jive: (Slang) deceptive, exaggerated, or meaningless talk: "Don't give me any of that jive!"
Mostly movie reviews and cinema related.
Do visit Mahabore's Mumblings at http://mahabore.wordpress.com for my non-movie related writing.
I remember those days when I used to be a big fan of 'Prince', the computer game which was pretty much among the few good games that one could play on computers which used to have 386x speed processors, 2 MB RAM memory, DOS operating systems, you get the drift. Prince used to be a fun game to play with the protagonist having to climb walls, jump over open abysses, fight the guards using his sword, solve puzzles, etc. While there have been multiple games, both PC and Console versions under the Prince of Persia franchise, I never got around to playing them. However, when news was announced that a movie was being made based on this franchise, I had made up my mind to catch it given the amount of thrills and excitement the game had given me as a teenager. And the movie does not disappoint.
In the mould of the Mummy franchise (read my review of the latest Mummy movie here), this movie deals with how the protagonist has a tough mission, manages to overcome extreme odds, and finally ends up with the prize and the lovely lady at the end of the movie. All along the way, the plotline and the screenplay being extremely tight, this is one movie which will pretty much keep audiences engrossed without actually getting bored at any point of time.
The story deals with Dastan, an orphan who is adopted by the King of Persia, his foster brothers, and his foster uncle Nizam (portrayed wonderfully by Ben Kingsley). During the attack of the city of Alamut, Dastan manages to come in possession of a dagger which contains the 'sands of time'. The caretaker of the dagger, Princess Tamina manages to get back the dagger from Dastan. In the meantime, King Sharaman of Persia is killed and Dastan is implicated in the death, and is branded a murderer.
While on the run from the Persian guards and his foster brothers, Dastan and Tamina end up together where Dastan learns about the dagger, and also figures out why his uncle Nizam wants it for himself. A lot of action sequences, chase sequences, thrills and spills later, the movie ends up with the climactic sequence where Nizam is in possession of the dagger. And this to me is the part of the movie which is the most fun. How it all ends up is something that most audiences will not expect. I will not give away the ending as it will end up probably being the biggest spoiler of this entire review.
What worked for me in this movie is the tight screenplay, fun action sequences, good and appropriate use of CGI sequences, and for the most part the breezy story and plotline of the movie. All in all, a good fun movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon lazing in your couch with some popcorn or chips at your side.
For anybody who has seen 'Robin Hood - Prince of thieves', the 1991 film starring Kevin Costner and directed by Kevin Reynolds, this particular Ridley Scott adaptation of the popular legend of Robin Hood surely is going to be an eye-opener. Doing away with almost all the fun elements of Robin Hood and his band of merry men, Scott focuses more on his tale of how Robin Longstride arrives at Nottingham, makes it his home, and how finally he is outlawed by the same king and crown who he so gallantly serves during the French King Philip's attempted invasion of England.
The movie begins with Robin fighting alongside King Richard, the Lionheart at the fag end of the crusades when they are trying to take the Chalus Castle. Robin commits the mistake of speaking his mind out when asked to do so by the King, and in turn gets punished to be whipped. Luckily for him, the King gets killed in the battle before the actual punishment is handed out, providing Robin and his mates an opportunity to escape and find their own ways home. Fate puts them in a situation where the King's knights are ambushed by Sir Godfrey and his French allies, and gives them control of the King's Crown which needs to be taken back to London, as well as possession of the family sword of Sir Walter Loxley. Robin then decides to pretend to be Sir Robert Loxley carrying the crown back to England, as this is his easiest way to get back to England.
Back in England, at Nottingham, Lady Marion (Sir Robert Loxley's wife) is struggling to keep the Loxley household running. She is plagued by problems such as high taxes to the crown, a lecherous Sheriff of Nottingham, and constant grain theft raids by the runaway children of the village. She however, is depicted as a fiesty character who knows well how to keep her wits about her, and manages to make ends meet with the limited means at her disposal. Robin's arrival at Nottingham however, changes things at Nottingham. Sir Walter requests Robin to impersonate his son, in order to prevent the family lands from being taken over completely by the crown, and this puts him in the uncomfortable situation of playing Lady Marion's husband.
In the meantime, Sir Godfrey, who all this while has secretly been plotting with King Philip of France, manages to secure the confidence of the new King of England, John, who gives him the authority to take a small group of men and collect long outstanding dues from all the barons to the North of England. Sir Godfrey has an agenda of his own in this regard. In the name of tax collections, he unleashes terror in these regions and effectively manages to get all the Northern barons to put together an army to march against King John.
How Robin gets caught up in this situation, how he learns about his father and childhood from Sir Walter, and whether they manage to thwart King Philip's invasion of England makes up for the rivetting climax sequence of the movie. This sequence is a Ridley Scott battle sequence, and therefore, any words in this review really cannot do full justice to the cinematic excellence displayed on the screen.
What worked really well for the movie are the amazing chemistry between Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. Blanchett remains one of my all time favorite actors simply because of the depth she manages to put into each and every character she plays on screen. Whether she is enacting the role of Brad Pitt's love interest as Daisy Fuller in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', or playing Katharine Hepburn in 'The Aviator', or an over-the-top character such as Irina Spalko in 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull', Cate Blanchett manages to leave an indelible mark and impression on the minds of her viewers and fans. No wonder, she is one of the highest rated actors in Hollywood today. Robin Hood is no different and her portrayal of the fiesty Lady Marion is just another feather in her cap.
Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott work well together. And while some of the battle sequences of this movie remind you of 'Gladiator', the fact that this is a much darker movie, and deals with a more famous legend, makes this movie a worth watch. The sheer intensity that Crowe brings to the role, coupled with the large parts of grey that his character displays makes him the perfect casting coup for this role. Watch this movie if you like either of them, and you won't be disappointed.
