Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Blu-ray Movie Review

A soaring adventurer is hindered by an average Blu-ray release...

It was the summer of 1991... I was nothing more than an adolescent pup struggling to express feelings I couldn't define to the unobtainable love of my young life. In a desperate attempt to win her affections, I convinced my parents to take the two of us to see Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, a film whose very nature occupied her full attention and spoiled any shot I had of holding her hand. Ah well, my failed advances at least gave me the chance to enjoy what would quickly become a long-running personal favorite. I know, I know... Kevin Costner and Christian Slater inadvertently transform Robin Hood and Will Scarlet into a pair of bickering American farmboys, but there's still something to be said for the film's clever revision of a beloved legend, its spirited swordplay, its devilishly vexed villain, and its memorable exchanges and encounters.

The film itself holds up fairly well, but its first Blu-ray outing is a bit washed up...

Having escaped captivity in Jerusalem with the help of a fierce Muslim warrior named Azeem (Morgan Freeman), English nobleman and Third Crusade soldier Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) returns home to find his father murdered and his people living under the tyrannical rule of a corrupt and vindictive Sheriff (Alan Rickman). After saving a young boy (Daniel Newman) from the Sheriff's cousin, Guy of Gisbourne (Michael Wincott), Robin visits a a childhood friend, the lovely Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). But when Gisbourne arrives with reinforcements, he pursues Robin to the edge of Sherwood, a vast forest his soldiers believe to be haunted. However, Locksley soon discovers that the purported "ghosts" of Sherwood are actually a band of outlaws and outcasts led by a burly hulk of a man named Little John (Nick Brimble). Invited to join the gang of drunken deviants (to the chagrin of Christian Slater's Will Scarlet), Robin quickly asserts himself into a leadership position and persuades his newly-formed battalion to help him rob from the rich and give to the poor. With the help of Little John, Azeem, his father's blind servant Duncan (Walter Sparrow), the indomitable Friar Tuck (Michael McShane), and an assorted selection of skilled fighters, Robin finally attracts the Sheriff's wrath.

Prince of Thieves strips the Hood mythos of its high-waisted tights and back-lot swashbuckling, substituting such outdated trimmings with darker storylines, more complex characters, and more intense battles. While Costner's portrayal of Hood is admittedly stale, Freeman, Mastrantonio, McShane, and Rickman fill in any gaps left in the stocky California native's wake. Sure, it's a shame to see Locksley regularly take a back seat to his friends and enemies, but it also paves the way for several fully-realized heroes and villains to steal the show. Freeman plays saint, sinner, and mystic; a man whose loyalty surpasses all others and whose level-headed guidance proves he's much more than an adage-spewing sidekick. Mastrantonio fuses the determination of a modern feminist together with the helplessness of a traditional damsel in distress, effectively becoming both demure love interest and feisty heroine. McShane takes a man that could have been a bumbling, comical dolt and pumps his belly full of soul, developing a perfect counterpoint to the film's sinister Bishop (Harold Innocent). And Rickman? Rickman chews through scenery as if he's on a personal mission to channel evil itself; his sneering delivery, leering expressions, and volatile reactions transcend past and future incarnations of the character, proving his is the definitive rendition of Nottingham's vile Sheriff.

Through it all, director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, 187, The Count of Monte Cristo) uses each performance to temper Pen Densham and John Watson's already-grounded screenplay while retaining a grand sense of golden-age spectacle. The final film is far from flawless -- pacing is dodgy at times, unnecessary subplots are a distraction, and the actors' accents are all over the place -- but there are so many memorable moments that it doesn't really matter. Who could forget Azeem's unwavering commitment to prayer? A frightened fighter screaming "to the trees!" upon seeing an army of barbarians on the horizon? Marian's blood-curdling cry for Robin? The late Michael Kamen's stirring musical score? Rickman's every word, shout, and threat? Imperfect as it may be, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a rousing adventure that still has the power to pull viewers deep within its web of witty characters and sharp storytelling. Hate it all you want... I don't think this early '90s guilty pleasure will ever slip out of my good graces.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray edition of Robin Hood: Price of Thieves features an average 1080p/VC-1 transfer that unfortunately suffers from an array of troublesome technical issues. Cinematographer Douglas Milsome's sun-soaked palette is generally rich and vibrant, skintones are quite natural (aside from a few instances in which flushed faces invade the frame), and blacks are deep and fairly well-resolved. While faint color bleeding disrupts the image at times and weak delineation obscures detail during murky nighttime shots, contrast is suitably strong and stable (particularly in light of Reynolds' problematic principle photography). Detail is also inconsistent -- foreground objects lose their luster amidst heavy shadows, and bounce from slightly soft to rather striking during day-lit sequences -- but fans will find most scenes offer a satisfying upgrade over previous releases since textures are more refined, edges are crisper (albeit with the assistance of an overzealous application of edge enhancement), and dimensionality is more engrossing. It helps that digital clutter doesn't spoil the proceedings too often. Errant artifacts and micro-blocking randomly swarm the backgrounds and noise reduction tends to rob close-ups and establishing shots of some much-needed clarity, but the picture remains moderately clean throughout.

Sadly, Prince of Thieves is chained to a re-purposed DVD transfer that should have been tossed in the garbage to make way for a proper restoration of the film's original print. The studio seems to have rushed the disc out the door without giving it the sparkling high definition treatment it deserves. Here's hoping a future release will do right by Robin and his Merry Men.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While Warner's boisterous Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track certainly represents a high-point in the AV presentation, it could benefit from a complete and thorough overhaul as well. I wouldn't go so far as to call dialogue crisp -- voices are somewhat inconsistent from scene to scene, normalization is a tad haphazard, air noise occasionally invades the soundfield, and looping is obvious and distracting -- but it is intelligible and well-prioritized. Likewise, directionality isn't as precise as I'd prefer, but misfires should be attributed to the film's original sound design (which favors cheap channel flooding over genuine accuracy) rather than the technical quality of the TrueHD track itself. On a more positive note, LFE support is hearty and satisfying, infusing every arrow thunk, splintering table, and toppling tree with weight and power. The rear speakers are kept incredibly busy as well: the forest is regularly transformed into a character all its own, pulse-pounding carriage chases are packed with aggressive activity, and ambience is immersive. My biggest gripe is that the soundscape lacks the clarity and dynamic prowess of the best catalog audio tracks on the market. If I knew the studio had given the mix their full attention I might be more forgiving, but considering how little love was invested in the video transfer... well, let's just assume Prince of Thieves could sound better if given a more invasive tune-up.

Ultimately, Costner's jaunt through Sherwood delivers a series of suitably strong sonics. While the track reveals the film's age in almost every scene, casual listeners will probably find its lossless shortcomings are fairly easy to overlook.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In addition to an extended 155-minute cut of the film, the Blu-ray edition of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves includes the same standard definition special features as the 2003 Extended Edition DVD. A pair of entertaining commentaries avert disaster, but fans of the film will be left wondering why Reynolds' Sherwood shennanigans didn't earn a shiny new supplemental package for its Blu-ray debut.

• Audio Commentaries: Two solid tracks are on tap. The first finds director Kevin Reynolds and actor Kevin Costner engaged in a brisk, amiable chat that covers every conceivable aspect of the production. The second is less involving and precise, but nevertheless provides an interesting glimpse into the making of the film with Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, and screenwriters/producers John Watson and Pen Densham.
• The Man, The Myth, The Legend (SD, 32 minutes): After host Pierce Brosnan gushes over the cultural significance of Robin Hood in a rather embarrassing opening speech, this made-for-television EPK spends more time slapping film clips on the screen than exploring the history and prevailing popularity of the legendary hero.
• One-On-One with the Cast (SD, 21 minutes): This collection of semi-decent interviews affords Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Christian Slater a brief opportunity to discuss their characters, the story, and the production.
• Isolated Score: You can listen to the full film sans dialogue and sound effects with Warner's Isolated Score track, or simply jump to any one of nine audio cues from the main menu.
• Live Bryan Adams Performance (SD, 4 minutes): Watch Bryan Adams perform his raspy '90s hit, I Do It For You, at Slade Castle.
• Trailers and TV Spots (SD, 5 minutes)

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I know it's not for everyone, but Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves always taps into my lingering adolescent core and entertains me to no end. Alas, this new Blu-ray release isn't the definitive release I was hoping for. Lumbering off the production line with an average video transfer (clearly leftover from a previous DVD release), a solid (albeit problematic) TrueHD audio track, and a dull collection of special features, this BD-50 disc should be rented first, regardless of how strongly you feel about Costner's early '90s romp through the English countryside. It does look and sound better than its standard DVD counterparts, but fans and newcomers may be disappointed with the overall impact of the presentation.