Longstride?

Last week I took an unscheduled break from the site. I am not sure why but I just couldn’t get anything written. First on Monday I didn’t do a review and then on Tuesday when I tried to my brain just wouldn’t let me. It was just resisting thought for some reason. It didn’t literally hurt or anything but it was painful. And then I just never came back to writing anything. I think being home this long is making my brain slow and lazy. This is not good, not good.

Anyways, last week I saw Robin Hood (2010). It is just the newest incarnation of the story. There have been tv shows, cartoons, a Kevin Costner blockbuster, and a tights filled farce. All have portrayed the character and told the story in pretty much the same way. Robin Hood is a man who steels from the rich and gives to the poor, is chivalrous, an enemy of the Sheriff on Nottingham, and loves Maid Marion.

In Ridley Scott’s version however the classic story wasn’t good enough. He changed the man, his name, the enemy, and the maidenhood of Marion. The only thing that did sort of stay the same was that it took place mainly in Nottingham.

Even though the story was changed, with actors like Russell Crowe (No longer Robin Loxley but Robin Longstride. It sounds like a porn name), Cate Blanchett (Marion Loxley), William Hurt (William Marshall), Mark Strong (Godfrey), and the direction of Ridley Scott you would think it would be a good film. Telling this new story with heart and having characters that are interesting and complex. But you would be wrong. Even though the movie starts well, in the midst of battle, it just goes down from there. The whole movie seemed to be a vehicle for close-ups of Russell Crowe while he says courageous words and gives epic speeches. Everything in between was filler.

There were also characters that were introduced that were just left to stand in the background. Little John (Kevin Durand), Will Scarlett (Scott Grimes), and Allan A’Dayle (Alan Doyle) are Robin’s merry men but were all left to stand around while everything happened in front of them. They would speak a line here or there, then sing a song, and follow Robin about but they just seemed kind of useless. It was like the characters were written in, then forgotten about then someone noticed the issue and stuck them into a few scenes. The thing is they were much more interesting than the characters that were followed in the movie. I think I would have preferred to watch their drunken escapades.

I can’t recommend seeing Robin Hood (2010). It is a long, drawn out, boring story that has little resemblance to the classic story that people know and love.

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