THE SUMMER movie season has begun with “Robin Hood” leading the pack after its lavish world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last week. The film has all the ingredients of a hit: Oscar-winning stars (Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett), a master director (Ridley Scott), Oscar-winning writer (Brian Helgeland), and, of course, the legend’s long established movie brand that includes Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn, and more recently Kevin Costner. Unfortunately, this version - how Robin Hood became the legend - ultimately fails to excite. While a new take on an old story can certainly be refreshing (Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn starred in 1976’s “Robin and Marian”), Scott’s film gets too murky - you find yourself wanting more of the old when the new doesn’t impress.

Crowe plays Robin Longstride, born to a father (seen in haunting flashbacks) whose love seemed to elude him, is a world-class archer in the service of King Richard the Lionhearted (Danny Huston) whose reign is too often mixed with booze and bawdiness. The king and his army crusade in France during the Holy War on their way back to England. With the predictable army camp fun gone wild, Robin and his mates flee the battle and encounter the king’s dying friend who begs Robin to return his sword with a mysterious inscription to his father who lives in Nottingham. The dying man’s father (played by Max von Sydow) is a feisty blind man in the care of his now widowed daughter-in-law Marion (Blanchett). Sparks begin to fly between Marion and Robin as he asks her to help disrobe him before his hot bath. While there, Robin is forced to assume Marion’s late husband’s identity; but will later become Robin Hood (in time for end of the movie plot points to imply a sequel is necessary).

The dead king’s crazed and insolent brother Prince John (Oscar Isaac) is crowned the new king much to the dismay of his headstrong mother (the always superb Eileen Atkins) - the kind of mother who barges in on her son while with “a bit of a French pastry,” named Isabella (Lea Seydoux). John plots and connives with the film’s most arch-villain Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong), a dashing bilingual, scheming statesman who also consorts with the French king and uses the old conquer and divide tactics to wreak havoc with the English monarch’s friends, led by Sir William Marshal (William Hurt). As forces align and realign, they all descend on Nottingham and later to the English shore for a final battle. And yes, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen) finally finds his new purpose at the end.

The technical credits are fine. There are strong, exciting action sequences led by a stellar cast. Crowe delivers his standard “warrior” performance and Blanchett continues to build on a body of characters that won’t back down to adversity. However, it’s a bad sign when some scenes make you long for less of an “origins” approach when the film gets plot-heavy with all the international geo-politics, Robin’s repressed memory and ranting kings.

“Robin Hood” is MPAA-rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.