Movies.ie

Movies.ie Critic Review

Our critics review will be added soon.

• Avg User rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  ging-grr

  

  I wasn't expecting a lot from this even with Scott at the helm but have to admit it took me by surprise. Nice original twist on the story, great performances, good pacing for a long movie and nicely shot. I would say it's worth giving this a look, especially if you like the films of Ridley Scott.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  Mr_Twist

  

  BORING END TO END

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  dfarre01

  

  Good action film, worth watching alright. to me doesnt beat the original one.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  scollonp

  

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  mindaugas

  

  good movie i really enjoy it, i love Ruseell

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  i didnt really enjoy this, the movie only gets going at the very end, its all set up for a sequel which should be great but this is just a warm up really

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  ssconnolly

  

  Robin Hood is one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history and has been the subject of a lot of film and television projects. So when Ridley Scott decided to make a Robin Hood reboot he was either going to make him better, or force the character out of cinema for years to come. Collaborating once again with Russell Crowe certain expectations were made. The pairs first film together Gladiator became an instant classic but since then despite their desperate efforts they haven't been able to do anything quite as memorable. Body of Lies, A Good Year and American Gangster. Some good, some bad but none to stand alongside their masterpiece. So how does their latest effort fare? Not bad, but two things made it an irritating project. In keeping with Scott's new found obsession with prequels, Robin Hood documents the transformation of Robin Longstride from warrior to legend (Gladiator?). Set 12th century France the film opens with a battle, a battle in which King Richard is killed. While returning to England Robin and two of his friends stumble upon an ambush on the kings men who are attempting to get the crown back to England. Robin takes not only the crown but one of the mens sword, with a promise to return it to his father. He returns the crown to the new King, a spoilt, arrogant and dangerously unstable man (Gladiator?). His is named King and Robin heads to Nottingham to return the sword. The dead soldiers father convinces Robin to pose as his son and ends up becoming a son figure for the man (Gladiator?). Meanwhile Godfrey, friend of the King but a traitor to the French, is helping to facilitate a French invasion. Robin takes it upon himself to gather the armies of England and stop Godfrey and the French before they take control of England. After their victory the King sees Robin as a threat and so announces him as an outlaw (Gladiator?). A lot of story, and trust me it was as difficult to write as I guess it was to read. Now as you might have noticed, maybe, I have been mentioning Gladiator a bit here. This is mainly because of the striking similarities between the two films. Since Gladiator Ridley Scott has often said how he would love to have made a sequel to the hit, but he quite simply wrapped it up too well. Well with Robin Hood he has pretty much remade Gladiator, but this time not only leaves it open for a sequel but pretty much guarantees one. He has made sure that this time he won't have any regrets. And this was my biggest complaint about the film. The last thing we see in the film is a scroll saying "The Legend begins". Well not really. Ask anyone on the street what comes to mind when they hear the name Robin Hood they will probably say that he steals from the rich and gives the the poor/needy. He does this once in Robin Hood. The rest of the time he is in Maximus mode killing bad guys with his sword and his trusty bow and arrow. In this film he didn't become the legend of Robin Hood, he just continued to be the legend of Maximus. That being said if you forget this fact for even a second then Robin Hood isn't at all a bad film. The battle scenes are wonderfully orchestrated and a stunning watch. Scott has always been great at capturing the epic and this film is no exception. And the eye to detail is astounding. I never really pay attention to backgrounds and costumes and all that but the look of the old days was reconstructed very well. A lot of people were moaning about it being really long and dragging on but personally I didn't notice all this. Sure it was long but I was engaged throughout and it was all interesting build up to another epic battle scene, which were the highlights. The battle scenes almost make up for the familiarity of it all, and would have made up for it entirely if not for the ridiculous amount of slow motion screams. Now I'm going not to go into detail about the cast because I'll be here all days but I will mention the best of the bunch. Russell Crowe gives his best display since Gladiator here as the charismatic and noble Robin Hood. Cate Blanchett is equally impressive as Mrs. Loaxley. She is in my opinion one of the finest actresses around and seems like a different person with each role. It's Mark Strong though who completely stole the show for me. He more than deserves his own movie at this stage as he has without question been one of the best actors of the year with his roles in this, Sherlock Holmes and Kick-Ass. And the supporting cast are all great too. So all in all Robin Hood is an engaging, action packed and very enjoyable film. It shows that despite their recent mishaps Scott and Crowe have still got it. Sure I was by no means a fan of the recycled material and the fact that it was pretty much Gladiator but once you look past that its a worthy look. I would be giving it a four or five star rating if not for the aforementioned problem.

• • Currently 5/5 Stars.

  Randy

  

  Loved this one much more than Gladiator. Adrenaline-fueled epic with great actors throughout, an empowering and relevant message. Time just flew by. I didn't want for it to be over.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  shinjiikari6662000

  

  To my mind it does not try to emulate gladitor in any way, it has its own tone and is the better for it. The comparisons were inevitable.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  barber05

  

  Great twist on a classic.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  efa

  

  I really enjoyed this movie. The story wasnt what I expected but it was interesting to watch. The battle scenes were great and the scenery beautiful. I'd recommend this!

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  MarkR

  

  Enjoyable reworking of the Robin Hood legend which is a near-miss rather than a bullseye. We didn't see another Robin Hood, but Ridley and Russell wanted to have another go at a Gladiator style romp so we got this. It looks stunning and the action scenes are everything you would expect. THe pace drags a bit in places, a cut of 20 minutes would have helped. Cate Blanchett is a stand out as a feisty Marion. Very entertaining if just a little flat in places. One more thing ,Russell - Mark Lawson was right - your accent is dubious.

• • Currently 1/5 Stars.

  TheAngelicDiablo

  

  "I'm gonna make you smile". No, no your not.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  andrewire

  

  Not a bad film but a slow one. There's nothing new in this movie that you haven't seen before in other period dramas. The second half of the film is predictable and after an hour of no action, it feels like the easy solution to the plot. Crowe is in his usual charming persona although his accent is a bit off; Blanchett is solid as always and she's probably one of the best things in Robin Hood. Max Von Sydow shines in his role as well and his character is the one that will appeal you the most. Overall, Robin Hood is too self-righteous and comes across as a history lesson; but it isn't. However, I can say the film is visually stunning and an excellent piece of work in technical terms: Costumes, cinematography, score and art direction. Even an Irish song features in it! Gladiator is a similar movie so if you liked Gladiator, you will like Robin Hood. If you didn't like Gladiator, I predict the same outcome when you watch this one. It's pretty forgettable.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  Scannan

  

  Robin Hood is one of those enduring characters of English legend. His cunning, his daring, his leadership and friendship and of course his love affair with the fair Maid Marion is a story that has survived retelling for hundreds of years. Such a story and such a man is ideal for Hollywood film-makers in search of inspiration and so there have been countless movies and TV series’ charting his exploits and those of his Merry Men. That brings us to yet another big-screen version brought to us this time by the men responsible for Gladiator. So then more men in trees with bows and arrows and ill-fitting tights? Not entirely, this Robin is definitely a horse of a different colour. The story begins at the turn of the 12th Century. King Richard the Lionheart of England has waged a bloody and unsuccessful crusade against Islamic armies in Jerusalem and is returning home. In his army are two men whose fates are intertwined, Sir Robert of Loxley, a knight and advisor to the King, and Robin Longstride, a common archer. When the King falls, and Sir Robert succumbs to an ambush by French forces it is up to Robin to return the crown to London and Loxley’s sword to Nottingham. The newly crowned King John, brother to the slain Richard, sets about enforcing martial law on his people and collecting taxes and tithes owed to the crown. The man burdened with this onerous task is the devious Sir Godfrey, a man who has his own reasons for wanting to turn the English against their king and so who sets about burning, killing and pillaging everything in his path. In France King Phillip, having suffered at the hands of Richard is keen for revenge and sees this as this perfect opportunity to strike a fractured England. And in the middle of all this is an ordinary man trying to fulfil a promise made to a dying man who gets caught up in the political and military repercussions of ongoing events. That man is Robin Hood, and his men aren’t so merry… With an all-star cast the acting here was never going to be anything but good and Russell Crowe does not disappoint as Robin. His confidence in battle and in matters of righteousness is self-evident as is his tenderness and compassion for peoples suffering and hardships. Crowe makes Robin’s character arc from soldier to saviour believable through a measured and dignified performance. Cate Blanchett too is never less than totally charismatic as Lady Marion (apparently she’s dropped the Maid bit), a woman forced to take up the role of guardian and provider to the people of Nottingham in the absence of her crusading husband. Her screen presence is graceful, yet powerful and she makes a perfect foil for the magnetic Crowe. Mark Strong as the villainous Godfrey gives another sterling performance, although as the latest Hollywood dial-a-bad-guy he is in serious danger of being typecast, the fact that he plays evil men so well means he’s absolutely perfect. Max von Sydow to excels is his role as Sir Walter of Loxley, a man without sight but with great vision. Oscar Isaac’s King John manages to steal almost every scene he appears in, a product of the Monty Python and Blackadder school of wretched snivelling leaders, he is immediately unlikable yet completely watchable. Kevin Durand, Alan Doyle and Scott Grimes turn in fine performances as Robin’s “merry men”, but while offering much needed comic relief they are never truly given enough screen-time to become memorable. The same can be said of most of the supporting characters, particularly Matthew Macfadyen’s Sheriff Of Nottingham who is relegated to a handful of scenes, none of which necessarily enhance the story. The movie looks amazing, the medieval castles, villages and surroundings are captured in staggering detail and Ridley Scott’s camera gives the English countryside a chance to shine. The battle sequences are also very well captured, with Scott largely avoiding the ubiquitous shaky-cam and allowing the scale of the action be scene. The opening and closing battles are particularly noteworthy, with the later a bows and arrow recreation of the opening of Saving Private Ryan. Sometimes the action gets away from Scott and towards the end of the final contest moments take a turn from the sublime to the ridiculous, but overall it’s an exceptional looking movie. The sound too is right up there, the sweeping score setting the tone beautifully, whilst not overpowering the visual. The sound effects can be a little off at times with some geese sounding like ducks, and the the thwack of arrows being just a little too loud, but that’s just nitpicking . The movies main weakness however is the plot, a victim of countless rewrites the overall pacing is off. The dialogue and exploratory scenes at the midpoint go on a bit too long, but thankfully there’s another action sequence around to the corner to keep heads up. It also tries to incorporate too many narrative points and the simplicity that so aided Gladiator is sadly missing. It is certain that screenwriter Brian Helgeland loves medieval times (having also penned A Knight’s Tale), what is less certain is if he knows when to stop writing about them. The whole movie feels like a prequel, and even ends with “And so the legend begins” meaning that the audience never gets to see the Robin Hood that we’re all familiar with. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as reinvention can do wonders for stories and characters but little nods to the familiar throughout remind us of what we are missing. Ultimately though not the Robin we expected it is still a damn fine movie. A tad long a 2 hours 20 minutes, but the action sweeps us through so as we don’t really notice. It’s action-packed so the kids will love it, yet it deals with themes that adults will identify with. And it’s all married to performances from the central duo that stand for themselves. Forget the legend, just enjoy the ride.

Page 1 of 2  1 2 »