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Sunday 16 May 2010

Robin Hood Review (2/5)


Robin Hood has been adapted in several forms of media, both on the domestic and silver screens, with memorable takes on the famed British creation including Kevin Costner's film, subtitled "The Prince of Thieves", and Jonas Armstrong's BBC drama which ran from 2006 to 2009. Now, we have "Gladiator"'s Russell Crowe taking the character on a dark origins story, with Cate Blanchett and Mark Strong backing a superb cast in this two hour epic. "Robin Hood" sees Crowe's incarnation return to England after a lengthy escapade with an uncharacteristically drab Richard the Lionheart, meeting Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham then teaming up with the pair of former adversaries to tackle a larger threat...WTF? This is certainly not the "Hood" fans will remember, and there's no epic final battle between Robin & John here as depicted so many times before. Instead, we're treated to a slow, fairly uneventful flick with hints of romance between the two protagonists hindered by the awkward chemistry of Crowe and Blanchett, and battle scenes taking place at such a fast and complex pace that there'll be times when you swear you're watching a Michael Bay film (a director who is famous for slow-motion fights and explosions aplenty). Considering the time that's been spent on "Robin Hood", it's a shame there isn't a more worthwhile result: only see this version if you've got some pocket money spare!

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