Had there never been a Braveheart or Gladiator, Robin Hood probably would have been a much better film. Unfortunately for the producers -- and the viewers -- this film tried to live up to its similar epics but fell short.
An old story with a new twist, a prequel of sorts, Robin Hood (portrayed by Russell Crowe) attempts to tell how the legend began. Crowe's character was similar to his role in Gladiator -- a war hero who was betrayed by his country's leaders who turns simply into a survivor. In Gladiator, the fact that he simply was able to survive turned him into a hero. The same concept was applied to Robin Hood, but it did not work.
Robin Hood is supposed to be a hero. However, in this film he was just running away from corrupt government, hiding out in a strange village, pretending to be someone he was not, all because he had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. His group of "Merry Men" came along for the ride because, frankly, they had nothing better to do either.
By the end of the film there began to be some valor, in my opinion it was too little too late. By that point I had suffered through at least two hours of not caring. That was the film's main problem -- I didn't get to know the one-dimensional characters, and I didn't necessarily want to.
I left the theater sad that I'd wasted 2.5 hours and the 75 cent cost of admission.
