Highly Overrated But Still Good

Better Late Then Never

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Truly, one of the best TV series of the past 35 years. Each episode stands alone as a story that collectively makes up the legend of Robin in the Hood. Of particular note is the extraordinary acting of Nicholas Grace as the Sheriff of Nottingham, and the exquisite writing. The dialogue is linear at times, and besmirchingly guile at others ("It's a wedding Gisbane, not a celebration.") Amazing to detail in the musical contribution/overwrite. It's one of those shows that invites the viewer to be aware of details in production/direction. The show overall is a force of craft and skill. The episodic storylines maybe could have been more inventive. And the writers seem to have run out of ideas in the final season, but this series is well-worth the watch, the immersion, and the enjoyment.

This series takes a classic story and makes rubbish of it. Robin is somehow mystified by an elk-man in the forest and is embroiled in all sorts of druidism and outright satanic episodes. The story is more about him avoiding the evil sheriff than helping the poor. This is barely watchable. And to top all the ridiculousness they kill Robin at the end of series 2 and replace him with another actor. Some people may like this show as a fantasy show but it is NOT a Robin Hood show. If you want Robin fighting in king Richards name against Prince John and the sheriff and if you want Robin feeding the poor and oppressed, watch the classic series or the newest from the BBC.

To quote Jason Connery and Mark Ryan on one of the many DVD commentaries, that "wobbly music" over the HTV logo was enough to get me jumping from whatever I was doing to glue my face against the screen for an hour. The individual stories contained within the series were excellent and the character development was wonderful. Robin of Loxley goes through a very convincing journey over the two series he appears in, even though his departure from the programme was unplanned. Marian also develops her relationship with both of Herne's sons very well.After languishing for many years in TV wasteland, I re-encountered the series on Sky 1 in the UK in the mid nineties and was even more impressed that the series seemed even better than I remembered. This is no children's television programme, it deals with witchcraft, treason, rebellion and injustice. And, it manages to do it without showing too much blood. As far as I can recall, you only see a bit of the red stuff in the Pilot film (Episodes 1 and 2 on the DVD set). The DVDs are great, containing a wealth of extras including cast commentaries on Series 3 only (the Jason Connery Robin) and crew commentaries for Series 1 and 2. The picture quality is very good and the remixed and remastered surround sound is amazing.The idea of freedom is important, freedom prevails. Nothing's forgotten. Nothing's ever forgotten.

OK maybe I say that due to the fact that I was only 11 when I first saw it or maybe it was because the two men who played the lead roles were so good looking and I wished that I was the leading lady. The way that the writer of this series explained the tale of robin hood was awesome. I can NOT say enough good stuff about this other than I wish I could get my hands on a copy of the complete series. If anyone knows of a way for me to get my own copy of this series by all means please email me. One of the other characters I liked in this was Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck. But truth be told I sat in front of my TV screen week after week to stare at Jason and Micheal who both did excellent jobs playing the leading men.