There once was a Hood they called Robin

This version of Robin is gritty

And missing the repartee witty

But altho it's grimmer

The movie's a winner

And all of the issues are nitty

Despite a problematic pre-production, this new Robin Hood turned out pretty good. What originally was conceived as "Nottingham" with the twist of the legendary Sheriff as hero has, after several rewrites and delays, been refocused on Robin, but as a Gladiator-esque prequel that sets up the Sherwood Forest saga. And before you think Jar Jar Binks, don't worry – while it definitely diverges from the original story, this decidedly darker take still treats the legend with respect.

Russel Crowe's take on the Hood is fairly understated: he's not the wisecracking animated fox of the Disney movie, but does imbue the role with some wry humor. He's not a dashing swashbuckler in the style of Errol Flynn, but does build a slow-burn romance with Marian (Cate Blanchett, who's reimagined as more of a warrior than cut from the classic Maid mold). And his accent is certainly more consistent than Kevin Costner's.

Prolly the best thing about this prequel is that it's not simply arranging the building blocks of the well-told legend. Yes, all the pieces get put in place: Robin redistributes wealth from the rich to the poor, meets the Merry Men (well, as merry as they get in the Middle Ages), fires off a few arrows, etc. But there's an actual adventure here, chronicling Robin's rise from an archer in the ranks of Richard the Lionheart's army slogging their way home from the Crusades to a defender of the people under the corrupt thumb of British rule.

It's not the fast-paced franchise starter that's typical of the summer, but despite a few meandering moments, Ridley Scott's look at the Robin Hood legend is worth a watch. Nothing spectacular, but solidly entertaining.