***1/2 – While substantial liberties are taken with both history and the legend upon which it is based, Sir Wiggly Scott’s adaptation of the classic English folk tale manages to add more realistic elements than most of its predecessors and still retains a relatively consistent level of entertainment value. Being a history scholar, I am well aware that early Robin Hood tales were fairly dark, but the fact remains that most people nowadays associate Robin Hood with the happy-go-lucky overly saccharin portrayals by Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn which are set in a 12th century England where things are pretty much okay except for a high tax rate, an overbearing sheriff and a slightly power-crazed monarch. This version, however, reintroduces a more believable world in which there is constant poverty, illness, famine, brutality, oppression and warfare. That will probably not please those out there who are looking for a good ole family-friendly fairy tale, and may be the reason that the film was met with some critical backlash. Personally, I found the relative darkness and addition of more detailed historical elements (discounting the extreme license taken with factual events) to be some of the best aspects of this take on Robin Hood. It had some cornball dialogue and a number of cheesy scenes - not to mention relying pretty heavily on fight scenes - but it ended up being quite watchable for the most part.
Robin Hood
***1/2 – While substantial liberties are taken with both history and the legend upon which it is based, Sir Wiggly Scott’s adaptation of the classic English folk tale manages to add more realistic elements than most of its predecessors and still retains a relatively consistent level of entertainment value. Being a history scholar, I am well aware that early Robin Hood tales were fairly dark, but the fact remains that most people nowadays associate Robin Hood with the happy-go-lucky overly saccharin portrayals by Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn which are set in a 12th century England where things are pretty much okay except for a high tax rate, an overbearing sheriff and a slightly power-crazed monarch. This version, however, reintroduces a more believable world in which there is constant poverty, illness, famine, brutality, oppression and warfare. That will probably not please those out there who are looking for a good ole family-friendly fairy tale, and may be the reason that the film was met with some critical backlash. Personally, I found the relative darkness and addition of more detailed historical elements (discounting the extreme license taken with factual events) to be some of the best aspects of this take on Robin Hood. It had some cornball dialogue and a number of cheesy scenes - not to mention relying pretty heavily on fight scenes - but it ended up being quite watchable for the most part.
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