ROBIN HOOD ***

Ridley Scott directed this  Adventure. Watch Preview Cast: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Lea Seydoux, Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand, Alan Doyle, Danny Huston, Max von Sydow. Rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content. Running time is two hours and twenty minutes.

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 France, Robin (Russel Crowe) 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.

Having seen a couple of negative national reviews, I was all set to dislike this film. Turns out it's a rousing adventure yarn with plenty of action for men and a smattering of romance for women. This supposedly cost $200 million to make and it shows on the screen, both with the exemplary cast and large scale battle scenes. This is not the typical "Robin and his band of Merry Men" films you're probably used to seeing. It's a prequel to the normal story line, telling you about Robin's early years and how he got to be Robin Hood. There are not many amusing parts and the storyline is rather grim. But it does hold your attention, which is saying quite a bit considering its length, which is its  biggest negative in my opinion. This is definitely one you want to see in the largest theatre possible in order to appreciate its epic scale. Theatres/Times.