Robin Hood

It is late 12th century England and Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) is a common archer in the Third Crusade. Following the death of Richard the Lionheart in battle, Robin and three other common soldiers attempt to return to their homeland, having spent ten years fighting abroad. Along the way they come across an ambush of the King's guard by Sir Godfrey; an English Knight with French lineage. The King of France had ordered Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) to assassinate Richard. Having discovered the King is already slain Sir Godfrey is chased off by the arrival of Robin and his companions. Aiming to return to England safely and richer in pocket than they left it Robin and his men steal the armour of the slain Knights and head for the English ships on the coast under the guise of noblemen. Before leaving the scene of slaughter Robin promises a dying Knight, Sir Robert Loxley, to return a sword to the man's father in Nottingham.

Upon arrival in England, Robin (who has assumed the identity of Loxley) is chosen to inform the Royal family of the King's death and witnesses the crowning of King John (Oscar Isaac). The arrogant King John shows no remorse to his poor Kingdom and demands harsh taxes to be collected, sending Sir Godfrey off to the North with the task of raising revenue. Unbeknownst to King John, Sir Godfrey is an agent of the French King and uses this Royal Decree to stir up enough unrest to cause Civil War in England.

Robin and his companions head to Nottingham, where Loxley's father asks him to continue impersonating his son, in order to prevent the family lands being taken by the crown. Loxley's widow, Lady Marian (Cate Blanchett), is initially distrustful of Robin, but soon warms to him when he recovers taxed grain for the townsfolk to plant.

Meanwhile, Godfrey's actions have stirred up the northern Barons, who march to meet King John, and demand the signing of a charter of rights. Having realised Godfrey's deception, and knowing he must reunite his people in order to meet an imminent French invasion, the King agrees. A battle follows shortly where Godfrey's men are interrupted whilst ransacking Nottingham, and chased off by Robin and the northern Barons.

The film climaxes with an invasion on England's south coast by the French, who are met as they land by the English army. The English are victorious in the ensuing battle, during which Robin slays Godfrey with a well placed arrow from a long distance. In the final scenes, King John reneges on his word to sign the Magna Carta, and declares Robin (now revealed not to be Sir Loxley) to be an outlaw. In response, Robin moves to Sherwood Forest to form what will become the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest and win the accolade of Robin of the Hood (Robin Hood), becoming a legendary figure in English folklore. Read More ...

History Is Written by the Monsters

As creatures from Greek mythology come roaring back in 'Clash of the Titans,' let's look at our favorite movie monsters from folklore and legend

By Don Kaye
Special to MSN Movies

"Release the kraken!" Every time Liam Neeson utters those words in the trailers and commercials for the new remake of "Clash of the Titans," we feel a little giddy. Like many people, our childhood years were filled with wonder at the amazing and terrifying beasts visualized in the movies of pioneering stop-motion animation master Ray Harryhausen, who studied under "King Kong" creator Willis O'Brien and brought his own indelible images to movies like "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" and "20 Million Miles to Earth."

But it was Harryhausen's string of movies based on ancient legends, "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Argonauts" among them, that truly captured the imagination. Some of the effects may look a little dated now, but sequences involving dragons, one-eyed monsters, centaurs, winged horses, and giant walking statues are not only seared into the history of cinema, but they also paved the way for today's fantasy blockbusters. Filmmakers from Peter Jackson to Guillermo del Toro all acknowledge their debt to Harryhausen's work.

Harryhausen is still with us but long retired, and his final movie, 1981's "Clash of the Titans," gets a highly anticipated, big-budget (and 3-D!) remake on April 2, in which Sam Worthington will battle oversized scorpions, a wicked Gorgon, his own father (Neeson's Zeus) and, of course, that legendary kraken. It's been awhile since we've seen many of these mythological monstrosities on the screen, so here's a look back at the fearsome and fabled creatures that Harryhausen and others have given us. Release the kraken!

('Clash of the Titans'/Warner Bros.) Read More ...