by Cami Gonzalez

Robin Hood was made on a $200-million budget and was released on May 14, having an estimated profit of $242-million in the box office. photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

After watching numerous adaptations of the same story, I couldn’t help but to walk into the theaters with an open mind—maybe even with a hint of hope. Unfortunately, the newest composition of the Robin Hood tale was an epic letdown.

Scene after scene, the movie traveled in a continuous downward spiral. No time was given to develop any of the characters. Basically, I couldn’t wait for the whole farrago to come to an end.

This movie was a conglomerate of nonsense from start to finish. 2012 was a movie about the world coming to an end. It was horrible, but somewhat entertaining. This version of Robin Hood had me wishing the world would end, so I wouldn’t have to finish it. It was like a slow death.

Of course, everyone knows the story of Robin Hood; he steals from the rich to give to the poor. This is not that type of Robin Hood.  The movie is set up as a prequel; the film crew would’ve pulled it off too, had it not been for the fact that the screenwriters don’t know how to stay on the storyline path. They jump from place to place and don’t allow the audience to catch up.  When I heard the combination of actor Russell Crowe, director Ridley Scott, and a historic adventure, I instantly thought Gladiator 2—which is not necessarily a good thing.

The film pretends to be historically correct, but of course, that is a dressed up fantasy. There are a few battle scenes that are exciting, but not very convincing. In fact, they are completely ridiculous when you think you are watching a historically correct film. The worst for me were the boats in the final battle, apparently trying to induce a D-Day feeling.

Some scenes have a very slow pace, while other scenes are reduced to a few shots and proclamations. The end of the film reminds us that we were supposed to see the story of how the legend of Robin Hood started; the film makers just forgot to mention that ‘minor’ detail.

Although, there are some areas where I have to applaud the movie, with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett in the lead, we can always expect a powerful performance and rousing scenes of battles and romance. Even though Blanchett’s Marion is no maiden, it is easy to root for her because she is as feisty as she is handy with a bow and arrow.

Overall, the movie was made with a decent effort. Not the worst I’ve seen, but it could’ve been better. I only wish I had saved my $8 and waited for the DVD release.