Or maybe they Plotted A Perfectly Good Waste. I'm not sure.
The idea of making Robin a commoner, and having this whole, con-that-gets-out-of-hand, Accidental Hero thing was great. The early scenes of the movie were exciting, and subverted my expectations several times. That's not easy to do!
I will always pay money to see Russell Crowe wear a leather jerkin and play a Knight In Sour Armor, so no complaints there. Marion's character, too, was refreshing. At first. This salt-of-the-earth Lady Marion wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty in an age where that seems pretty much unavoidable. Her husband peace'd out to go fight the great fight, so she took up the mantle in his absence. Great. I respect that. And Cate Blanchett is always amazing.
But somewhere along the way it just got kind of silly. This movie wants you to take it seriously, but I found that hard to do when it kept pushing the boundaries of believable.
See, wielding a hoe does not make you qualified to lead a cavalry charge (of children!) against French soldiers who've literally trained their entire lives to do just that. I'm sorry, Marion. Mad props for fending off that rapist and all, but seriously, know your limitations. And I know darn-all about medieval history, but I'm pretty sure Robin Hood and the freemasons or whatever didn't have a thing to do with the Magna Carta. If your history is so Hollywood that even I notice, scholars must be tearing their hair out.
Also, after all that UST they took the trouble to build, the Big Damn Kiss is a Big Damn Letdown. She's bleeding everywhere and they are going to be smashed between two ships, shot or drowned at any moment. I found myself mentally yelling "This IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!" It was also reminiscent of Blanchett's other disgusting makeout scene in Babel. BLEH.
It's not all bad. King John in all his hamminess is great. I loved every minute of his screentime. The subtleties of the Royal Relationships are interesting, to say the least.
Overall the characterization, costumes, acting, score, and dialogue are great. It's the plot that ran away and joined the circus.
Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot
Or maybe they Plotted A Perfectly Good Waste. I'm not sure.
The idea of making Robin a commoner, and having this whole, con-that-gets-out-of-hand, Accidental Hero thing was great. The early scenes of the movie were exciting, and subverted my expectations several times. That's not easy to do!
I will always pay money to see Russell Crowe wear a leather jerkin and play a Knight In Sour Armor, so no complaints there. Marion's character, too, was refreshing. At first. This salt-of-the-earth Lady Marion wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty in an age where that seems pretty much unavoidable. Her husband peace'd out to go fight the great fight, so she took up the mantle in his absence. Great. I respect that. And Cate Blanchett is always amazing.
But somewhere along the way it just got kind of silly. This movie wants you to take it seriously, but I found that hard to do when it kept pushing the boundaries of believable.
See, wielding a hoe does not make you qualified to lead a cavalry charge (of children!) against French soldiers who've literally trained their entire lives to do just that. I'm sorry, Marion. Mad props for fending off that rapist and all, but seriously, know your limitations. And I know darn-all about medieval history, but I'm pretty sure Robin Hood and the freemasons or whatever didn't have a thing to do with the Magna Carta. If your history is so Hollywood that even I notice, scholars must be tearing their hair out.
Also, after all that UST they took the trouble to build, the Big Damn Kiss is a Big Damn Letdown. She's bleeding everywhere and they are going to be smashed between two ships, shot or drowned at any moment. I found myself mentally yelling "This IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!" It was also reminiscent of Blanchett's other disgusting makeout scene in Babel. BLEH.
It's not all bad. King John in all his hamminess is great. I loved every minute of his screentime. The subtleties of the Royal Relationships are interesting, to say the least.
Overall the characterization, costumes, acting, score, and dialogue are great. It's the plot that ran away and joined the circus.