Review of Robin Hood (2010) by Moji W — 17 Jan 2012

Why must Hollywood be allowed to wave their artistic license and ruin most stories they touch. This movie is loosely based on Robin Hood and in essence a prequel to the famous English folklore story and how the whole saga began.

Historically incorrect throughout with King John burning the Magna Carta and the artistic license owing to things being changed concerning all the characters from the original Robin Hood tale. One such thing is that we find out that Robin Hood's father was the force behind and creator of the Magna Carta.

Our Robin Hood also being changed to a lowly commoner called Robin Longstride, not the Robin of Loxley from past tales and who is replaced by the imposter, Robin Longstride. If you're still with me it's no longer Robin of Loxley, it's now Robert of Loxley who is killed in an ambush while delivering the news that Richard the Lionheart has been killed by the French while on his way back to England from his Crusade.

Our new Robin stumbles across this ambush, while deserting King Richard's Army, and meets the fatally wounded true Robin and promises to take his sword back to his father, Walter of Loxley. Amongst this new story concerning Hollywoods new version of Robin Hood is a plot of a French invasion of England and at the same time to start a Civil War in England by placing a French spy in the midst of King John's court.

With this spy in place he would cause civil unrest by raping and pillaging towns across England and demanding crippling taxes in the name of the King. With all this going on the French will land in England with the country at war with itself and unable to defend against an invasion from the French.

All in all this a film with what could had been an original story and could had worked but throwing an English folklore hero into the mix just didn't cut it with me. And one last thing, Russell Crowe's accent is just as poor as this movie.

He would had been better just doing his Gladiator impression.