Review: Robin Hood (2010)

Robin Hood (MOVIE / 2010)

In a long line of films based on the fabled hero Robin Hood, this film sets itself apart not only as a "origin" story of sorts but also by it's timelessness. Where as other film makers have sought to play up the camp with other tellings of the legend, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have made a conscience decision to make a film both darker and more believable. To sum it all up appropriately, this is less Pirates of the Caribbean and more Braveheart.

Crowe's Robin and Cate Blanchett's Maid Marion are brought together under strange circumstances, having no history so we see them meet for the first time. Gone are all of the young love angles of prior movies, and instead we see two adults meeting and falling in love in a very satisfying way.

Robin still has his group of "Merry" men with him, but they are presented as soldiers who follow Robin to Nottingham on an errand for a dead knight. They do provide many of the light moments, which are few, in the film along with Mark Addy's Friar Tuck. Midway through the film we are treated with the only scene which people would expect in a Robin Hood film, as Robin and his men ambush a cart of grain to be planted in Nottingham.

The rest of the film revolves around a plot by the French to put England into a state of Civil War only to invade. The supporting characters hold the story finely as Robin is off screen, particularly Mark Strong as the villain Sir Godfrey. For some there may be too much talking in the middle of the film, but if you enjoy political intrigue (and a few speeches that seem to be lifted from Braveheart) you will feel right at home.

Some call this movie a re-imagining of the character, but I disagree. Other films in the past like 2004's Troy or King Arthur have presented a different view by changing many key ideas, but this film merely tells the beginning of a story. If there were to be a sequel to the film, I myself would welcome one, it could be as "traditional" as anyone would expect. On it's own merits Robin Hood stands as a wonderfully put together epic that you can enjoy as well as any other summer film.

Pop Journal: Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 (MOVIE / 2010)

Iron Man 2 is a movie that knows who its audience is and aims to please. For better or worse it achieves what it was aiming for, a fun and action filled Summer romp. Robert Downey Jr and the original cast is back with the substitution of Don Cheadle in to play James Rhodes (Terrance Howard was not invited back for whatever reason) with Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke as Tony Starks antagonists . As in the first the cast works really well together and while the movie is still Downey's the other characters hold the film together while he is off screen.

The action sequences in the sequel are handled with much more care than the original, although they are equally as hard to find in both. A lot of the drama comes from the fact that Tony is apparently being killed from the very thing meant to keep him alive, and the film delves into Tony's past and father issues to help resolve the issue. Fortunately this is not as bad as what other superhero films seem to go through in their second outing as Tony never questions his role as a super hero, but you feel that the rest of the movie just happens around him and he shows up at the end to conveniently save the day.

Another plot line sees Tony falling further into his narcissistic ways and drinking only to have Rhodes step in to one of his other suits to try and stop him. This happens so fast as to pass believability as Rhodes just steps into the suit and fights on par with Tony, leading one to believe any one could step into the suit at any moment and go to town. I know that this film is a fantasy, but you could make an entire movie dealing simply with this subject and here it is simply inserted for no apparent reason other than they got a bigger actor that needs more to do on screen.

One of the most endearing parts of the original film was the interactions between Stark and his assistant Pepper Potts (again played incredibly well by Gwyneth Paltrow). Here we see the same relationship but it quickly turns south as he makes her CEO and she quickly becomes jaded towards him. At the end we are treated with a very quick make up scene that seems a little forced with everything else happening around it.

It may seem like I have a lot of gripes with this movie, but I really enjoyed it. Sam Rockwell owned the screen while he was on it and Scarlet Johansson played her dual identity to a wonderful end. If you enjoyed the first movie it was because of Downey's performance and here it is as strong (if not stronger) than the first.