A re-imagined version of Robin Hood has arrived to cinemas with a lot of negativity surrounding it, so is it all justified?
Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Robin Hood is the latest movie adaptation of the famous folklore tale, this time with its own twist, though the story’s prominent aspects remain. Robin is still known as Lord Loxley and he’s still the heroic outlaw but this time we fully get to see how he became the legend that he is.
Returning to Nottingham after serving 4 years in the army, Robin (Taron Egerton) finds his once beloved manor has been seized by the local Sheriff (Ben Mendelsohn). Frustrated and confused, he sets off to find his love, Marian (Eve Hewson) but he quickly finds out that the Sheriff has listed him as deceased two years ago, leaving her alone and causing her to move on and marry another anti-establishment activist, Will (Jamie Dornan).
Instead of revealing himself to her and the rest of the town, he chooses to hide until he is fully trained by Little John (Jamie Foxx) to fight and steal from the corrupt Sherriff and his comrades, the Church.
I have to go against the popular opinion amongst fellow movie critics. This movie doesn’t suffer from dull moments or any pacing issues, in fact, Robin Hood is a fun, fast-paced, enjoyable action from start to finish with well-choreographed battle sequences that add more excitement to the storyline.
The stellar cast bring their individual unique talents to their roles which makes them that much more endearing. Each character is well-fleshed out, and complement each other to build a solid plot, tying it all together without crowding or over-complications. Will (Dornan) may seem like a support cast but he has a standalone arc and this makes the story far more complex in the end. Marian’s (Hewson) own journey makes her stand apart from Robin, rather than being seen as just another side-kick. Taron Egerton is credible as Robin and injects a sense of modern twist to the folklore legend we all know. Little John (Foxx) is a tough character but perhaps the most likable and fascinating out of them all.
Shot in France and Croatia (same location as Game of Thrones and Star Wars), the scenery adds extra layers to the story, especially when it comes to contrasts between the haves and the have nots. The costumes are also visually stunning and enhance the sensory experience of the overall film.
Robin Hood is the kind of movie that majority of movie critics hate but is appreciated by most regular movie goers. It is an entertaining adventure packed film that twists the tale to suit a different story – with the build up to a sequel, this version is arguably a thoroughly enjoyable popcorn movie. 7/10
Robin Hood is in cinemas now, you can also listen to our interview with Friar Tuck himself Tim Minchin here.
