Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Alan Rickman Reel: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

My household are big fans of Alan Rickman. As such, we've decided to (continue) review(ing) his films from start to finish. Using IMDb, that puts us starting with...

Die Hard (DIE HARD!!!!) and continuing with...
Closet Land (our review coming soon)

It doesn't matter that this movie is shitty. I can't help loving it!





Dr Musacha: So yeah, back in the Alan Rickman saddle again.  And what a movie to start with!

sgwordy: You want to be "in the Alan Rickman saddle?" Feels kind of overly familiar when we don't even know the guy.

Dr Musacha: Five blog posts in and I feel like he wouldn't mind.  So Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  I remember this movie from my childhood...how about YOU?

sgwordy: Yes. Yes, I remember it from my childhood. And teenhood. And adulthood. All my hoods are totally cool with RH.

Dr Musacha: Sadly, much like Thundercats and G.I. Joe The Movie, I wish this one had stayed in my childhood.  Before we talk Rickman, how do you feel this movie holds up all these years later?

sgwordy: Oh it doesn't at all. It's terrible. I mean, really awful. But I can't seem to care. My younger selves keep rearing their heads with all my awesome younger self reactions and I just went with it. In the midst of being fully aware of how terrible the movie is, I was still loving it.

Dr Musacha: I guess nostalgia wasn't enough for me, because I was shocked at how terrible this film is.  Costner and Slater are "knock off renaissance fair" bad in this thing, and the dialog is really corny -

sgwordy: Wait! What????
"You came for me. You're alive!
I would die for you!" 

And you're saying that's corny? That's... it's just... hold on, I'm tearing up...

Dr Musacha laughs  I guess agree to disagree and all that, but yes the dialog is pretty terrible.  But this isn't a movie review, it's an Alan Rickman review. 

sgwordy: I don't know if I can quite agree yet. I mean, there's this -
Why a spoon, cousin?
Because it's dull, you twit, it'll hurt more.

That's pure genius. Ok, ok, yes, moving on. How about with -
Locksley, I'm gonna cut your heart out with a spoon!

Am I getting off track here?

Dr Musacha: Possibly, but I love it!  I've said before that Hans Gruber is my all time favorite action villain. How does Sheriff of Nottingham rank against that performance?

sgwordy: That's a tricky comparison because Gruber is a straight up badass villain and the Sheriff is a comic villain. Rickman does him perfectly but in a head to head with Gruber, Gruber is going to win because Gruber is just better.

Dr Musacha: Tipping my hand here, but I thought Rickman was easily the best thing about this film.  He was the only person who seemed to understand that the whole thing was ridiculous and inject enough camp into his performance to fit the bill. Agree?  Or did you feel he was taking this role seriously?

sgwordy: Totally agree. He does it right though. Performers can realize what they are in is ridiculous but still not commit. He is completely committed and it makes the performance winning rather than cringe worthy. (Can my 13yo self pipe up here and admit to loving him and Robin equally at that age? I didn't even notice Costner's terrible accent when I was that young.)

Dr Musacha: Speaking of younger selves, my younger self was not nearly as aware of how normalized this movie made violence against women seem.

sgwordy: So true. That trait was certainly not limited to this movie, but it's the one aspect of Rickman's character that is not campy but just plain creepy and genuinely scary. Though if we start in on these types of faults, it'll be a black hole of Robin Hood awfulness and we're here for the good bits of Rickman.

Dr Musacha: Agreed. What did you think of the outfits? How 'bout that hair? But, most importantly, did you miss the 'stache?

sgwordy: Rickman is rocking the best outfit of the whole cast and I love the flowing locks. They really work with the unintentional spittle he gets going in some scenes. Nobody could miss that 'stache.

Dr Musacha: I've said all I have to say on this one. Any final thoughts?

sgwordy: Just this.


Summary:
Rate the movie on a scale of 1 to 10:
Dr Musacha – 3
sgwordy – 3

Was Rickman the best thing about this movie?
Dr Musacha – Yes.
sgwordy – Without doubt.

In the context of his body of work, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate Rickman as Rickman?
Dr Musacha – 6
sgwordy – 9

Favorite Rickman quote from this movie?
Dr Musacha: That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans...
sgwordy: Locksley, I'm gonna cut your heart out with a spoon!

No comments:

Post a Comment