Big Russ as Robin Hood!

Robin Hood, I forgive you...

This is the film I had been most anticipating this year! I even used my Gold Class Tickets...

In Robin Hood, you have:

A fantastic director: Ridley Scott - Alien(s), Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster - i love these movies. He is one of the great action film directors.

A great supporting cast: William Hurt (love!), Max von Sydow, Danny Huston and some other people who looked familiar ...

My favorite actor of my generation: Russell Crowe.
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Cate Blanchett - don't love her, don't hate her. but she is a good actress isn't she?

It was also:
Beautifully filmed - every frame is gorgeous and lush.
Action packed - lots of it

But.... my issues were:
1. There were many liberties taken with the story telling here, and I suspect history was re-written quite a bit. The big battle at the climax of the film was done like D-day in Saving Private Ryan. Ridiculous. Unecessary.
2. Combining romance and battle is never a good look.
3. Complete lack of any chemistry between Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. I suspect these two are such good actors, that they can't do sexy.
4. Screaming "Noooooooooooooooooo!" really killed it for me. There is no bigger cliche than the slow motion "Nooooooo".
5. The tie in between Robin's history and his present situation was too coincidental and unbelievable. The story was lame all over really.

My biggest issue with this movie, is that it didn't necessarily need to be about Robin Hood. We don't see any stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, and there was not nearly enough archery. The archery sequences were fantastic, and Russell can fire a bow very very well. But there wasn't enough! More! I wanted more!

This is a prequel to Robin Hood as we know it, and therefore not known to us. I kept thinking to myself that this movie could have just been an adventure/action movie about a soldier and how his live changes with one decision, and be much better for it.

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Ok, so having said all that, I still loved it! Cinematography was beautiful, costumes were great, I love Russell Crowe as an actor, and I maintain that no actor does sadness in his eyes better than Russell Crowe (and Robert De Niro), and I always consider watching Russell being good in a movie a privilege. Cate Blanchett is good too, although kinda androgynous. The acting was very good, the action was good, the archery was great, the horses were gorgeous, the forests were lush.

I think that in order to enjoy this film, you would have to leave your 'critical' brain at home, and just enjoy the acting, the action and the cinematography. I want to see this movie again, just to sit back and enjoy the ride.