ROBIN HOOD trailer is more old-school battles with rock music

What could possibly go wrong? Ridley Scott directs Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett in an epic re-telling of the classic tale Robin Hood.

What’s tantalizing about this idea is that Scott and Crowe previously delivered a tale of epic proportions in a little film they called Gladiator back in 2000. It cleaned up at the Oscars and is generally regarded as a must-see film, like it or not. What Gladiator did at the time had never been done in such a timeless dramatic way. It was a fresh take on a well known story. So, with that resting peacefully in the depths of our memories we should feel appropriately excited and intrigued by the idea of Crowe and Scott coming together again to re-deliver a period-piece legendary tale — this time in the form of Robin Hood. You know, the guy who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Turns out there might be more to that story than Kevin Coster, green tights and theme songs by Bryan Adams (showing my age…?). Indeed, there are darker, gritter elements to the story of Robin Hood, and Ridley Scott has explored them for us in his new film.

Unfortunately the trailer makes the mistake of thinking we as an audience need heavy guitar riffs and booming drums to get excited about a film where people do battle in the olden days. The flurry of these lately (300, Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans, now Robin Hood) marks a trend that completely baffles me. I get that it might seem edgy and contemporary to mix things up musically and it has worked in the past; 300 was okay because it got in there and did it first and I enjoyed the neon-pop tunes Sophia Coppola used in Marie Antoinette (2006); however, in both of those cases the music was still deliberate and backed up the entire film.

Universal’s newly released Robin Hood trailer doesn’t know what it wants to be. It could be a creepy thriller. It could be a war film. It could be a period drama. It might be action… it’s just not sure. Perhaps the thought of leaving viewers of the trailer in the dark about  exactly what to expect is part of the sell? Ultimately it feels like another case of trying to sell us on the idea of the film being good, as apposed to showing us something that actually proves the film will be worth it.

I saw the trailer play on TV this morning (one of those irritating morning shows) and the panel went nuts over it as did the crowd in attendance. So this points to a success with mainstream audiences.

Again I must remind myself not to judge the entire film on just this trailer, but hey– thousands of people will have done so already. That is the point of a trailer. I’m still torn between the music being inappropriately cheesy and the extreme-close-up-slow-motion-bow-and-arrow shots looking damn cool. You decide for yourself:

In 13th century England, Robin Hood (Russell Crowe) and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.

Robin Hood is released May 14 2010.