What do you remember most about your last vacation? You remember the places you went, the things you saw and most likely where you went to eat. If I were to ask you though, did that really make your vacation awesome or was it something else? I’ve taken a lot of long trips in my life and I remember most of them fondly. For some reason though as I look back on it, it seems like the destination becomes less and less important.
I went to Panama City Beach, FL three times out of my four and half year college experience. PCB was the place we went but it became just a backdrop for the memories I made there. A good vacation is not just a series of events. You don’t just move from point A to point B. You fill in the gaps with the experiences you had. In turn those experiences become the foundation for your memories and that’s what you remember. It’s funny but this theory also works in film and story too.
Robin Hood could be looked at as a film about travel. During the story our main character played by the every man Russell Crowe covers a lot of ground. As always, Crowe brings his unique style of rugged but gentle character traits to the screen. He moves throughout the plot and delivers a good performance. The same can be said for Ridley Scott. I can’t begin to express how much admiration I have for this director. He’s in my top five and I’ve always loved his work. His command of the camera and his visual story telling are second to none. He is just as present in this film/trip as Crowe. So why was I so bored?
To put it simply, this film was all about the destinations. I’m not taking about the sets or locations they filmed in. Go back and think about your last vacation again? Imagine you don’t have any of the filler that become the memories you made and just have the locations you visited. Suddenly your experience becomes just plain flat. That’s exactly what happened in this new big screen version of Robin Hood. It moved to its plot points and the film kept going but I never really cared about these characters. They moved throughout the story and never really gave me anything to remember. To drive my point home lets look at a true Ridley Scott masterpiece.
I'll never forget the opening scene of Gladiator. We see Maximus standing on the edge of a battle field. He is strong and impressive and even intimidating in his armor. Do you remember what happens next. He looks up at tiny bird that flutters away and smiles. In that moment the audience is shown who this character is and what gives him motivation. He was a great warrior but it wasn't his true place. He accepted his current position but he longed for something else. It's those moments that make a film memorable and they weren't found anywhere in Robin Hood.
Normally this is where I’d tell you to go and see the film for yourself but I’ve got to be honest here. I’ve looked back at all the films I’ve reviewed over the last year or so and they always entertained me. That's why I tell you to go see them. Not so with this one though. Its just not entertaining and you should save your money and rent it later on.
Until next time I’ll be listening to Everything I do, I do for you on my iPod.
The Pretentious Filmmaker
