A little cheesy at times but overall mildly enjoyable.

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe who worked together on the excellent Gladiator try to bring some of the same qualities to the screen in Robin Hood. In terms of visual and action scenes the film does reach the high bench mark set by Gladiator. The battle and rampaging scenes are well produced and exciting, Russell Crowe is excellent in the lead role and the cinematography is first rate.  

What lets the film slightly down is some of the occasional sanctimonious dialogue and any real lack of dramatic tension or intrigue. The relationship development between Robin and Marion (Cate Blanchett) is a little too formulaic and one that is used all top often in movies when it comes to the love aspect. And you never really veer towards thinking that all might be lost at any stage and there is little in the way of real surprises.

OK Scott’s version of Lady Marion is less damsel in distress than the original Marion with Blanchett’s character playing a lot more feisty female even prepared to go into battle. When Marrion spots her father’s killer she charges of saying ‘this is for you’ but did we really need to be told of her motives? The casting of Oscar Isaac as the weasely Prince John is spot on though What Scott’s take on the famous legend does well is provide a kind of beginning of how Robin became the legend and less about the more familiar Robin and the Merry Men ‘robbing the rich to feed the poor’.

At over 2 hours long the film does move along at a good pace and so never feels labours and is ultimately reasonably entertaining.