Robin Hood Revamped

Saw Robin Hood tonight, and for what it's worth, I thought it was everything I expected it to be: a Gladiator/Braveheart mix, but without all the fluff and empathy of Disney's classic animated Robin Hood. Idk, it was alright. (And yes, I do spoil the movie, so go see it and then read this, or just keep reading and see if you actually wanna see it after, just a heads-up.)

Set right before the classic Robin Hood tale of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, Russell Crowe plays Robin Hood, fresh from the Crusades and bound by a blood pact to return a sword to a kindly old lord in Nottingham. When the King is betrayed, it is Robin Hood who rallies the people around the Magna Carta to demand their rights, in return for fighting for the king. Anyone with any sense of European history knows the tale from here, how King John was forced to sign it at sword-point, then tore it up once the emergency passed.

All in all, I found the film amusing. As a fan of Gladiator, Russell Crowe was truly in his element: trained for battle, Robin Hood (or was it Maximus Decimus? Can't really tell at points....) is forced to deal with a psychotic king, but in Hood he fights for him, not against him. Braveheart occurred barely 50 years later, so the tactics and style of warfare are pretty similar to Robin Hood, but more than that, Robin Hood has been graced with a style of oration from another mysterious elder, his father (even though he never knew him, but his adopted father did? wth?), which Uncle Argyle taught young William the ways of the world. Small world, huh?

To wrap it up, this aint your classic disney Robin Hood. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott combine to tell the tale of how Robin Longstride went Hood, how his defense of the rights of commoners became important, and even how he got mixed up with Friar Tuck. Expect the story, with a quick dose of pre-Enlightenment-era political theory, set against old-school medieval warfare, oh, and I forgot to mention, an amphibious assault that could use a little coaching from the guys who put together either Saving Private Ryan or Troy. Worth it if you're into this type of thing, but not worth it if you're not.