Robin Hood [2018] (3 Stars)

I'm not sure why I missed this film in the cinema. Maybe it wasn't shown in the original English version. My local cinema doesn't show every film in English, only the films it expects will be the most popular. "Robin Hood" was released late in Germany, two months after it appeared in the UK cinemas. It had already received poor reviews, which is probably why my cinema didn't expect it to be popular.

And now the Blu-ray is in the bargain bin. That's a shame for the film, but good for me. Marvel films never find their way into the bargain bin. I grabbed it as soon as I saw it, lying in the middle of obscure films I'd never heard of.

There have been a lot of films about "Robin Hood". Every story is different. Some tell his origin, while others show him as an already established character. The 2018 film is an origin story, but different from any film made before. It shows him as a crusader before returning home to become a thief.

This film is the darkest Robin Hood film I've ever seen. The body count is so high that not even Joe Bob Briggs could keep up. I also have to say that the use of bows and arrows looks more realistic than in previous films. An effort has been made to tell a different story. Nobody knows the exact truth about Robin Hood, so I can't criticise it. It just seems strange that John is an Arab that Robin rescued and brought back from the Crusades. My suspicion is that this was only done to feature a token non-white character in the film. But even so, Jamie Foxx plays an Arab? He looks too dark-skinned for the role.

It's also a strange twist that the Catholic cardinal is plotting with the Arabs in Jerusalem to overthrow the British king. I can't imagine anything like that happening in reality. But it's just a fantasy film, so I'll let it go.

The film ends in a way that suggests a sequel. A new sheriff is announced after the death of the previous Sheriff of Nottingham. After the film's box office failure, it's doubtful that a sequel will ever be made.

Success Rate:  - 1.2

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