ROBIN HOOD REVIEW

You can’t even begin to comprehend how many times the mythical outlaw has been portrayed in the entertainment medium. Looking through the names who have donned the green have included small names to Hollywood giants. With so many retellings what is left of the fable that can be told? This is the question that should have been answered in this reimagining, but as we’ve seen time and time again, the word “new” is the forbidden word. The film itself is a thief, not only does it steal your time and money but steals from other films to masquerade as “new” hoping its weak charade won’t be seen through.

Before these points are made, I would calmly like to get through the limited reasons why not every moment of this film is a waste of time. at least the film makes its intended goal clear as we are told from the beginning to throw away what we know, and the film isn’t going to be a history lesson. Although I find history fascinating, at least the film has the respect to tell us in confidence that the tale of Robin Hood will only be used in certain elements. I can’t lie that the film at least settles its audience for what’s in store for the direction of the film.

Taron Egerton is Robin Hood, or Rob as he’s known because apparently, the film wants to be edgy. People have said this was an odd casting choice, but if Kingsman has taught us anything, Taron can flip on the charm like a light switch and with the material he had to work with, it feels like he was the only actor giving it his all. I felt like if the film had gone for a more historically committed approach, his performance might have even been a great one, but the lack of support only makes his performance a decent one.

The film has thievery quite literally in its veins, Robin Hood clearly shows the influencing hand of Batman Begins and Guy Richie’s recent mythological howler King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Rather than all at once, we must go through this one by one how the film steals from these two films. Robin Hood follows a near resemblance to the narrative of Batman Begins. it grows rather tiresome once you begin to see the similarities as all that must be done is to take elements of Robin Hood and relabel them to match characters and settings from Batman Begins. It’s quite remarkable to see a film that wants to embrace originality but end up being like that one kid who will look at your test answers and copy them.

As for King Arthur, there is no difference in style and just like Guy Richie’s take on English mythology, it chooses to focus on action over story. What’s worse is that the film chooses to be modern in all the wrong places. In a scene where Robin is sent away for military service, the bow & arrows and crossbows might as well be substituted for AK-47’s and sniper rifles because that is pretty much how warfare is presented in this world. I wasn’t watching a 14th-century story, I was watching a modern war film. There is clearly confusion in setting, just when you start to accept the time period, it immediately throws in something that’s so out of place and so unnecessary.

Even the actors themselves (excluding Taron Egerton) seem confused by this film as the performances are ridiculously exaggerated. You know how some actors take Shakespearian acting way too far to the point where it becomes unintentionally funny, this is what I get from Jamie Foxx (John), Ben Mendelsohn (Sheriff of Nottingham) and Tim Minchin (Friar Tuck) just to name a few. These are talented people who have stolen the show in other films, but the lines and the way they deliver them are beyond cheesy.

I’d like to move on the Robin Hood’s costume. This costume has become very iconic, it has been copied numerous times as well as evolved. If I wore a Robin Hood costume from any other Robin Hood film, people would say “your dressed as Robin Hood”, if I dressed in this film’s Robin Hood outfit, they’d say “your dressed as a chav”. The costume is easily the worst attempt at Robin Hood, it’s not striking, it’s boring and where is the green? I think everyone in the costume department of this film needs to get their eye’s tested.

In fact, everyone who worked on this film needs to get their eyes tested. What I saw was not a Robin Hood film, this was a superhero origin story with stolen plot points and a stolen style that is trying to mimic what it thinks is popular in current cinema. I am completely at a loss with this film, everything about it does not tell me that this is 14th-century England, but someone’s dystopian world fetish. For another look at the folklore of Robin Hood, this is just embarrassing. They got Robin’s philosophy wrong, it’s steal from the rich and give to the poor, not steal from the audience and give to the studio.

Final Result: 1/10 – Dreadful

Have you seen Robin Hood? What did you think? Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

Next Time: Creed II