New "Robin Hood" trailer!

- Posted by Rusty

Note: It’s good to be back. Sorry, everyone—for the past few weeks, work completely took over. Well, that period should be good and gone. I have a lot more free time on my hands now, and, for that matter, I have a bunch of reviews that I’ve been mulling over. For now, though, I figure I’ll start small. I’ll bring back the “What’s on the Menu” next week (especially since that weekend brings what will surely be my embarrassing geeky obsession, Clash of the Titans), but this is a trailer that deserves a quick mention. Looking forward to posting more, and, on that note, a big thanks to everyone who kept checking the blog and did not write me off yet (however tempting that must always be…).

Now that’s more like it. I panned the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s newest historical opus (and latest collaboration with burly muse, Russell Crowe), mainly because it was heavy on the macho and grit, and light on anything that could give the umpteenth version of the Robin Hood story some substance or relevance. Well, this full-length trailer finally makes it look like the interesting film it deserves to be. [more thoughts after the jump]

Grounding the famous archer and his merry men into their likely historical context (near the end of the Crusades), this looks to play to Scott’s strengths in staging massive spectacles (ie, the siege of Jersualem in Kingdom of Heaven—still a hugely underrated film, particularly the Director’s Cut) while always giving each epic a much-needed emotional core (something many directors neglect as they get lost in their expensive battles and set-pieces). I like that we get to see more of Robin Hood’s transformation from humble knight to a hero of legendary heights, with Crowe showing just the right mix of charisma and Gladiator-like heroic presence. More so, I love the further glimpses into this cast—British go-to bad guy, Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Rock ‘n’ Rolla, the upcoming Kick-Ass) looks perfect as the most-definitely-evil foil, Sir Godfrey (just watch him scowl!), and, better yet, Cate Blanchett should be great fun as the plucky, headstrong love of Robin’s life, Maid Marian (check out what she does with her voice—it’s amazing how easily Blanchett slips into different people). Also, be sure to catch the quick glimpse of Pride & Prejudice’s Matthew Macfadyen as this story’s most famous villain, The Sheriff of Nottingham (where have you been, Mr. Darcy?!)—it’s my favorite scene in the trailer, and I’m really hoping Nottingham won’t be marginalized in favor of bigger heavies, Godfrey and the corrupt Prince John.

All in all, it finally looks like a must-see summer film. The battle scenes seem impressive, and the trailer’s new focus on character has me much more optimistic about the final product. Ridley Scott can make a film of this scale better than almost anyone, and Universal’s probably gunning for more of that Gladiator lightening-in-a-bottle success. I sure hope so. I love this original story (even though I’m positive this won’t be the last time we see it), and this is an immensely talented cast and crew behind it. Quick guilty confession: the screenwriter, Brian Helgeland justly won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential, but he also penned one of my favorite films (no matter how flawed!), the Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany-starrer, A Knight’s Tale. He knows his way around knights and battles—let’s see if his Robin Hood can conjure up some of that energy, intelligence, and fun.

Robin Hood hits theaters on May 14. (By that point, it will be a good 12 days since Iron Man 2 came out, so we’ll have no excuse for not seeing this). So, what do you guys think? Could you go for another version of this tale? Or does this trailer still not winning over any new fans?

P.S. Anyone else crazy about the below version of Robin Hood? Ah, gets me every time... "La Liberte"!