Robin Hood — OC Movie Reviews

By Liselotte Vanophem

“The legend you know. The story you don’t”. When reading the tagline used to promote Robin Hood, we thought we would see something special, unique and new. Watching the trailers made us think otherwise. However, that doesn’t mean the newest Otto Bathurst (“Peaky Blinders”, “Black Mirror”) version is a bad film. It might not win any Oscars or big awards but it’s a film that is still enjoyable to watch.

We all know Robin Hood a.k.a. Robin of Loxley, this time portrayed by the rough tough Taron Egerton (“Sing“, “Kingsman The Golden Circle“), as the guy with bow and arrow who steals from the rich to give to the poor. Alongside him is John, Jamie Foxx (“Baby Driver“, “The Amazing Spider-Man“), on one hand and his girlfriend Lady Marian, Eve Hewson (“Bridge Of Spies“, “Blood Ties”), on the other.

That’s exactly how we could describe this movie in ten seconds. So then why does this film last almost two hours? Well because of all the side stories Bathurst and his team added.

Just as any story, it starts with a relationship, in which the two lovers are all over each other and having the most passionate time of their life, that is then destroyed by one unlucky and unforeseen circumstance. In Robin Hood’s case, it’s the fact that he’s been summoned to fight in Arabia where he encounters John in the heat of the moment.

After four years of playing Call of Duty with bow, arrow, and sword, both return to England, an England that’s changed immensely over the years. Robin is declared dead, Marian has found other love(r) and the Sheriff of Nottingham rules with brutal force.

The poor people have been taken from their homes, belongings are being repressed by the rich, nobility and the Church. Robin Hood sees something he doesn’t like and it’s not only Marian and her new beau. No, it’s how the people are being treated. He wants to change things and so the “steals from the rich to give to the poor” has found its ground.

The word of Robin’s return is being spread all over town and the sheriff and Church are feeling the pressure. The pressure that grows even more once people are standing for what they want with “The Hood” as the new leader. How much blood will need to be shed before they get what they own and deserve?

After watching the film, we felt like we just sat through an extremely extended version of the trailers. Yes, if there’s one film of 2018 that could be put in the most predictable films of the year, it’s without a doubt Robin Hood. You don’t have to have seen any of the previous films about this man with bow and arrow or have read the stories. No, as from the start it becomes completely clear where the film is heading to.

A truly huge-budget popcorn movie you have to watch on the big screen. Just like any action-packed film, Robin Hood is full of CGI. Honestly, we’ve seen much better special effects recently and sometimes it felt like watching a bad video game instead of a movie but still when the special effects were on-point and aligned with the action, the movie was capable of grabbing our attention and keeping it.

We already saw Taron Egerton as another saviour of the world as Eggsy in “The Kingsman” Franchise so it came as no surprise that Egerton was cast as Robin Hood, the bow and arrow wielding vigilante. He might not have reached the same high level as with Eggsy but still, it’s very thrilling and exciting to see him as The Hood.

There’s no place for the more “in-depth” portraying of the character but is that truly necessary is a film like this? That’s even more the case when it comes to Marian, played by the mesmerizing Eve Hewson. Marian has always been the damsel in-distress but in this film, this becomes even more clear.

Hewson looks like she just came out of the makeup trailer and shows that the looks are the most important features of Marian in this film. It’s only by the end of the movie that we see her as a soldier fighting for what she believes.

Any hero needs a sidekick and this time the burden falls onto the shoulders of Jamie Foxx as John. He brings even more action, humour, and muscles to Robin Hood but there’s still no sign of more than that. Which is a shame, knowing how much Foxx is capable off.

Alongside them stars Jamie Dornan (“Fifty Shades franchise”,”A Private War”) as Marian’s new boyfriend who might have an even more darker side than Christian Grey, Ben Mendelsohn (“Darkest Hour“,”Ready Player One“) who’s captivating but predictable as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Tim Minchin (“No Activity”,”Squinters”) as Robin’s crazy and silly friend.

Without giving away any spoilers, there’s a chance that this movie might get a sequel as there’s room for more. If that becomes true, then we would love to see one where the characters are more layered and where there’s a more in-depth focus. This might have been absent during Robin Hood but there’s plenty of action, CGI special effects and the story is just right to keep us entertained during the entire movie. Let’s see what happens next…

Originally published at www.ocmoviereviews.com on November 26, 2018.