Monday, May 31, 2010

Robin Hood

If you were going to see this movie expecting to see men in tights, you might come away disappointed: this is not the Robin Hood we know from such movies as Prince of Thieves (and definitely not the one we know from Men in Tights!). A more appropriate title for the movie would have been "Robin Longstride" (Robin Hood's actual name), but that might not have the drawn the crowds sufficiently. This is an origin story for the character of Robin Hood. It shows us the how he became the legend of those other movies. This can be somewhat of a weakness (perhaps even it's most striking) of the movie, as we don't really see Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men until the very end. This means the movie can feel somewhat as if it ends at what really is the beginning.



VERSUS


Despite this, it is an enjoyable movie, the pacing is good and there is no time for any dull moments. The battle scenes are particularly thrilling, and are definitely some of the strongest points in the movie. The battles at the start and the end of the movie are particularly engaging. The movie does at times feel as if it is a medieval version of Gladiator, especially when Robin Hood makes a speech. Overall the acting is good, with the stand out being Cate Blanchett as Lady Marion. Russell Crowe makes a believable and tougher-than-usual Robin Hood, but his accent tends to waver between a number of flavours, including what sounds like Irish and Scottish.

All in all there is nothing truly bad in this movie, but there is also not that much that sets it apart from many other action movies. If you do find yourself at the cinema, unsure of what to watch, Robin Hood would make for an entertaining hour and a half.

Iron Man 2

Coming out of the cinema, I heard mixed impressions on this one. They varied from:
"That was awesome, 10x better than the first one! I wish I was Iron Man..." to "That was disappointing... I think the first one was much better."

I'll be sitting on the fence for the time being, because I think that both of these simplistic statements contain some truth. Iron Man 2 is a fast paced and aesthetically pleasing movie with lots of impressive visual effects. Among other scenes, I’m thinking of the one where Tony Stark dons his Iron Man suit “on-the-go” (his suit being conveniently stowed away in a suitcase like it was his gym gear). To me, that was more impressive than the mechanical blur in the "Transformers" movies. Cheesy dialogue, mushy plots and mainstream sense of humour make it for a really compelling and accessible movie for the wider audience. Iron Man/Tony Stark, now a celebrity superstar, makes an extraordinary entrance into the Stark Expo, with cheerleaders dancing and welcoming him. During the movie, Tony Stark goes on to claim that he has "Privatized World Peace" - catchy.

What was really disappointing for me was the lack of depth with the many new characters in Iron Man 2, despite the A-list cast. Superhero movies often make the mistake of involving too many (supposedly) important and popular characters, only to give them a few minutes of screen time. Mickey Rourke is brilliant as Ivan Vanko and I wish that his character was exploited a bit more. Sam Rockwell is also quite funny and entertaining as the villainous arms dealer that threatens Tony Stark’s empire. As for Robert Downey Jr's acting and presence, there is not much to complain about, as I cannot dissociate him from Tony Stark anymore. Obviously, it's a sequel, and there's always going to be comparisons with the original. But if we take it for what it is (an action movie - explosions!!!), I would say it was quite entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Would recommend for a night out.

Chris How