Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

“I’ll cut your heart out with a spoon!”

This movie gets a lot of bad press, so I thought I would give you an honest review and some things to look at that are not all that bad and maybe even good.

The Good
Alan Rickman – He is so over-the-top and wonderful in this movie.  It is fun to see Professor Snape in his early days, just hamming it up and being the Sheriff like no one else ever imagined.  This is a true British actor that took this role to the extreme.  He also has some of the best line sin the whole flick.

Morgan Freeman – It is Morgan Freeman – ’nuff said.

The costumes – This is the main point of the article.  Go watch the movie and look at the costumes. really watch them.  There is some extreme attention to detail.  Now, are they perfectly ‘period?’  Probably not, but they are still very good and can give you ideas for costumes for future faires.  Look, especially at the peasant costumes and the Merry Men – Little John and Bull have excellent costumes with some variations from what you normally see in peasant garb.  Maid Marian also had some fantastic outfits.

The Bad
Kevin Costner’s Accent – This may not be the worst thing in the film but it is certainly bad.  I think had he just chosen to do the accent or not do the accent it would have been better.  I always loved Carey Elwes comment on this in Robin Hood:  Men in Tights – “Unlike other Robin Hoods I can speak in an English accent.”  Too funny.

Christian Slater – I know he was big at the time but I think he was the worst part of the movie.  Poor acting, poor accent (potentially worse then Costner’s) and just a lack-luster performance overall.  I think they could have cast the Will Scarlet character with an unknown and it would have worked better.  Also, the fact that they made him Robin’s half-brother was a very poor choice.

The Ugly
The Witch – Don’t get it.  Don’t understand the need to have it in the movie.  The actress that played the witch (Geraldine McEwan) was excellent and I think she gave it her all but the fact that she was even in the flick was a little odd.  She does have one good line.  When the Sheriff comes in and throws his tantrum by stabbing the plate with the dagger repeatedly she takes a pause and then says – “Something vexes thee?”  Still a classic line.

The Celts – “They drink the blood of their dead.”  The Celts get a bad rap in this flick.  They needed a band of mercenaries and apparently the whole of Scotland and Ireland (the two lands of the Celts) showed up to attack the village in Sherwood Forest.  Very strange choice and the fact that they were portrayed as savages was a little sad.  I would have preferred for them to have hired in a roving band of mercenaries then to have chosen a sect of people to come in and fight their fight.

All in all, I am still a fan of this movie.  Those of you that still hate it, are welcomed to hate it but I still remember seeing it in the theater and enjoying the show.  I own a copy and I still say it is a fun movie to watch.  Let me know what you thin, feel free to disagree.

-Bobaganush the Pirate