Anyone seen Robin Hood? Was it any good?

[applegrove]

[Swede]

1. Didn't he die a thousand years ago?

:shrug:

[applegrove]

2. LOL!

[TorchTheWitch]

3. Yeah, I was disappointed

Mainly because it really has nothing much at all to do with the actual story, and ends when he's banished to the forest and his followers go with him. The story was good, I guess, but not the story of Robin Hood.

I also didn't particularly like it because although there's plenty of battles, Robin does very little archery... there's none of the cool traps laid in the forest (because none of it takes place there) and other than the classic arrow piercing the reward notice to the tree, there's no cool archery either.

Oddly enough, although there is a Sheriff of Nottingham character, he's basically a walk-on with one or two lines and a wimp rather than the evil bugger from the story. Instead, the villain is some French dude. There's no stealing from the rich to give to the poor and battling it out with the sheriff.

Oh, yeah... it's not the least bit historically accurate in that King Richard gets killed in the Holy Land right at the beginning which also kills a lot of the point to the actual Robin Hood story. Robin Hood isn't Robin of Locksley either but some nobody that pretends to be him.

Like I said, a good story, but aside from the character names of Robin Hood, Marian and Friar Tuck (can't even remember if Little John was a character at all) I have no idea how they got away with calling this a Robin Hood movie because it just plain isn't.

Funny that you posted this because I just found out about the BBC tv Robin Hood series from a few years back and have been watching all the episodes on YouTube. This is my favorite Robin Hood film EVER. Keith Allen that plays the Sheriff is AWESOME and the guy that plays Robin's servant sidekick "Much" is hilarious. The actor that plays Robin Hood (Jonas Armstrong) is a skinny bitty little guy, but considering that archers were the little guys and with all the sneaking about and breaking into and out of places he has to do, I really feel like a skinny little dude makes for a better Robin Hood. Richard Armitage plays Sir Guy Gisborne (the Sheriff's sidekick/deputy/fix-it man and personal assassin), who is the one that has the hots for Marian rather than the traditional story line of that being the sheriff, but I think it's an improvement because it makes the sheriff much more easily despised (although he's hilarious in his evil). One thing that's really cool about is that they throw in a lot of modernisms both in references to general things people would know, common slang, and even better it sneakily parallels current political, economic and particularly foreign affairs and you notice. Some of the references to general stuff is for example, in one episode a certain character believes he shot the sheriff with an arrow and while dying on the ground proudly exclaims "I shot the sheriff!", and the sheriff saunters up and taunts "Noooo, actually you shot the deputy") - a reference to the reggae song "I Shot the Sheriff". There's lots of fun little things like that in the series. It's a great mix of comedy, action and some real boo-hoo drama. The cinematography is really surprisingly good (something I'd expect from a big screen blockbuster movie), and the music is really good.

If you haven't seen it and are interested, here's the page on YouTube that has almost all the episodes (all of seasons one and two and the first two episodes from season three)....
http://www.youtube.com/user/Vampires22#p/u/90/sJpN47BG5UU

Here's the first two episodes for a taste...

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrjCfuJCwUU

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fogM2xwRylU

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3c2mCymz4M

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-qmRnk-vpk

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCRI-cjeZOU


BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 2 - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqiHeGmrN-g

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 2 - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhdLZadFfM0

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 2 - Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPfJBEQrK4k

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 2 - Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCEMAZxF-hA

BBC ROBIN HOOD - Season 1 - Episode 2 - Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ZtleAdMI0

[applegrove]

4. Thanks. Now that I know what to expect I won't be disappointed.

[quakerboy]

5. For those with netflix

its also on instant view. I am in mid 2nd season. And enjoying it as well. Although Marion's part in it all is just unbelievably annoying so far.

[TorchTheWitch]

11. so annoying I keep hoping Robin gives her the heave-ho

As far as I can tell, her only redeaming quality is that she's hot. Nice to see a hotty actress that has curves and in all the right places. Other than that... blah. I don't know if it's the writing, or the actress or the character or what the hell it is, but I really found her to annoy the hell out of me. Kind of ruined the whole romance angle since she bugged me so much I didn't care if Robin ended up with her or not (and almost hoped he didn't). Seems like every romantic type scene between either Robin or Goodborne the actors have to almost drag her through them by the ankles. Well, at least she's nice to look at.

[petronius]

8. Emo Hood is awesome - reminds me that I need to go back and watch season 3

Richard Armitage really walks away with the show, IMO - just going back and forth from nice guy, mean guy, funny guy, evil guy...

[TorchTheWitch]

12. Armitage was the reason I decided to check it out

I just love him. I'm so used to seeing him as the hero who gets the girl in period films that I wasn't sure about a character like Sir Guy for him, but he's great. He gets even better in season 3... his character gets even more off the wall and loosing his marbles. Reminded me a bit of the guy (Dudley?) that played Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights... evil long stringy haired all dressed in black leather creepy scary dude.

Emo Hood... LOL! Took me a second to get that. Actually, Emo Hood geta new do in season 3 and a new costume. I really hate that hairsytle... looks like they're wearing their scalp backwards. Friar Tuck also finally makes an appearance in season 3.

[iris27]

21. There is no "historical accuracy" to any Robin Hood tale . It's just that the

ones that have Robin as a lord ("Robin of Loxley") instead of a yeoman and that have him as a contemporary of King Richard/3rd crusade time period are more popular. Many of the earlier written ballads name the current king as Edward, who eventually pardons Robin.

[TorchTheWitch]

29. I wasn't talking about the story of Robin Hood

I meant the historical accuracy of the time and the actual real life people and events of that time. Everyone knows that the story of Robin Hood is a fairy tale for heaven's sake.

[Brother Buzz]

6. The one filmed in Bidwell Park?

[gmoney]

7. Oddly, just watched it today... or most of it

Kind of gave up on it... just lost interest. Little John is in there as sort of a 'frenemy' of Robin's. And there's a whole "Return of Martin Guerre" aspect to it that I found hard to swallow. It seemed almost like it wanted to be Braveheart, too, rather than Robin Hood.

A French actress, Lea Seydoux, plays a French Royal who marries Richard's slimy younger brother... she didn't get much screen time, but was very charming and gorgeous. I bet we'll see more of her (literally and figuratively) before long.

I'm surprised the teabaggers haven't embraced this movie, as the central theme is that "Government is bad, taxes are evil" which in the context of the film, was basically true.

[Kaleva]

16. teabaggers would probably reject this movie

As it portrayed King Richard as having taxed his subjects into the poorhouse to support his campaign of gaining glory and favor from God in a far off land that posed no threat to England.

[whistler162]

9. Not bad... the Tasmanian who plays Robin is going places

and that Olivia de Havilland is hot!

[applegrove]

23. LOL!

[whistler162]

10. dup

[WolverineDG]

13. If you look at it from the perspective that it's a set up for Robin Hood II

then it's okay. I saw one of those "Inside Robin Hood" shows on History (?--can't remember, they show so much weird shit that isn't history on that channel), & it appears they did do some digging into the archives to come up with a story as close to what may actually have happened. That explains why the movie doesn't mesh with the Robin Hood story we're familiar with. Interesting note: They did find a reference to a "John Little" who was an outlaw & several "Robin this or thats" who were also outlaws.

dg

[Deep13]

14. Seems like they wanted to make a medieval movie and had to call it "Robin Hood"...

...for marketing purposes.

[Kaleva]

15. The horses were coated with some kind of longbow arrow repellent.

It was a standard tactic back then to target the horse the enemy knight or man-at-arms was riding. A dismounted knight, while still formidable, was easier to deal with then one mounted on a well trained war horse. The portrayal of King Richard in the movie was more factual (other then he was killed besieging a castle in England after he returned from his crusade) then what is often done in Robin Hood movies or literature. The scenes of camp life and the siege of the castle in France was pretty accurate.

[Bucky]

18. Man, I hate it when movies don't kill the animals they use in battle scenes.

That always totally ruins the fight scenes for me. If these highly paid animals are supposed to be actors, by God let 'em take a CGI arrow and fall and friggin' stay down like all the human actors manage to do. That trip wire thing is like SO over done.

[Kaleva]

19. And people with all their teeth! What's with that?

[Bucky]

17. Is this thread actually a below-the-radar attempt at a circumcision thread?

Yes, my "robin" got "hooded." And yes, it's still very good.

[Kaleva]

20. Don't expect to see scenes of people going poop. There aren't any in this movie.

[bikebloke]

22. I liked it.

Sure, it was different, but if I wanted the same thing, I would have slipped my Errol Flynn DVD into the player.

With the Beeb series, I wish they would have continued with half brother, Archer, for another season. He seemed a better Robin than Jonas Armstrong.

[travelingtypist]

24. I enjoyed it.

But I'm easy. I would enjoy watching Russell Crowe doing anything.

[applegrove]

25. Me too!

[RedXIII]

26. The disney one?

I saw that one.

[Bucky]

28. Silly. The OP is about the Kevin Costner version with Morgan Friedman as his Saracen sidekick.

Wait, wha--?     That can't be right!


 

[unpossibles]

27. I enjoyed it.

not great but not bad