The thief is back but this time we see for the first time what caused him to go thieving. Everyone knows the story about Robin Hood, who robs the rich to give to the poor, but no one truly knows why.
Enter new Robin Hood, played by Taron Egerton. From the start this retelling of the story shows that Robin wasn’t the real thief as we see Marian, breaking in to Robin of Loxley’s home in the beginning. From there, the instant romance blossoms until the Sheriff of Nottingham enlists the young men in his war, including our hero Robin.
Fast forward four years after Robin gets dismissed after going rogue against an unjust killing of a young boy. He comes back to Nottingham to find his love in the arms of another man, Will Scarlett Jamie Dornan) who is also leading the revolution in secret against the political. From there, he’s determined to both win Marian back as well as continue the injustice of the people with the persistent help of his new friend, Little John (Jamie Foxx).
The question is will he be able to save the people and win back his woman or will he just be known as “The Hood” who’s wanted dead or alive.
At just under 2 hour run time, Robin Hood is packed with action adventure and love of epic proportions. The casting of Egerton as the familiar Robin Hood is exceptionally down. He falls into the role of thieving good guy fighting for the little guy much like he did in another film as a certain English Spy realm. However there are a few minor exceptions that of having to fight with bow and arrow. Additionally, Egerton is teamed up with Foxx as Little John which is equally a good partnership. The two bounce of each other with their witty charm and disposition of trying to fight for the common good.
Our one heroine Marian played by relative new actress, Eve Hewson (though she has done a few smaller roles including in 2015’s Bridge of Spies). At first glance, Hewson comes off as one who can definitely hold her own with her male counterparts. From the opening scene where she is sneaking into Robin’s home to steal a house, to even her political activism with Will Scarlett, prior to her knowledge of Robin being alive. All throughout she wasn’t a character to be taken lightly and she definitely brought a richer storyline to the character of Marian as being more then just a damsel in distress.
Ultimately this version of Robin Hood, stuck to the original storyline as well as enhanced it so that questions one might have would be answered by the end. It also left us open to the possibility of a sequel as with the death of the Sheriff of Nottingham and Will Scarlett taking over as the “New Sheriff” especially after seeing that Marian does indeed still love Robin. One can only expect there will be even more tension and perhaps an increased heavy tax in the future.
For now, make sure to check out Robin Hood, which came out in theaters November 21 and is currently playing in one near you.