Movie Review: Robin Hood

Bullseye! Ha.

Ok. I will begin by saying that I'm NOT a history buff and I love a good movie. So, knowing what I know - maybe very little - of Robin Hood and knowing what I love about movies, I came out of this surprisingly stunned. Really.

I had a very predefined view of how Robin Hood should be like. But this was notably not the take from the rich, give to the poor version, which made this film both compelling and fresh with regard to the well known tale. And although it seemed to be more like a prequel and, at the same time, a solid re-imagining of the legend - think Sherlock Holmes - it turned out to be fairly enjoyable.

The movie's technical aspects were, naturally, awe-inspiring. Seriously. The cinematography gave it a genuinely epic aura with grand shots as well as the single most beautifully photographed firing of an arrow I've ever seen. The costumes and sets designs were ridiculously detailed and authentic. The battle sequences were well choreographed and I found it to be robust and exciting without being excessively gory. To me, this was easily more enthralling than the more recent efforts at sword fight epic genre - think Clash of the Titans and 300.

The scoring was also very good. I mean, I rarely notice the sounds in films, but this one seemed to have a special attention given to them that drew me in right from the beginning. Same with the pounding musical score, which was not overly memorable, but was beautifully composed.

However, the most admirable element of this movie was the uniformly excellent acting.  I admit, I was a bit of a skeptic to Rusell Crowe as the title character, but he worked. I thought he gave a believable and powerful portrayal as the lead. Same with Cate Blanchett who delivered a stunning performance. Together, they generated actual chemistry that was more palpable than Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth - haha. sorry I can't help but compare. The supporting acting ensemble was also amazing.

One minor - yes, minor - quibble though about the movie was the screenplay. Sure, it was, in general, interesting but it was needlessly convoluted and overly ambitious. I mean, aside from the main story, there were subplots involving every single character. As a result, a few of them were underdeveloped and the overall story, at one time, became rather confusing. So, better pay attention! Haha.

Ultimately, this, in my opinion, was a brilliant movie. A promising start to a new Robin Hood adventure. Sweeping cinematography, immersing score, amazing acting performances and a screenplay that spares no pity for the inattentive. Haha. And knowing that this was a build-up to a sequel, I already am excited about what is to follow.

But let me reiterate: this film doesn't become the Robin Hood tale as we all know it until the very end. And your like or dislike of the movie may very well depend on how well you respond to that fact.. There! Ha.