Jack Liengme

I've seen a lot of Robin Hood movies, I've seen the elements and events scrambled around in every possible combination and, yes, I've come to expect a formula. I enjoy it when a Robin Hood story breaks the formula and does something new - that's what keeps them interesting. This one, I'll give it this, is interesting for certain, though it's interesting because of how completely bizarre it is. For starters, the look of the movie is insane. The story, supposedly, takes place in Medieval Nottingham, but somehow it looks like it's a weird amalgamation of the past, present, and future - in every sense, from location to architecture, down to how they're dressed; You've got some castles and knights in armor on horseback, sure, but you've also got automatic bows and people are wearing beanies and North Face winter jackets, and buildings that look less like a kingly location and more like low-income housing in San Francisco or New York. It makes for a fair few instances where you look at something sand think "What is that supposed to be?" Second, the tone of the movie is pretty sour. It's clear that what they've tried to do is make a YA-type Robin Hood story, in the same vein as Hunger Games or City of Embers or something, and it really shines through. They've cast all young and attractive actors to play the characters, and they're all moody and dark and talking about revolution and change, the talking bit they did a million times better in a million other movies. I will say, a YA-style Robin Hood could certainly have been interesting, but the way it's executed is not good at all; you don't know it's going for that type of tine until halfway in, and, here's the problem, it contradicts itself; In the same movie where they're talking bad about religion, Robin Hood, the main character, is going out on the Holy Crusade. My view, if you want Robin Hood to appeal to a modern younger audience, then he shouldn't be a crusader! Third, the characterization is strange. Robin Hood is pretty spot on, I'll say, for a spoiled and unlikeable Lord who becomes an outlaw, but everyone else is all over the place. Case in point, Little John; In this version, Little John is an Arabian soldier who allies himself with Robin to fight against the Sheriff. They've wanted to do a racially diverse character, but rather than making him a new character, they combined this unnamed character and Little John. And effectively, he's just a meaner, colder Azeem. Additionally, Friar Tuck is the exact opposite of what he typically is; instead of being a brash and mouthy person, he's squirrely and awkward. Will Scarlet plays a very small role, but he's also poorly characterized; All I need say is that he wears a navy suit throughout the entire movie. The Sheriff of Nottingham is okay, but he's not scary or sympathetic, he's just wormy. The Sheriff is a diverse role and has been portrayed by many an actor, and certainly, this one isn't good. Most of the villainy is done by church people, all of which were boring, and I can't remember their names. Overall, this was a strange and boring movie. The actors did just fine, and I did enjoy Mr. Egerton as Robin Hood, but that can't make up for a bizarrely placed, poorly characterized movie with writing and a premise that's boring, stale, and stuck in the early 2010's. I give it a one out of five possible stars.