At the Movies With Peter Travers: ‘Robin Hood’
Summer blockbuster season continues this weekend At the Movies with the arrival of Robin Hood , the umpteenth film version of the legendary archer’s story — and arguably the best. The movie looks a lot like Gladiator for a good reason — it features the award-winning film’s director Ridley Scott and star Russell Crowe — but it ultimately doesn’t measure up. However, Robin Hood is light years better than Kevin Costner’s Prince of Thieves, says Peter Travers in his weekly video report.
Scott’s take on the Robin Hood legend is an origin tale exploring the character’s back story. He’s not robbing the rich and giving to the poor just yet — instead he’s just an above-average archer who hates the King and is protesting “taxation without representation.” That’s right, Ridley Scott has unintentionally made the world’s first Tea Party film, Travers notes. However, Crowe and Cate Blanchett in the Maid Marian role share some great chemistry, and Robin Hood, which Travers gives three stars in our new issue, is worthy of your summer movie money.
It’s been a few weeks since Hollywood catered to the ladies, but this weekend brings two films aimed at a female audience: Letters to Juliet , starring Amanda Seyfried in a love story that takes places in Verona, Italy, and Queen Latifah’s Just Wright. Queen plays a woman who falls in love with a New Jersey Net played by rapper Common, who in turn is in infatuated with Latifah’s beautiful friend. Who will Common choose, the body or the mind? It’s pretty obvious. Thankfully, and because Travers is in a good mood, both films narrowly escape the Scum Bucket.