Robin Hood was one of my favorite Disney films when I
was little. But I was little and naive. The film is not in the same category as The Aristocats, but it is not up to par with The Jungle Book or One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It's still pretty entertaining.
Plot: With the good King Richard fighting in the crusades in the Middle East, his evil brother, Prince John, takes over the land and begins to tax the heart and soul out of the good people of Nottingham. Robin Hood emerges, constantly stealing from Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, and retreating to his hideout in Sherwood Forest.
Seeking vengeance after a particularly embarrassing caper at the hands of the sly fox, the Prince hosts an archery tournament in order to lure the cocky thief into a trap. Enticing the bait with allowing the reward to be a kiss from Robin's heartthrob, Maid Marian, Robin and Little John put on disguises and enter the tournament, which leads to several comic and action packed scenes and them more foppish Prince John acts, the funnier the scenes.
What's Bad?: The music isn't something pleasant to listen to. It isn't that important to the story and isn't a driving force in the plot like it would be in Disney's day. I can't really remember a really good song. On the other hand, the score is pretty gripping. It may be George Bruns's best work since Sleeping Beauty.
The main characters aren't very interesting and the subplots in the movie go absolutely nowhere. It was almost like when an important scene happened, we had to sit through three unimportant scenes before a plot focusing scene appeared. This is the textbook definition of "filler".
What's Good?: I do like the villains in this movie, particularly Prince John and the Sheriff. John is Disney's most foppish villain since Captain Hook, and although we don't particularly hate him, it still is funny to watch him suffer at Robin's hand. The Sheriff is such a horrible person, it's really funny. The best scene of his is in the beginning, when he finds countless ways to con people out of money, even a blind man. Man, they have places in Hell reserved for people like him!
The action scenes, while comic, are also really fun and gripping. By far the best scene is the climax, which includes a jailbreak, a burning castle, homing arrows and so forth. The build up is some of the best in a movie since Sleeping Beauty or Peter Pan.
Overall: The film is a typical kid's movie. Kids will love it, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that even adults will find something in it for them to like. It does deserve the title of "A Walt Disney Classic". If you need something to put on for your kids, or just want to see Disney's interpretation of one of England's greatest heroes, you should check it out, you won't regret it.
Report Card
Hero: B-
Heroine: C-
Villains: A-
Side Characters: C-
Songs: D-
Musical Score: B+
Animation: B
Special Effects: B-
Theme: C
Story: B
Final Grade: B-
No comments:
Post a Comment