Customer Reviews
A poor quality DVD. - By: S. England, 29 Dec 2008 
There are two versions of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. This review discusses the 1 Jun 2006 Single-DVD package.
The DVD is one of the worst transfers I've ever seen. Not withstanding that it's non-anamporphic, there's also black bars at the _side_ of the picture. (DVDs are 720 pixels wide, but on this transfer it's 672px wide, leaving black bars at the side totaling 48px). I'm not even sure if this is a proper widescreen version & not a 4:3 transfer with the top & bottom cut to give the 'correct' AR.
The audio is 2-channel ac3 (boo, where's my 5 channel audio stream), the picture quality is mostly grainy, & loads of bits have been cut out or edited. On occasional scenes there is also a weird colour-smearing effect on the side of the picture.
The 2-disc version is slightly betterin this respect, being (I'm told) a proper anamorphic transfer with 5.1 audio, but unfortunately the 2-disc version is a 'special edition' cut which adds a load of extra scenesin that aren't really necessary, yet fails to restore a lot of the cut scenes from the cinema version.
So currently there is no way to get the original cut, with an anamorphic transfer, with 5.1 audio. You can get the single-disc version that's non-anamorphic, 2.0 audio, & cut to bits. Or you can get an anamorphic 5.1 special edition with 10 extra minutes of scenes that add nothing to the story, yet is still cut.
Maybe one day they'll release a proper uncut, anamorphic, 5.1 version of the original film, but at the moment I totally regret buying this low-quality butchered version.
Entertaining stuff - By: sam hrt, 04 Sep 2008 
Let's be honest, modern adaptations of old folk talesin Hollywood equal ugly twists. However, this movie was surprisingly funny, clever & just plain entertaining! The twists means that our Robin (Costner) is actually an international prisoner before he rushes back to England to bein tights. His stint doesn't go down well with him & he ends up picking up a Moor (Freeman)along the way. They waddle back to England only to find Robin's land seized by the Sherriff (Rickman) due to serious religious accusations. Now with a fresh aimin mind (to get back land & win Marian's love/support somehow) the Moor & Robin set out the Merry Men. And boy do they find them! There is much fun, laughter, & merry making particularly on the part of the Moor (played brilliantly by Freeman) who enjoys himself especially when his new friends have never seen technology such as the telescope or gunpowder. But be beware of taking sidesin this movie! It's a close call Robin & the Sherriff play dirty as each other. Now that's saying something particularly if the Sherriff's is upto his eyesin lust, hag & cousin troubles.
Hollywood, not Sherwood - By: Trevor Willsmer, 01 Feb 2008 
It's Hollywood, not Sherwood, with Kevin Costner's Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves fighting injusticein his quest to make England free for those who can't actually speak the language, armed only with his trusty longbow, a dubious accent ("This is English courage" gets a big laugh every time), a fluctuating waistline & an unerringly bad sense of direction. "Come, by nightfall we will dine at my father's castle," he says to his Muslim sidekick Azem (Morgan Freeman). Not when you landin Dover you won't. And Hadrian's Wall is NOT "but five miles" from Nottingham. Sorry, Kev.
You have to look a long way down the credits to find an English actor, unless you count the villains, with Alan Rickman's Sheriff so far over the top that he's back again, leaving you with the impression that Costner's controversial decision to cut many of his scenes had more to do with restraint than pique. With Christian I-Want-to-be-Jack-Nicholson-when-I-grow-up Slaterin the cast, you can forgiven for fearing the film will turn into Surf Saxons Must Die, & British writers Pen Densham & John Watson do display a healthy contempt for their heritage & history. No-one actually says it, but you know they're thinking "screw history, let's blow something up," and, indeed, the script manages to pull of the twin feat of giving a logical reason for Robin having a black sidekick & getting lots of explosions into a medieval adventure, although they don't quite manage to convince you that their Robin truly is modelled after the Tim Holt characterin The Magnificent Ambersons.
Neither Errol Flynn's definitive adventure nor Sean Connery & Richard Lester's brilliantly melancholy interpretation have anything to worry about, with the film falling between the two stools & offering political correctness instead of revisionism & opting for pure adventure with the trimmings of gritty historical realism brushed aside whenever it threatens to getin the way.
The biggest problem is that the scars of a messy & acrimonious production (seven credited producers, no less) are all too visible. Kevin Reynolds' direction lacks the punch of his earlier & unfairly overlooked The Beast of War or even his bonkers Rapa Nui, with some uncomfortable medium shots & the unsteadiest Steadicam workin cinema history, while subplots such as the black magic element are thrown away after the early scenes. On the plus side, Michael Kamen's score is his most enjoyable & exciting, John Bloomfield's costumes are terrific, Doug Milsome's photography almost camouflages the bad weather & some of the action scenes are well handled, although it's hard to imagine anyone here giving Basil Rathbone or even Robert Shaw too much troublein a swordfight.
While the 2-disc edition has some okay but fairly low-calorie extras, the film itself - aswith all previous editions - is cut by the BBFC:in this case some 26 seconds of censor cuts.
Unexpectedly Enjoyable - By: Ben Dover (Co-written by sister Ilene), 06 Dec 2007 
Im not really a fan of Robin Hood at all. In fact, I didn't ever plan to watch this film as it seemed far too boring & outdated for me. However, this film is thoroughly enjoyable; well acted, with a good plot & a great soundtrack (Bryan Adams hit - Everything I Do, which has the longest ever record at number 1in the English charts).
Kevin Costner plays the part of Robin Hood well, & i think the character suits him. The bad accent is not that much of a let down, & to be honest, with all the Hollwood actors & actresses these days with Amerian accentsin every film i didn't really notice.
Morgan Freeman is a great support actorin this film, like as always (e.g. The Shawshank Redemption) & his performance here is fantastic, despite the fact that his level of actionin the film is pretty low, especially compared to Costner.
But, the real reason this movie is so so good is because of one fact. two words. Alan Rickman. I haven't really see himin many films but this has to be one of his best performances. This one of my favourite characters ever a film, just think of Johnny Deppin Pirates Of The Carribean, except Alan plays the villianous Sheriff Of Nottingham, & its played with less "campness" & more dry witt. He truly steals the show.
If you should watch this film, which i think you should, if you're into action packed films that can be watched by the whole family & that includes some romance as well, the biggest reason for watching it would be for Alan Rickman.
Well Done Alan
Disappointing DVD version - By: Fox Spirit Girl, 21 Oct 2007 Having seen this film many times before on video, my problem is with the DVD version (rather than Kevin Costner's dreadful acting/accent/lack of soul etc!).
I was really disappointed by the poor quality of the film footage itself & also at the amount of cuts made. Small they maybe but they are very noticable & very annoying.
It's still worth watching if only for Alan Rickman's performance which is fantastically OTT & highly entertaining.
