I must say, I feel awful for Ridley Scott doing this movie because everyone's either A) expecting Gladitor, only in tights, or B) the one with Kevin Costner only with better accents.  It's neither, and I'm okay with that.  The plot is terrific.  Someone said it was too plot heavy and to that I say, nay nay.  A movie without a good plot is, in my humble creative writing student's opinion, trash.  A movie cannot be like a short story that has no plot and is all about whether or not the lady's coat being yellow means something.  It needs substance.  It cannot be all about slitting throats, either.  Robin Hood has never been a tale of gore, anyhow.  It's a tale of honor and freedom--tale of one man's defiance. Yes, this could entail gore, but not necessarily.  There is some decent action, by the by.  All I mean to say is, just because this movie is not Gladiator does not make it less of a movie.  It still has a great message.

So, some interesting things to notice about this movie are the many different things that remind me of various portions of English History and Lit.  You have the wild boys in the woods, like J.M. Berrie's Lost Boys or the boys in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.  There is also reference's to England's Celtic beginnings, if you pay attention to some of the carvings.  There was the wonderful portrayal of England and France's feud.  There were probably others that I missed, but you see my point.  This was story of England.  This is England's eternal story.  If you know anything about it's history, you know that unification has always been a crucial and too often lost thing for England.  I enjoyed seeing them come together for once.

Let's discuss Marion.  She's the first Marion I can actually tolerate.  Yay Cate Blanchett!  I do love her.  Best line in the movie?  "Good God, Marion."  She's along the lines of Queen Gorgo in 300.  She wasn't this haughty woman who doesn't need a man, but she wasn't a damsel in distress.  Congratulations, Hollywood, a woman that's relatable.  I can't give too much away, but suffice to say, she kicks major tail.

Another plus is that this movie is funny.  I actually liked Prince John for about ten minutes.

Robin Hood showed the importance of freedom, honor, and keeping your word.  Fight for what's right.  My favorite part?  It showed that community and family is important.  Those in the movie, in Nottingham, they took care of each other.  There was order, and they honored it.  Everyone had a place; everyone served.  The peasants honored Sir Walter, Marion, and Robin, and never once did those three take advantage of their people.

No, it's not Gladiator, but as a woman who has watched men fall by the wayside and seen the destruction of family and caring for your community, I appreciated it. I'm afraid many men will like it because there isn't enough bloodshed and fail to see the importance of honoring a woman and protecting the weak. They won't see that they need to be responsible.  But, I hope they do.  I really, really do.  Do men like that Robin Longstryde exist?  I think they do, but they are too few of them.

So, I give it four stars out of five.