Robin Hood Movies reviews

Hello again, it has been a long time but I am trying to make some time to return here, to the digital world. I had thought of many things I could talk about here and topics but it is late at night and I was watching on of the many versions of Robin hood and wanted to share some thoughts on it.





Robin Hood has been remade and retold in so many forms, the first movie to grace the world of the the tale of Robin and his men was in 1908 and went by the name Robin Hood and His Merry Men, if you go by Wikipedia. But of the first set of remakes and the one that started the love of Robin was during the silent era in 1922, with Douglas Fairbanks. A name that was as well known as John Wayne or Brad Bit are today. This silent film inspired the next well known film in 1938, Adventures of Robin Hood, hat out ranked the 1922 version, this remake stared the loved action star Errol Flynn in what many say was his greatest role. From here list goes on, just look at IMDB when you type in Robin Hood!



I will not go into details on all the films, shorts or even covers just a few that I remember that set me up for the story of how one man can inspire so many, live outside the law when the law is unjust and corrupted by the government and be so humble that he want nothing more then to give his riches to those in need.

Let me begin with the one from my earliest memory of Robin, Disney's animated Robin Hood.

Before I was born in 1973, Walt Disney made this beloved animated cartoon with animals. As a child I never thought of the animals representing anything but just being fun. Now, many years later and looking back I see that it was not just random but planned.

I will not go into a lot of detail but I will say this, the songs, animation, and story shown with animals was a great idea for a child to fall in love with this classic story. Although not all the characters in the original story made it into this version, and with that I mean Will. He has been in many versions and not all in a good way.

I do love the voice cast, for they used the talents of people who had the roles in another Disney movie, the Jungle Book.

As a side comment I will bring back up how there was an older very well know Robin Hood movie from 1938 with  Errol Flynn. This was so well known that in 1949 when Warner Brothers did Rabbit Hood with Bugs Bunny they had a small clip at the end  with his Iconic line, "Welcome to Sherwood."

WB did other short films with reference to Robin but I will not get into that today, just know they are there.

I have not seen these in so long that it seems like a distinct memory, I do remembering loving the Bugs Bunny versions since it was not the normal story line. It was Bugs being Bugs, and him dealing with the sheriff in his way meeting other known players in the story and him nothing thinking Robin was even a real person. Seeing the clip at the end told me there was another out there that one day I might see and understand this nod to another film.

The Errol Flynn film, that took the world is still a great classic to see and once you see this you will find small hints of this film in others, like the Disney's animated movie, the remake in 91 and then Mel Brook's - but I am getting ahead of myself.


Again many, many remakes, shorts, parodies, and of the like from this 1938 with Errol Flynn to the the 1964 musical set in 1930's Chicago called Robin and the 7 Hoods staring Frank Sinatra to the 1973 Disney animated film to my next film in 1991 that became a big reference point in the Robin Hood Films.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991 had a huge cast of people, Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman, and Sean Connery. Now a fun fact to know about Sean being in this film is that this was he third time in the Robin Hood movies but now he played King Richard over Robin. He was in the 1976 Robin and Marian film with the lovely Audrey Hepburn and something smaller in the 80's

But I bring this film up next not because it was the next film I saw in the Robin series I saw growing up but because without seeing this movie the Film that Mel Brooks does not meet all that it can be!

This film is the first that I can think of that bring in diversity and new characters to the story line that made this one different then the others making it stand out from the other remakes.

Just a few years later Mel Brooks took this film and made a parody of it in 1993 calling it Robin Hood: Men in Tights using Costner's version from 1991 and Flynn's from 1938. This film was so well done and is one of my Favorite films that he did, the attention to details strait to the makes and hair to the characters themselves is just something to see and can not be explained!

To fully appreciate this film I would HIGHLY recommend to see both Flynn and Costner's films. I did not see the 1991 Robin Hood till after I saw this film and still loved it and found it supper funny. I saw the 1991 film and my jaw dropped on how close Mel had taken things to the one in the 90's with little reference to the 1938.

After what I feel was a master piece to round off the Robin Hood series comes the 2010 remake with Russel Crow, this was a different take then all the others. Robin was not Loxley, Marian was not a maiden and she was not the kind of woman to stand by.

Marian was played by Cate Blanchett, whom now I find it hard to see her in anything not fairy tale like or fantasy with her roles from Lord of the Rings and Thor.

This film was not awful, it was different and gave a new tell to the story. Not may favorite but decent, I watched it twice only realizing I watched it once half way through the movie a second time.

This film is darker then then the others and does not follow the same war that the others talk about getting the king back. They also have a all the main people, Will, Little John, Tuck and 2 more that that escape me.

The last film I want to end with is the one from 2018.

I am at a lost for words on this film, when I heard about it I thought, 'oh, just another remake maybe with a twist'

I was not far from the mark, this is Robin Hood with huge twists. I felt like I was watching a steam punk or sci fi influenced version of Robin Hood. you had a nod to the 1991 film with an Arab friend helping Robin out, you have you main cast.

I did love how the made Marian a thief in the beginning of the movie and it was different to see medieval wear with more modern flares to it.

This was not my favorite, and in truth it is hard to be the 1993 spoof of Robin hood for me but for a younger crowed who want something different, maybe with a little Steam Punk flare this is up your ally.



After looking up all the dates on these films, for there was no way I would remember all the dates on these films I found some that I think is just fun to mention and one I would like to see.

2017 Hindi Film

2012 German/USA film

What film did you see? Would like to see? Or was your favorite in this crazy list of remakes and such?