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'Robin Hood' ditches tights for suit jacket in action-packed origin story
Robin Hood tries to stand as a fresh adaptation, but ends up being just another of Hollywood’s countless tiring attempts at reimagining the folklore.
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A still from 'Robin Hood', starring Taron Egerton (left) and Jamie Foxx. (Summit Entertainment/File)
T
he legendary archer in tights has returned, except in this origin story he is ditching the tights for a machine-stitched suit jacket that might have been bought from H&M.
Robin Hood is based on the heroic outlaw from 15th century English folklore. Taron Egerton plays Robin of Loxley, a noble sent to Arabia as a crusader, leaving his lover Marian (Eve Hewson) at home. Returning after four years, Robin finds his manor in shambles and seized by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn). Marian also has a new beau Will (Jamie Dornan), after being told that Robin was lost in action.
Enraged, Robin teams up with John (Jamie Foxx), a former battlefield enemy who lost a hand and a son, to take down the sheriff. After going through a training period à la 2008's The Dark Night, Robin turns into a heroic thief known as “The Hood” while maintaining his Bruce Wayne-like noble alter ego Robin of Loxley. Turns out, Marian is also plotting a scheme against the corrupt church with her friend and Robin’s confessor Friar Tuck (Tim Minchin) despite Will’s dissent.
Director Otto Bathurst daringly establishes Robin Hood as an action movie. With the crusade combat in Arabia, Robin’s training montage with John, the thieving scenes, this reimagining is action-packed. Every arrow shot is an instant kill, with bodies piling up on the streets. Bathurst seems to have a knack for maximizing fun through camerawork and editing, though explosions, fiery roads and blood splatters can feel excessive. Another thing he needed was to hit the brake on the slow motion scenes. Not a single action sequence in the movie escapes its slow-mo fate, ruining the tension and making the movie feel outdated.
Read also: 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle': Star-studded cast, bigger action
The battle in Arabia resembles a video game shooter, except this time it’s with bows and arrows instead of assault rifles. The miners are relentless workers who disapprove of their rulers and are cluelessly waiting for someone to lead their revolution, a typical working class of young adult dystopian fiction, The Hunger Games in particular comes to mind.
The lackluster performances don’t help much either. Egerton plays Robin Hood unlike anyone before; he’s young, flirty and sleek, and yet is still bland in comparison to his Kingsman performances. Foxx overdoes the character with grunts and growls, F. Murray Abraham is ridiculously underused and Hewson is forgettable. Mendelsohn’s victim-turned-to-sadist sheriff and Minchin’s comical Tuck are the only solace, though nothing outstanding.
Seemingly craving for the youths’ attention, Robin Hood feels erroneously modernized. Robin’s suit jacket aside, the characters’ looks are out of their period. The sheriff, a prime example, bears a dandy, long grey leather coat with a perfect comb-over haircut. Tuck is a rambling, insecure confessor with long hair and bright-colored clothes. At least Robin actually wears a hood instead of a feathered bycocket.
Robin Hood tries to stand as a fresh adaptation, but ends up being another of Hollywood’s countless tiring attempts at reimagining the folklore. It ends with a good villain twist but also an open ending, obviously calling for a sequel. Will it be necessary? Absolutely not. (iru/wng)
