Related to this post in c/Chapotraphouse In interested to hear folks’ opinions on Robin Hood adaptations.
I love that Robin Hood isn’t really owned by anyone, and is more or less just a template that people have riffed on for centuries, with popular additions becoming the Peoples’ Canon while other ideas are left alone.
My ranking of the ones I’ve seen:
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Disney’s.
Maybe just love it because it was my introduction, but the fox and Baloo have incredible chemistry as Robin and Little John, who both feel like right-and-proper criminals. Prince John’s antics with the snake are a bit much, but the sherriff’s being played straight makes up for that. -
Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood
Probably a controversial choice for this one, but every list needs a hot take. Crowe is too dour to feel like a “merry” man, but he is fitting for Scott’s gritty style, and he does embody the part of a hero of the people well, first by stealing valor, then by negotiating broader rights for his people. Ridley Scott still has a knack for good fight choreo too. -
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Errlol Flynn’s stuntwork and swordplay are top-notch and the big action pieces still hit despite the hokey old-timey overacting. On the other hand, this version of Hood gives him a noble background and leans hard into it, and not hard enough on the “stealing from the rich” angle. -
Robin Hood, Men in Tights
The humor is dated, but if you give Carey Elwes a sword, that’s bound to make for a couple good scenes. -
Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves
This movie fucking blows. It tries to be a comedy, a romance, and a swashbuckling romp, but the jokes are bad, the chemistry’s flat, and the action’s corny. Also the accents are terrible and why the hell did they cast Morgan Freeman as Azeem? Easily Morgan Freeman’s worst role
Hon. Mention: Jan De Lichte (AKA Thieves in the Wood). Not actually a Robin Hood movie but it plays as one anyway. Jan de Lichte is an actual historical dude and I have no idea whether this movie is accurate to his story or if he was a decent guy in real life, but in this movie, he felt like a believable outlaw hero. A brutal cutthtroat with a heart of gold up against a bastard cop who cares more about power and career than justice. Perfectly captures what Robin Hood is about.
Haven’t seen much beyond these, but I’ll take Ny sugfestion. Movies, lit, fanfic (all Robin Hood is fanfic – That’s the best part!), whatever
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Hell yeah
Also, yeah Men in Tights was pretty good. I don’t remember much of the story of Prince of Thieves, but the Bryan Adams song dominated the airways.
Oh gooooooooood that song, dominated mtv for some time.
I hate that song so much
Gasp! How dare you!
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disney robin hood is peak
Everytime I think of that movie I can hear that whistling theme in my head
webhamster.mp3
Men In Tights his hilarious, “I said HEY BLINKIN!”
- Robin of Sherwood - the 1984 series, first two seasons, with Praed.
- That segment of Time Bandits (1981)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Flynn & Rathbone
- Robin and Marion (1976) - Connery
And then all the rest bringing up the rear.
Too late to be known as John the First,
He’s sure to be known as John the Worst!
Not directly robin hood but green arrow was like a comic robin hood and had comic runs where he tackled institutional problems
how is nobody gonna shout out Robin Hood (2018)? the sky is full of stars with Taron Egerton as the eponymous Robin of Loxley, Jamie Foxx as a Saracen Little John, and Ben Mendelsohn as the loathsome Sheriff of Nottingham.
Lionsgate dropped $100 million on production and after lots of bad reviews from the professional critics, only managed to recoup $86 million on ticket sales. in my opinion, it did not waste the $100 million. this movie’s mantra is “go big or go home”. and audience scores were much more neutral/slightly positive relative to the professional movie enjoyers.
it has some over-the-top re-imagining of medieval tactics (anachronistic if you’re one of those “it must match my imaginaries” types of re-enactment larpers) to make it more like a modern action flick, but it’s totally fun, watchable as hell, and draws upon modern class tension, imperialist conflicts, and counter-insurgent policing by making its points using complex set pieces like a goddamn a sledge hammer of the gods. subtext: its for cowards.
if you like the Robin Hood source material, you owe it to yourself to see the one many have slept on. no Robin Hood library would be complete without this scrappy gem of a true popcorn flick.
Was hoping someone would talk about that one. Been curious
i liked the kevin costner one, because the villain was great. everything else was flat and shit, because kevin costner, but the villain was great. i think it was the die hard villain guy.
Yeah, Alan Rickman was good, that’s true.
It’s not a movie, but the Seirra point and click game Conquests of the Longbow (video about it) is an interesting Robin Hood story, in that you can be the best Robin Hood, or be the worst Robin Hood possible.
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