7/10 After basically bombing at the box office and killing any chance for a sequel that the studio was obviously hoping for, my expectations of this “Robin Hood” reboot (coming eight years after the last attempt from Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe) were very low. After having sat through it though, I can say I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun this film is and that it, although not perfect by any means, is underrated. They added some twists on some of these familiar characters so we aren’t just seeing a story that we already know and have seen many times before, which was refreshing. Most of the characters are developed with a few exceptions (the villain) and we get a good sense of their motivations throughout the film. The action is very well done and well-choreographed. Taron Egerton has fun with the role and Jamie Foxx, who has been acting less often these days, is a fun side kick for him. There are some great set pieces and the production design is very well done. The costume design matches the production design in terms of being very high quality. There is a lot to like for a film that not a lot of people saw and that critics didn’t get a lot out of. There are some flaws that the critics may have been overly focused on. The score is rather forgettable and some of the special effects are questionable. In also setting up for a sequel at the end of the film, it seems like the film makers were more concerned about franchising this property before they successfully put out one installment, which is never a good idea and blew up in their faces. Robin Hood’s love interest could have been a little bit more interesting and Ben Mendelsohn’s talents continue to be rather wasted as he is typecast as yet another 2D villain who yells a lot and chews the scenery. Flaws aside, there is definitely fun to be had here with solid editing that keeps the pacing going at the perfect speed. In another example of critics being out of touch, I am recommending 2018’s “Robin Hood” and even though it may not have quite the epic scope as Ridley Scott’s take, this is a fun, fresh, new take on a story and characters that we are all familiar with and it is definitely worth checking out, so long as you keep your expectations in check.
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