6 Best & 6 Worst Historical Movie Epics Of The 2000s

4. Robin Hood (2010)

Crowe Robin HoodUniversal PicturesThe Gladiator team of director Ridley Scott and star Russell Crowe re-teamed for another action-packed epic, giving the well-known story of Robin Hood a gritty update. Originally written as a much different script entitled Nottingham, the movie that was eventually released did offer several great set-pieces, but a flat story and relentlessly dour tone resulted in an ultimately forgettable blockbuster. The real strong point of the movie are the visuals, which is almost a given from a Ridley Scott production. Beautifully shot and featuring some stunning production design, every penny of the $150m budget is there onscreen. However, a convoluted plot and two po-faced performances from the chemistry-free pairing of Crowe and Cate Blanchett see Robin Hood move along at a glacial pace, not helped by an unnecessary 140 minute running time. The ending set things up for a sequel, but lukewarm reception and an underwhelming $321.7m box office total put paid to any franchise potential.
Contributor

I don't do social media, so like or follow me in person but please maintain a safe distance or the authorities will be notified. Don't snap me though, I'll probably break. I was once labelled a misogynist on this very site in a twenty paragraph-long rant for daring to speak ill of the Twilight franchise. I stand by what I said, it's crap.