I have never understood the hate for Kostner. He is charming, boyish and heroic, all Robin hood qualities. Yes Rickmam out acts him but then as a hammy vilian he has more to work with, same with Ledger and Bale in Batman.
I really like the contrast between the laid back relaxed Costner and Rickman's frenetic performance. I feel it really reinforces the themes of the film. That Robin Hood represents a return to normality and serenity whilst The sheriff is the force for disruption and danger. I'm not convinced that Rickman's performance would have been as impactful if it weren't for the contrast of the relaxed Costner.
I think costner was definitely the best choice at the time as I doubt they would have cast a British actor in the lead In a big budget Hollywood film back then
ROFL!! Alan Rickmans lines in this movie are beyond the word EPIC. I remember watching this when I was a kid and screaming out loud laughing from his lines. Man, what a great movie!!
I don't care what the general consensus is, I love this movie. it's funny, romantic, epic and charming. I liked all the performances even Costners. I never cared about accents because I knew I wasn't watching a history lesson but an escapist fantasy. I thought the cast all had great chemistry and the band of merry men and the sheriff had me LOL many times.Another thing I love is the look and costumes too. The cinematography is beautiful and I actually like how gritty it was. The soundtrack is amazing and I love how Michael Kamen incorporated the love theme into Everything I Do (I do it for you). That song was a global smash and was played to death but I still melt and want to watch the movie when I hear it again. Last thing, the action scenes really standout and the storming of the castle at the end is amazing. I love when Robin shoots a flaming arrow in to the executioner while gunpowder blows up behind him and when he swings down from the tower and smashes through the window to fight the sheriff. and I love how Marian is kickass throughout, and is trying to beat the shit out of the sheriff and at the same time trying to stay out of the way of the fight. This movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Willow etc are all the fantasy movies I love from my childhood. They don't make them like they used to. The Recent Robin Hood movie was so boring. I'll take this one any day. It hasn't been beaten in my eyes.
I've never understood all the criticism of this movie. It befuddles me how anyone could praise any of the crap movies coming out today and at the same time call this a bad movie. I just watched it the other day and it still holds up. It's like a return to the old swashbucklers from the 1930's. Everyone pissed and moaned about Kevin Costner's accent as if that's the only thing that makes a good movie. The dialogue was great, it had interesting and funny characters and the action scenes kept me on edge the whole time. I'm completely dumbfounded by all the hate this movie gets. I think it was just cool at the time to hate this movie and the label stuck. The other factor is that it is fashionable nowadays to point out how older movies don't hold up. I actually think the older movies are better.
Never knew people didn't like this movie till about a year back and I don't get it. Movie was one of the staples of my childhood, and unlike a lot of the other movies I enjoyed as a kid, I still enjoy it. Michael Kamen's score is fantastic, love the costumes and the sets, great swashbuckling action, and Alan Rickman just chewing the scenery like a boss. Great movie.
@@mightybaloo1880 I completly agree. I only just randomly went online and was also shocked by a lot of peoples comments. More so, because I remember when this film came out, everyone absolutely loved it! Muself included. I thought it was considered one of the best films of the decade by most? But I go online now and find something has changed. Either that, or Im miss remembering a lot of conversation with people back in the day. Makes no sense to me...
As a child, I found Kevin made me think Robin Hood was really a hero. I loved his performance, and I think it went wonderfully with it all. This was the one of the first VHS tapes in our house, and we watched it like all get out.
Immediately after watching this film, my cousins and I all went to the backyard to fashion medieval weapons out whatever branches and vines we could scrounge up. Good times. Great review!
Yes I loved that line too when I saw it in theaters at age 11! The fact he said “fuck me” and that it turns out he didn’t think the plan would work and they would actually slam into the side of the castle.
Costner's American accent is just as authentic as any other accent in the movie. They didn't even speak modern English back then. Since Costner's western American accent is heavily German, and Anglo Saxons came from Germany, maybe Robin did sound more like Costner than the British actors.
I tend to agree. Accents can vary wildly and English accents were NOT the same back then. Mix in a little Scottish and German and you have more-or-less an American accent. But the thing is, he was away fighting the crusades so his accent really made him feel like an outsider, which was perfect for his outlaw status.
It's even worse than that. Not only was English more Germanic at the time, the Royal Court spoke French, the law was written in Latin, and the clergy spoke Latin. If the film were faithful to the languages and accents at the time, not only would it be incomprehensible to a modern audience without subtitles, it would be downright confusing. People would be asking, "Wait, is the Sheriff speaking French?", then, a moment later, when he's discussing the law, people would ask, "hold on, is that Latin?"
@@erentheca so true. I'm so glad I first watched it as a child where I didn't notice things like accents. I thought it was such a brilliant film even if this aspect was not perfect.
I was in london when this first came to theaters and the hype for this movie was UNREAL... even at 7-8 years, me and my friends ALL wanted to see it and was all that we talked about for months.
Growing up in Nigeria, you can't imagine the impact the Robin of Sherwood TV series had on us as kids it was extraordinarily popular! And the Clannad soundtrack was weird haunting and wonderful to us! Those were the days...
Prince of Theives also one of my first trips to the cinema. The savage Goths attacking the village with fire-arrows and Rickman's cooky, crooked performance as the Sherrif outstripping the hero each time he's on the screen were so memorable.
This movie is still ones of my favs! Kevin did a great job! Huge fan! I like that he did not try an accent. His own voice makes it more real. Can’t imagine it any other way.
I'm a big Kevin Costner fan I think he did a great job I think there is a bit of snobbery towards his casting in terms of the accent the repeat views would say most of us didn't care
I don't care what people say about this movie. I liked it. Its fun and entertaining. Its a great movie. I own it on dvd and I watch it at least once a month.
+Jack Sofalot "I don't care what people say about this movie." Nobody cares about what YOU think about what other people say about this movie. This movie SUCKED! Watch the dvd to your heart's content. You're still watching a crappy movie.
For me Morgan Freeman and Alan Rickman are the ones who make this movie, I always watch this movie for their performances, Morgan Freeman especially. I also enjoyed Fairer Tuck in this movie a lot to, he was also pretty memorable. When it comes to Kevin Costner as Robin Hood, I didn't hate him but I certainly didn't love him, he was just all right. Its his supporting cast that all make the movie memorable.
***** Costner is definitely overshadowed by the rest of the cast. Like you say, he's not bad, just ok. The fact that everyone else is firing on all cylinders really makes his performance seem worse than it is.
Highly underrated. Brilliant cinematography, dialogue, locations and acting. Kevin Costner was a smart choice. He had that cocky but inexperienced vibe to him, which is how Robin Hood should be portrayed. He used his cunning and love for Maid Marian to drive him, becoming stronger and wiser as the movie went on. One of my favorites growing up and still enjoyable to this day. Prince Of Thieves and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) are still the best movie adaptions of the story and they'll be hard to top.
A great in depth review. You should consider doing other Costner retrospectives like Dances with Wolves, or even the truly underrated The Postman, which I personally really enjoyed.
Graeme Bell Dont take any offence but not sure if your a younger fella mate than I am, but this was all about the time it came out, The Adams song and being a teenager at the time. Plus a lot was filmed where I come from. Plus taking your girlfriend. Its also a cracking movie. Most movies these days especially block blusters are like watching a PlayStation game, like man of Steel
@@shaunstephen9761 No it's definitely a problem, for me anyway. But that might be because I grew up on the Errol Flynn movies and I'm used to the actors looking the part after growing up with marvel movies. Spoiled that way I guess.
I remember when this came out, I had just finished my A 'Levels. I cannot believe this is over 30 years ago....Alan Rickman was superbly cast, damn I miss him as an actor.
I happen to enjoy the extended cut with its reveal of Mortianna as the sherrif's mother. To me it makes it more of an actual real life explanation of how she knows the things she does. My favorite scenes include: Azeem's freedom speach, the defrenestration of the bishop, the fight between Friar Tuck and Robin, and the interaction between Azeem and the friar during the celebration scene.
I first saw this movie when I was 11 at the cinema and now just watched it again for the first time in probably 20 years. Maybe it's the age I first saw it but there seems to be so many iconic moments. Facial expressions and quotes that have been seared in to my mind. If it's possible to put the nostalgia to one side I still think it's still a great swashbuckling movie that stands the test of time.
Thank you very much for the kind words and fantastic feedback. I really appreciated it. Oh the music at the end was actually used in the Russell Crowe ' Robin Hood' Trailer. I thought id do the same and see if it worked with the Costner version and i think it does. :) The audio track is called "Conviction" by Groove Addicts.
When I was a teen, we skipped school and snuck into the movies for an entire day, jumping from theater to theater to avoid detection. Robin Hood was the main one I wanted to see but it wasn't shown until quite late, so I sat through Problem Child 2 and Overboard on the way to this one. Having rewatched Robin Hood last month on a date night, the supporting cast is great, and the most interesting thing about Kevin Costner in this film is his hair. Seriously, make it a drinking game to improve your viewing experience immensely. Saw your redone trailer for this also, +OliverHarper, well done.
Great movie. The more recent one with Russell Crowe was dog shit. Reminder how good this one was. The UK Robin of Sherwood was an absolute icon at the time, it was huge. Hasn’t stood up well unfortunately but worth checking out if you haven’t seen it.
When i first came across Robin of Sherwood it was on a tape cassette, of the UK celtic band Clannad. And when m'i local library put out the DVD box set i got and i fill in love with it from beginning to end. Now i do recall back in 97 one called The New Adventures of Robin Hood, it was just ok!
Inventive stunts including Li'l John pushing over the domino-like gallows and the grappling hooks being pulled by a horse-drawn cart as it passes over a trap door created tie-ins for toys. They were a visceral hit with wide-eyed kids, just like those in Home Alone.
The penultimate "new" Robin Hood movie I saw (The Last being Robinhood: Men In Tights) in an actual Cinema. My favorite Robin Hood is the 1974 Walt Disney Classic.
I love this movie! The use of practical effects and locations were fantastic. If anyone is planning on doing a tour of England you will see a lot of the country just by visiting the locations used for Prince of Thieves. Anyone remember the action figures by Kenner? Friar Tuck was basically cast from the same mould as a Gammorean Guard Star Wars figure and the Sherwood Forest playset was a clone of the Ewok Village. The advert for the toys teased an extended version of the iconic arrow POV scene too. We're still waiting for a DVD / Blu-ray release of this where you can choose to watch either the Extended or Theatrical version. The commentaries on the extended version are highly informative and entertaining, but then again they are no substitute for Oliver Harper, Duncan Casey and Richard Jackson! Would love you to revisit this one or get the boys together and do a commentary for it.
Agree with many others. Love love love this movie. They nailed casting, cinematography, costume design, music, and the story and script are awesome. Costner is good. Maybe not great, but very good and he is believable in many scenes. The movie has really held up too. 2019 and it's still one of my favs.
It's included in the Extended Cut on DVD and Blu-Ray, it's kind fun watching him even though he only talks a few mins at the beginning and end but he really gets into it and seems genuinely passionate about it
Ok, Kevin Costner is no Robin Hood. But I utterly adore this movie anyway. And its all thanks to the brilliant Alan Rickman. He made and saved this film. Without him, could you imagine what this movie would look like? I shudder to even think it..
I love Robin's bizarre grasp of English geography. They come ashore on the South Coast and he announces they will be in Nottingham by nightfall. In practice it would be 3 to 4 days by horse, more like 12 days on foot. Then... they go via the Sycamore Gap which is on Hadrian's Wall! B
A fun movie. And Michael Kamen's wonderful score cannot pass without comment. More than anything else it is the single best thing in this movie. So good that Hollywood itself has pretty much adopted the overture as the industries theme. It's the perfect illustration that the difference between a good entertaining movie and a campy slapped together trainwreck often comes down to how good the score is, and if you find yourself humming it when you walk out.
It's unbelievable, I always get emotional in the opening credits and I am so glad Disney adapted it as I get to hear it outside of the film too. Perfection!
In terms of Sword and Sorcery, this gem had it all Swordplay, diverse range of characters, a plot driven by both characters and story development, a plot, a competent hero, an awesome villain, a firey damsel, a reliable wingman, witty banter, a castle seige, the best example of a family man, a drunken Cleric, and an all-star cast we immediately recognize without fail
I absolutely loved this movie when I was a kid. I probably watched it a million times. When I got older it dawned on me that Kevin Costner is the only character that doesn't have a British accent. And it made me laugh and I wondered why. Why didn't he even try to act it out? But I don't care it's still a great movie to me.
I love this film, what’s not to love , great villain, great theme song, great side characters, great love story, I remember going to see this movie in Zimbabwe when I was 14 , loved it. Still love it
I think it's really difficult to imagine anyone other than Kevin Costner as Robin Hood in this movie since it's so iconic and I watched this movie so much during the 90s. However I honestly think he does a good job and fits the role well. In his big movies he always plays the somewhat heroic but lonely guy which necessarily tends to be a bit pale. But not only does he have his moments, he also leaves enough space for the excellent supporting cast. A more pushy lead actor would have destroyed the movie's balance.
Kevin Costner is good but he no Errol Flynn... it's Alan Rickman who's the ultimate spice that makes this a memorial film that I would like to see again...
I just love this movie. Makes me sad how few of good medieval adventure movies are out there. If they making some now it is always a horrible mess. I really think Costner is playing well here - I never had any problem with his acting here. and the music - I really have to listen to the main theme over and over. And I really love to watch this movie anytime it pops on tv here (which is very often)
I was born during the films' run and the 16 weeks that Bryan Adams was at number 1 in the UK. My family still take great pleasure in singing it to me on my birthday every year.
I have the original VHS of the film, and they actually didn't incorporate the plot line of the Witch being his mother and left that plot point pretty much in tact. And the torture scene for example, was much shorter with a more serious tone. It's crazy how a few minutes of added footage can really change the feel of the entire movie. I preferred the original cut.
Kickstarter campaigns can start all sorts of problems, i would never ask for money from viewers, the idea is sound but I wouldn't feel good asking for money. With RU-vid and dealing with copyrighted material makes it difficult anyway to make money. My Blip channel would be a good option but Blip unfortunately feel my work is not original and won't allow me to upgrade my account which is frustrating. Thank you Shade for your feedback as always buddy.
Costner and Rickman were perfect together! This Robin Hood still holds up. As a kid, it made you want to get out there and fight bad guys 😂 We were out there making our own bows and arrows, swords, and shields haha 😂
Great review. I love this movie. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but it reminds me of my youth, and how simple everything was. Good guys & bad guys, love, heroism, action, etc. Total escapist fun, and it didn't sacrifice any emotion either. Every character actually had CHARACTER. Sad to say, but Hollywood doesn't make movies like this anymore, even with Costner's stiff performance. An interest point you didn't reference is that the theme for this movie was totally adopted as the official logo theme
I concur. A Waterworld retrospective would be great, especially given a lot of the film's unwarranted infamy. It was a pretty good actioner that didn't deserve all the hate.
When I was a kid me and my brother were obsessed with this film.. We made our mam bring us to see it 5 times in the cinema. We had the cardboard cut out costner from the video store in our room.
5:00 goof in this with the Sherrif saying 10:30 and 10:45, people saying 30 and 45 only came in with digital clocks. It should be half past and quarter to. And they didn’t even have ANY clocks in widespread use when this was set let alone digital.
In the french dubbed version, Costner performance comes out really good. In fact, I was very surprised this movie had so many bad reviews. Translations aren't always great, but this one made this movie better, it seems.
If you're a brit 90s kid, the mind blowing part in this movie is the cameo of Howard Lew Lewis who played Rabies in CBBC's popular "Maid Marian and her Merry Men". Not sure if it was deliberate casting but was still funny to see Merry Man 'Rabies' make the jump from TV to the silver screen.
I didn’t like Kevin Costner as Robin Hood at first, but after a while, I’ve come to like him as Robin Hood. Whether or not he is “miscast” is subjective.
Got to be honest I enjoyed this film and thought that Costner did a good job I didn't care about the relevance of his accent etc which proves his performance and the story all the stronger
I don't see Prince of Thieves as depressing - more of a romanced version. I also didn't see Kevin Costner as lazy in the movie - but a more laid back confidence. I think his core inspiration was reflected in the scene in the forest, Costner on the tree - talking about freedom.
This film has aged remarkably well...even the mullet hairstyles were believable enough to be from that time period and not the embarassing 80's - 90's trend that they were. There's a classic clarity, cinemagraphically and story-wise, about this film when compared to the dark or washed-out look that seems to have been trending for the past 16 (?) years.
Loved your video, but don’t understand everyone’s criticism of Kevin Costner’s performance. I think he is a great leading man with bags of charisma and I love the way he underplays.
You need to do more of these retrospective reviews, there's so many more movies I'd like to see you review. Jurassic Park, Alien series, Tombstone, Heat, Lethal Weapon, The Abyss, The Untouchables, Goodfellas, Face/off, just to name a few.
It has become a cult movie for its own right. Nailed the tone of the with great humour, cinematography, characters, rythm and music. I wish they did a movie like this today. It's inimaginable to me with dull digital.
