Not every rebooted franchise gets the eye-rolling treatment.
Robin Hood fans are still smarting over the double-decker duds in recent memory – “Prince of Thieves” and “Men in Tights.”
The former trotted out the wrong leading man, Kevin Costner, while the latter stands as one of Mel Brooks’ weakest parodies.
Next month, “Robin Hood” returns to the big screen, and all the elements seem in place for a pop culture course correction.
Who better than Russell Crowe to play the heroic archer? His Maid Marian is Cate Blanchett, an Oscar-winner and enchantress all in one package.
And then there’s Ridley Scott, one of the few directors you can trust to bring dignity and class to what’s essentially popcorn material with a progressive bent.
The supporting cast is equally ripe – Mark Strong, William Hurt, Danny Huston and Max Von Sydow.
If only all reboots had access to these kind of resources …
(Photo: Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast in Hollywood’s latest version of “Robin Hood.”)
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Based on the trailer, I wouldn’t say it has a “progressive bent.” In fact, the way Crowe’s Robin Hood talks about how taxes are used as an instrument of “tyranny” seems almost conservative, at least for the times we live in.
Dignity and class to popcorn material indeed – the director/actor duo’s work on ‘Gladiator’ underscores this. ‘Men in Tights’ was dismissible, but I was among many frustrated by the wrong Kevin in the lead for ‘Thieves.’
I look forward to screening this film.
D
I used the progressive label for the character’s general ID – take from the rich, give to the poor. I won’t judge where the new flick stands til I see it …
And if “Robin Hood” reaches “Gladiator”style entertainment I’ll be giddy.
I like many of Ridley Scott’s movies such as “Alien” and “Black Hawk Down”. I’m just worried that “Robin Hood” will be like “Kingdom of Heaven” which was a huge disappointment.
Kevin Costner IS Robin Hood.
Apparently everyone misses the point on Prince of Thieves. Yes, Kevin Costner was laughably miscast as the English icon Robin Hood. However, the factor that made this version of the Robin Hood story noteworthy was the unbeatable performance of Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Worth the price of admission all by itself. And this one? From the hints in the trailer, several villains distinguished only by their cliched dialog, dour looks, and occasional spit-flecked screaming. A movie such as this MUST have an arresting, over the top villain (or two) to root against. Looks like this version is going to come up leagues short in that department.