If you did not see Robin Hood, you may want to do so before getting in line for the 2025 release. All of the previous films followed the strict story where Lord Robin of Loxley returns from the Third Crusade and discovers that the unscrupulous Sheriff of Nottingham has declared him dead.
As usual, there is nothing left of his assets as the gunslinging sheriff has claimed all of his possessions. This prompts him to pursue vengeance. However, the 2010 version of Robin Hood took a completely different journey.
The initial plan for this 2010 movie was to create a not-so-bad Sheriff of Nottingham. How do you make the main villain of the story good? Is it even possible? So, they hired two screenwriters to create the script, and they did a good job.
Yet, history is history; the big directors wanted a story, as usual; thus they rewrote the script that they had just bought, losing one full year in the process.
The new script showed the same old Robin Hood, only that now he is a fake. He is not the real Robin of Loxley. In the film, Robin Hood and three of his fellow archers are punished for giving an honest assessment of the king’s war. The king locked them in the stocks, but the following day the king was killed in a battle.
After escaping, Robin Hood robs the identity of Robert Loxley, which he played under a promise to return his sword to his father. Still a common thief.
“Let’s start with how the film butchers Robin Hood’s main theme, income inequality. In this version of the film, Robin Hood is one of the Lords but he loses all his property after the Sheriff appropriates his Manor for the war effort. Robin Hood forms no relationship or attachment with the people he is fighting for. He is more concerned with getting back Maid Marian and getting revenge on the Sheriff than helping people.” The Guilfordian
Production and Directing of Robin Hood (2010)
Although Universal Pictures purchased the script in 2007, filming actually began in 2009 in London and Wales. The film was directed by Ridley Scott and starred Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. The film cost an estimated US$237 million and was released in 2010.
Between March 30 and July 2009, the film crew shot at Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. However, a partial replica of the Tower of London was constructed at Virginia Water to film the arrival of the cog (boat) with the King.
Box Office, Fans, and Critics
The film was released in London and Ireland on the same day it was released in the US on October 14, 2010. Robin Hood (2010) received mixed reviews but mostly positive responses. The first negatives came with the poor commercial performance at the box office, grossing only US$327 million.
The second was a shower of media negative ratings and responses, which helped plummet the film to even bigger losses. Not surprising a 5/10 rating from IGN.
“Ridley Scott’s revisionist take on this oft-told tale offers some fine acting and a few gripping action sequences, but it’s missing the thrill of adventure that made Robin Hood a legend in the first place.” Rotten Tomatoes
“Little little, title by title, innocence and joy are being drained out of the movies.” The Chicago Sun-Times
“The problem with Russell Crowe’s new take on the legend is that it has one muddy boot in history and the other in fantasy. The middling result is far from a bull’s-eye.” The New York Daily News
Among the negative responses was a line of academic frustration at the failure of the movie to keep in line with the historical elements of the story.
“If Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood suffers from any one thing—and it suffers from many—it suffers from being disconnected from the classic nature of the character. Even Kevin Costner’s Robin of Locksley, through the terrible accent, had a bit of joie de vivre. ” Film School Rejects
Google fans rated the film a positive 68% not too far from Rotten Tomatoes’ 43%. Both seem to agree that the film was almost a deception.
Robin Hood (2010) Awards and Nominations
The film was nominated for nine awards but was unable to win any. Despite the negative criticism and the low fan turnout, Crowe and Scott were receptive to a sequel. However, after coming so close to a box office bomb, Universal Pictures seemed resistant to the idea.
Many users’ take on the film was satisfactory, even though they were not impressed by the action sequence. However, the plot has moved away from the main storyline, and it seems the actors were not so sure of where the timeline fell. A good example is seen in Crowe’s usage of both Scottish and Irish accents.
After all these years and three scripts, Robin Hood is still the Prince of theives.
