction, but there needs to be a rousing adventure at its heart. That's what's missing from this film. 

Robin Hood is a shadow of Gladiator. It's a shadow of Kingdom of Heaven, to be honest. But there are moments when the battles are raging and you forget that this is supposed to be Robin Hood, when it's an okay movie. My review seems horribly negative and that's not my intention - my expectations for this were just really high. It felt like Ridley Scott really didn't try all that hard, and the cast and crew followed his example.

If anyone is expecting a Robin Hood in the style of Errol Flynn or Richard Greene, better forget about it as you start watching this latest incarnation of England's legendary outlaw. Russell Crowe is the latest to try his hand at a much interpreted part.

The beauty of playing a fictional character is that you can interpret the protagonist in any way you want. Russell Crowe's interpretation is a brooding revolutionary not satisfied with the status quo. Definitely not happy after returning from the Crusades and seeing the people impoverished from being taxed to pay for a lot of glory hunting foreign wars. Does that ever sound familiar.

The action takes place in King John's reign and Oscar Isaac plays him pretty much as history has written. The youngest of Henry II and Eleanor of Acquitaine's children an unpromising lad but who survived to inherit was then the Angevin Empire, England plus a lot of French real estate courtesy of mother. It's a mother complex John has. If my mother referred to me as the runt of the litter, I'd have a jaundiced view myself.

Russell Crowe and his posse identified as Little John, Will Scarlett, and Alan-A-Dale inherit the mission of returning Richard's crown after he's been killed in France. Crowe also masquerades as Walter Loxley's son (Max Von Sydow) at his behest lest his daughter-in-law Marian (Cate Blanchett) be dispossessed. Women were chattel at the time having no rights of possession.

It's quite true though, John had a lot of people hating him and with a little better luck France could have conquered England back in the day. Here Crowe and his posse help save the realm and unlike other Robin Hood films where King Richard gives him all he can, King John is true to his real character and movie character.

It's a different Robin Hood, but Crowe is the medieval hero that so many others on the screen have portrayed. But it's no happily ever after future for him.

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