ROBIN HOOD

Director
Otto Bathurst
(Feature film debut)

Stars
Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, Jamie Dornan and Tim Minchin

It has been 110 years since the character Robin Hood was first brought to screen in a 1908 short film titled ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MERRY MEN and only 8 years from the previous retelling of his story in the overlong and boring 2010 release of ROBIN HOOD, starring Russell Crowe. Within minutes of this needless yet reasonably entertaining remake and re-imagining (of sorts), we are instructed to forget everything we thought we knew about this familiar tale and its lead character. As the tagline for the film states, the legend we know, the story we do not. ROBIN HOOD of 2018 is the story of how Robin became the legend he is today.

This time around it’s Taron Egerton’s turn to play Robin, known as Robin of Loxley, a man living a life of wealth who instantly falls in love with an attractive thieving stranger, Marian (Eve Hewson) before he is summoned for military service. Four years pass by until Robin returns home from the Crusades where he discovers that his estate has been destroyed by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn), who is plotting to deceive his people and rob them of their money. With the assistance of a tough-as-nails enemy commander from the Crusade, Little John (Jamie Foxx) and some comical interjections provided by Friar Tuck (played by Australian comedian Tim Minchin), Robin searches for his lost love and begins a rebellion to overthrow the corrupt Sheriff.

Image result for robin hood 2018 film stills and posters

Do not instantly dismiss ROBIN HOOD, despite the mostly negative word-of-mouth and poor reviews it is being given early into its release. There is an element of curiosity aroused surrounding the new territory this stale tale is trekking to. Whether or not you will enjoy or even appreciate the fresher facets of this fable though is another question.

In an attempt to modernise the story and make its issues more relevant to ours of today, the script’s antagonists are powerful but evil political and religious figures who intend to misuse their position of power for their own gains. I’m not going to deny that I quite enjoyed the anti-sentiments on display here, but there is no depth in their development. One disappointing outcome of Robin Hood’s new plight is just how utterly predictable every strand of the films plot trajectory winds up being.

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Visually, there are a couple of scenes that demonstrate slick camerawork and action choreography, but most only manage to moderately entertain and there are certainly no stand-outs to mention. You might also spot some off-moments in the acting department from leading cast members. A majority of these come from Tim Minchin in his first feature film role since the 2008 Aussie drama TWO FISTS, ONE HEART. Though his portrayal of Friar Tuck is always intended to provoke laughter, and sometimes does, Minchin’s timing and execution is often astray. Yet despite its slacker writing effort, inconsistent acting and inability to be as original as it desires, ROBIN HOOD isn’t a bad film. The volume of action in the movie and the continuously moving journey of its titular character manage to keep the pacing consistent and the film from becoming a bore. The tone is what it needs to be too – light-hearted, and it’s relatively easy to follow. So far, this ROBIN HOOD is rather hard done by and could be worth a look.