Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Revived once more to steal from the rich to give to the needy, Robin Hood may be wearing a new face, but his story is one we all know by heart.

Robin Loxley (Taron Egerton) has found the love of his life in Marion (Eve Hewson) but before he has the chance to enjoy romantic bliss, he is conscripted by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn) to join the war in the Holy Lands.

The Nottingham, Robin returns to has changed drastically under the crushing taxes and propaganda of the Sheriff. After fighting for King and country Robin is devastated to find the life he left behind in ruins.

Yahya aka John (Jamie Foxx) gives Robin an outlet for his frustrations; working to take down the man responsible for both their suffering. Playing the devoted Lord by day Robin dons a hood by night to start a revolution.

Generally I think this was a good movie. The casting was good, if not a random mix of actors, and the story was a simple, easy to follow origin story of the the hooded outlaw.

I liked that we got a glimpse of Robin fighting in Arabia, which bridged nicely with his return to Nottingham. Speaking of Nottingham, I was a massive fan of Ben Mendelsohn’s Sheriff.

Also to note, Taron Egerton was better than I expected as Robin Hood. I still didn’t 100% buy it as I still think he looks too young for the character, but he did an alright job and didn’t annoy me. I know that didn’t sound remotely like a compliment but it was!

Shout out to Paul Anderson who played Guy of Gisborne. It took me a little while to recognise him because he’s a lot thinner as Arthur Shelby on Peaky Blinders – his voice gave him away.

There wasn’t really anything wrong with the movie per se, it ticked all the necessary boxes and so in that I’d only berate it for playing things too safe. In the same vein of playing things safe, after the beginning, the rest of the movie just plateaued all the way until the end.

It didn’t take me long to notice that Robin Hood felt like a watered down Guy Ritchie movie, specifically in comparison with King Arthur Legend of the Sword. It had similar dramatic shots, humor, and the costumes and settings bordered on the same ‘modern take on period accurate authenticity‘ thing going on.

If you weren’t already aware; personally I really enjoyed King Arthur Legend of the Sword, but my view was in the minority. If the similarities between the two movies are obvious to anyone else then I’m not expecting great review from critics.

As far as Robin Hood adaptations go, this movie was alright, but I wouldn’t put it above the 2006 – 2009 BBC series of the same name.

The end of the movie sets up aptly for a sequel (what movie doesn’t these days?) and I’d be down for that. Though Robin Hood had a predictable plot and few surprises from characters, this most likely stems from the ‘origin story’ route it took, and with that said, I think a sequel will allow for more originality in storyline… you know, if it gets that far.