Robin Hood Movies - A Comparison - SPOILER ALERT

I recently watched three different versions of Robin Hood, all for the first time. I have two very clear favorites and one very clear least favorite.

"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991)

Let's begin with the bad news. This was the one I was most looking forward to watching, but it ended up being my least favorite (if you can even call it any kind of favorite). The best part of the movie was at the end when the credits were rolling and the ever popular theme song by Bryan Adams, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", was playing. This song has always evoked emotions in me. If only the love story in the movie lived up to the song.

The only character I liked was Azeem, brilliantly portrayed by Morgan Freeman. I felt connected to him. If the movie centered on him and his story I probably would have enjoyed it more. I felt that all of the other characters were bland. There was the potential for a poignant love story, but I never felt the connection between the two of them even at the end when they could finally be together.

I watched the extended DVD version of this movie. I'm not sure if that's the reason it felt so long and drawn out. I found myself losing interest as I watched it over a period of several days. One might say, the reason it felt long and drawn out was because I made the choice to stretch it out. However, I've watched other movies in that way (for example, "Lord of the Rings") and I didn't have the same experience. It just didn't hold my attention. It felt dark and depressing. I didn't even feel elated at the happy ending.

If you enjoyed this version, I am interested in knowing what you liked about it. And if you didn't enjoy it, I am interested in knowing about that, too!

"The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938)

Now this was a pleasant experience! The Adventures of Robin Hood was one of the first movies ever to be filmed in color. And the color was brilliant. A good bit of this film takes place outdoors. That alone had me hooked. It was eye candy. Some of my favorite scenes are when some of the characters are up in the trees. It was playful and silly, but not laughable in a negative way.  However, even the indoor low lighting scenes were colorful. The costumes were impeccably chosen to show off their rich colors. 

The battle scenes were fun to watch. The way they moved themselves and their swords while battling was like watch some sort of dance, but again not in a laughable negative way. I was captivated by it. And then there was the scene when Robin Hood was battling Sir Guy on the stairs. I could watch that scene over and over again and not get tired of it.

Sight isn't the only sense this movie awakened in me. Although it depicted fighting, I was mesmerized by the sounds of the swords clanging against each other. It was almost meditative in a weird paradoxical way. The horses hooves trotting had the same captivating effect on me. The musical score was also spot on.

All of the characters were extremely likeable, except for the ones who weren't supposed to be. Robin Hood's personality was exactly as it should have been. There's not one character I didn't connect with in this film. I also recognized Melville Cooper who played Mr. Collins in the 1940 version of "Pride and Prejudice". That was a pleasant surprise!

I was smiling until the end of this movie and I have already watched it multiple times just to experience the sheer joy of it all again. Although "Prince of Thieves" wasn't too gory, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was even less gory. It doesn't have a few scenes I found disturbing in "Prince of Thieves", and for that reason also, I enjoyed it more. This version is about an hour shorter than the extended version of "Prince of Thieves", which was perfect. The pacing of the story was perfect and the love story was beautifully developed. I was sincerely happy for them in the end. I was literally smiling.

I highly recommend this version of Robin Hood if you haven't seen it yet!

"Robin Hood: Men In Tights" (1993)

Coincidentally, "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" was released on this date in 1993! This movie is pure nonsense...and I loved it! Although I didn't enjoy "Prince of Thieves", I'm glad I watched it before watching "Men In Tights" because I understood the jokes more than I would have otherwise. My only complaint is that a real life blind actor did not play the role of Blinkin. Hollywood needs to hire more actors with disabilities, especially when the script is written for a character who has a disability. 

Overall, though, I liked all the characters, but the one who stood out to me the most was Lady Marian. Amy Yasbeck exaggerated her role perfectly. Like "The Adventures of Robin Hood", this movie was pure joy to watch, for different reasons. I was smiling all the way through. This is definitely one I would watch again. And I just might today to celebrate the anniversary of its release!

So, there you have it. My comparison of different versions of Robin Hood. Do you agree or disagree? Have I convinced you to watch versions you may not have seen yet (or discouraged you, perhaps)? Talk to me in the comments!