j* Movie Reviews 2019

Robin Hood (2018)

PHWOAAAR! This is not a remake, it's a revelation.

This movie is so, so damn good. Unbelievably good. Never has Robin Hood been so well done. Never has Robin Hood been done this way. Unexpected and frequent phwoaaaring went down in this film. The action sequences are spectacular and there are a lot of them. I did not know you could pull off F&F with horses - this does. I didn't know you could do archery as close combat military - this does.

I'd generally say I'm not a fan of origin stories - because usually they're for a superhero and it's just rehashing stuff you already know or doing boring stuff before the person gets interesting. This all felt new and super interesting. I can't really talk about the details because I don't want to be accused of total spoilers - but they don't get anywhere near Sherwood forest until the closing scenes.

Taron Egerton is excellent as "Rob" who becomes "the Hood." Jamie Fox is delicious as Yahya-super-long-name aka John. Eve Hewson is a super sexy and super clever Marian. You've got Ben Mendelson really repping his new found genius as a bad guy... this has some of his best bad guy dialogue ever "I'll gorge you on pigs blood then set you on fire." And let us give a special shout out to Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck... a role he unapologetically frocks up and defrocks for. All these characters are wonderful, full on and complex... and they don't full become the team you expect until the very closing. Again, this isn't a Robin Hood story I've ever seen before.

It brings an excellent modern vibe to such a done story. It really goes deep exploring ideas like governmental spending on wars in desert countries for no good reason, and has some excellent parallels to the London Riots, visually and undercurrent. It's heart is pretty deep in the corruption of religion for power.

It is visually spectacular, action packed, not to serious, with excellent characters and an overall sensational new take on Robin Hood. This is TIGHT, not tights.

J* gives it 5 stars.

PS. Previous favourite Robin Hood story was the British kids show Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. Quality.