Rating: 
Summary: Five stars for Alan Rickman's terrific performance!
Review: This is a must-have DVD for one reason only: Alan Rickman's amazing, over-the-top performance as the manic Sheriff of Nottingham. Forget Kevin Costner's ridiculous accent, the implausible, too-long script, and the fact that no woman in her right mind would ever choose Costner's wooden Robin Hood over the incredibly sexy Sheriff. Just buy this DVD and enjoy the extra 12 minutes of rescued footage of Rickman that was cut from the original film. If you like, take joyous advantage of DVD technology: Skip over the really bad parts to catch the classic, hilarious Rickman lines such as: "Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans!...NO MORE merciful beheadings!....and CALL OFF CHRISTMAS!...." Only one complaint about this DVD: Why didn't director Kevin Reynolds include a special alternative DVD "women's choice" fantasy ending?...You know, an alternative ending where, during that wonderful sword fight at the end of the movie, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio finally wakes up, gets smart, really LOOKS at Rickman and says, "Hey, wait---this one's HOT" and then looks at Costner and says, "and this one's NOT"---then pushes Costner out the window, and runs away with Rickman's Sheriff and lives VERY happily ever after.... (...) Irregardless, this DVD is not to be missed. This is a two-DVD set and the second DVD is a real treat as well. It has interviews with the various cast members and again the highlight is Alan Rickman, if only because it shows a glimpse of the real person, which is wildly different from the character he plays onscreen. In the film, his Sheriff is a wildly black combination of a possessed psychopathic rock star and Richard III; but in the interview on disc 2 we see a good-looking but ordinary guy who's reserved, polite, intelligent, nice and sane. It's striking to see the remarkable contrast. In other words, Rickman can really act ..., and this DVD is masterful proof of it. It rates a genuine five stars based on his terrific performance alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Big expectations, meager results...what a turkey!
Review: I remember when ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES came out, I had extremely high hopes for it. The promotional stills and interviews looked promising, and I was expecting a high-spirited romp on par with Errol Flynn's celebrated film. Boy, was I in for a letdown. The movie started off thrillingly, with Michael Kamen's spectacular score playing over medieval illustrations. But as soon as the opening credits ended, the film showed its true colors...a dark, dank, gore-laden bore. Seriously, what Robin Hood movie worth its salt starts with a dismemberment scene? I couldn't even look at the screen for this sequence. Alas, it was only the beginning. We're later treated to a close-up of Robin slitting his hand open (and blood seeping thru his fingers) to swear revenge for his father, we see Will Scarlett take an arrow thru the hand, we see the Sheriff of Nottingham's witch slice her arm open and spit into her blood to make a prediction, we see a blood-filled egg cracked open in another scene, we see the Sheriff's face getting stitched up...really, how's a guy supposed to keep his popcorn down? How did this movie get away with a PG-13 rating? This is R-level stuff all the way. Of course, the movie's lack of color and light doesn't help much. I don't mind them foregoing the tights for this go-round, but why isn't Robin Hood wearing his signature Lincoln green? Why isn't Will Scarlett at least wearing SOMETHING red? Everybody's wearing browns and blacks, which makes the film monochromatic and dull. Sherwood Forest looks dirty and gloomy instead of inviting and exciting. The sets are so dark and shadowy that it's a miracle anyone can see where they're going. I'm sure John Graysmark and John Bloomfield did their best with the sets and costumes, but they would have been better served had they been colorful and well-lit. And the plot takes too much of the spirit out of the legend. Robin's such a sullen gloomy Gus that it's impossible to imagine the Merry Men taking him in, much less letting him lead them. Friar Tuck's reduced to a potbellied wimp (what happened to the swordsman who was more lethal than he looked?). Azeem, while a good character in his own right, really doesn't belong in the Robin Hood mythos. (He would have made a fine stand-alone character, though.) The witch has no business being in this film at all. And what purpose does it serve to make Will Scarlett Robin's traitorous half-brother? Director Kevin Reynolds tries to guide the movie with a swift and steady hand, but the film is such a dismal mess that he ultimately can't hold it together. It's so ponderous and serious that there's no sense of fun to be had. And hearing Kamen's glorious score accompanying the film makes the experience even worse. That music deserved to be in a much better movie, and it possesses the fun, exciting spirit that the movie itself utterly lacks. And then there's the acting. You couldn't find a better Sheriff of Nottingham than Alan Rickman, and he literally steals the show. But that's not too hard when everyone else stinks. Morgan Freeman does his best with Azeem, but again, this character doesn't belong in the saga. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio doesn't have any spark as Marian, nor is she really beautiful enough to play the part. (Olivia DeHavilland she ain't.) Christian Slater can't make heads or tails of the tarnished Will. Brian Blessed is wasted as Robin's doomed dad, as is Michael Wincott as Guy of Gisbourne. Sean Connery's cameo as King Richard is fun, but pointless. The supporting players are so dull they aren't even worth mentioning. And Kevin Costner...great actor, but a LOUSY Robin Hood. He has neither the presence or the attitude this character requires, and he's always talking in a droning monotone. In no way does he come off as an inspiring leader; he's more apt to put you to sleep. Nor does he have the physicality the role demands. I haven't seen a Robin Hood this inept since Barrie Ingham in A CHALLENGE FOR ROBIN HOOD. Yeah, Costner gets in a few good shots with an arrow, but when Robin thoroughly sucks at swordplay and can't even take the Sheriff without help from Azeem, you know the filmmakers have screwed up. Robin Hood's supposed to be the last dude on the planet you want to mess with, not a graceless klutz. Errol Flynn would have trashed the Sheriff and his witch with both hands tied behind his back. Heck, even Cary Elwes' MEN IN TIGHTS incarnation and Disney's cartoon fox Robin would have made short work of them. This Robin...well, had he been killed at the end of the movie, I doubt anyone would have really cared. He's hardly the sort of guy you want to root for. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't like my swashbuckler epics to be gory, dark, and dismal exercises in tedium. I like them bright, colorful, exuberant, and fun...with a minimum of bloodletting. THE MASK OF ZORRO is a case in point, as are THE PRINCESS BRIDE, LORD OF THE RINGS and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Compared to those films, PRINCE OF THIEVES falls horribly short. Compared to the Errol Flynn classic it so wants to topple, it's an even bigger failure. Maybe some day there'll be a good, modern Robin Hood movie that measures up to the Flynn version and truly revives the legend for a new generation. But for now, this film ain't it. Stick with the Flynn version.
Rating: 
Summary: ROBIN HOOD - PRINCES OF THIEVES 2 DISC SPECIAL EDITION
Review: I waited for this title to be remastered . Good job for WARNER BROS . I don't need to flip my old disc again . This was a good transfer in term of sound & vision . The DOLBY track are much better than the DTS track . DTS version lack the low end & sound too bright . For this DVD , I prefer to listen to DOLBY track . Picture improve in every aspect in term of color resolution . A must buy for fan of ROBIN HOOD . GREAT TRANSFER .
Rating:
Summary: Robin Hood
Review: This film is a '90s version of the classic Robin Hood story, with Kevin Costner starring as the good-guy thief. Costner is joined in his efforts against the murdering Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Richman) who once again proves why he makes an excellent villain. Richman won best supporting actor in the British Academy Awards for his excellent roll. Along with Morgan Freeman who plays a philosophizing side kick Azeem, and by Nick Brimble, who plays Little John (anything but little). After Robin barely survives a watery skirmish with Little John, the two become allies and Robin joins forces with Little John's band of robber thieves to overcome the evils of the Nottingham sheriff. You don't really have to be a die-hard Robin Hood fan to enjoy this movie. The film has a few flaws and stretches the historical aspect somewhat but it plays out well with plenty of action, adventure, humor, and fun. Robin Hood Price of Thieves was directed by Kevin Reynolds and produced by Warner Studios.
Rating:
Summary: Now It's Even Longer??
Review: I'm not one to launch gratuitous slams of Kevin Costner and I've enjoyed most of his stuff but this movie takes 'interminable' to new dimensions. I can't begin to imagine why anyone would want to make it even longer as it is one of the most insufferably boring movies I've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: Great entertainment
Review: Some movies are intended as entertainment only, and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" certainly fills that bill. It's a "Raiders of the Lost Ark"-style adventure movie, which means it has an old-school attitude toward physical stunts and special effects. It was made back before digital effects started replacing actors and sets, and today, in its wonderful new DVD incarnation, feels like a breath of fresh air. This isn't "Godfather II," but man, I love this movie. People gripe about Costner's accent, or lack thereof. Get over it. He's a movie star here, coming off "Dances With Wolves" and "Field of Dreams." Robert De Niro might have done a wonderful British accent; he also probably would have wrecked the movie far worse than Costner is accused of doing. What this movie needed was a likable, positive, magnetic star in the lead role. Costner had the goods then, and I think he still does. In addition to Morgan Freeman and the luminous Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (whatever happened to her?), this version of "Robin Hood" has Alan Rickman, who's just a hoot as the Sheriff of Nottingham. I am willing to forgive his anachronistic behavior because he elevates the movie to another level of escapism, providing great fun and humor just when things might be getting a little too uppity with Costner's Robin of Locksley. Together, Costner and Rickman provide a contrast in showmanship that's just plain enjoyable to watch. The action sequences are well-staged, energetic, quick, brutal, and (again) fun. And the production design is excellent -- grubby without looking cheap. A great-looking movie on the big screen that holds up well after all these years. I'm pleased with the new 2-disc DVD. I bought it essentially for the commentary with Costner and director Reynolds; their remarks are almost as entertaining as the film itself. (I've listened to Costner on quite a few commentary tracks, and he's loose and candid, not just about his own work, but the Hollywood system in general. Wish he'd lay down one for a new "Waterworld" disc.) My only complaint about the DVD is that the sound quality is sorely lacking; the dialogue tracks are muted and muddled, while the music drowns out everything else. Is "Robin Hood" perfect? Nope. But you gotta accept each movie on its own terms, and for what it is, "Robin Hood" still rocks.
Rating:
Summary: How to steal the film with a few words...
Review: Robin Hood has been filmed many times and this is a very ambitious attempt to give the story new dimensions, coupled with wonderful sceneries and lots of eye candy for everyone. Handsome men, beautiful Marian (Mastrantonio), huge, impressive castles, deep woods, fighting, loving, humour... And poor Kevin Costner, who is very cute and sympathetic - but uncomfortable with his part. The story is familiar to us all, in this film it has an interesting addition with Robin as a prisoner during the crusades and his return to England with Azeem, the Great one, who must save his life to pay a debt. Although he likes to choose his moment... Morgan Freeman is very impressive as Azeem and gets some of the best lines, like when talking about mistletoe: "In my country we don't drug women with plants. We talk to them." The manuscript has in fact many good lines - but Costner seems to drop all the opportunities of making himself memorable, when the sidekicks are having the time of their lives. Even fat friar Tuck seems to have more presence than the star of the movie. This really isn't a bad movie, that's why I've given it four stars, although the third star goes to Freeman and the fourth to Rickman (the Sheriff on Nottingham). It's entertaining and has comedy and suspense and it's a feast for the eyes, but still it is a bit of a disappointment. Anyone who's done any acting or plans to act some day: this is how you let others steal the scenes even though they don't mean to. The film has two opposite examples of the use of energy and presence. Costner slouches through the film with so little energy that he actually lets everyone else shine at his own expense. Only with Mastrantonio or with the bow and arrow there is some charisma. On the other end there's Rickman's sheriff, bursting with energy right down to his fingers, every movement and raising of the eyebrows full of meaning. It's no wonder much of his work was cut off. Even in this version, he completely throws off the balance of the movie so that the audience waits for the sheriff's scenes, not Robin's. And which are the lines everyone remembers after the movie? "And call of Christmas!" "I'll cut your heart out with a spoon!" All sheriff's work, of course. Somewhere it was said, that Rickman has a conspiracy with the audience, as if saying: "Let's have fun with this, so we can move on to doing something worth while after that." I thought it was very well put - and he certainly has a lot of fun. If you miss seeing more of him, get the new DVD, it's supposed to have some of scenes that were cut out, when the producers saw, what was happening to Costner - getting seriously shadowed by the villain. Mastrantonio is a very beautiful Marian and works well with Costner, but doesn't seem to know, whether to fear or hate or loath the sheriff, so she does neither very convincingly. Although it must be difficult with sheriff's purring voice in one's ear... It is a real pity, that much of good work done by other actors in smaller parts suffers from Costner's lack of interest in the movie, as it seems. But if you don't mind it, there's a lot of entertaining things to see and good performances - and several good lines, which make you think the writers had fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Flabby but fun
Review: There is an old saying that "crime does not pay " but I suggest that actors can be excluded from this, since a great many have made a good living by playing the bad guy .One such is Alan Rickman and his extra - ordinary performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham is by far the best thing in this retread of the Robin Hood legend.His camp ,flambouyant and arch performance owes much to the English pantomime tradition of the hissable villain ,and he seems to be playing to the gallery and enjoying himself enormously without quite descending to parody. He rules the roost in dank and dingy Nottingham castle with the aid of his pet sorceress ,nicely played by Geraldine McEwan.
Set alongside Rickman ,Kevin Costner comes over as bland and anodyne and is no match for past luminaries like Flynn ,Connery and Fairbanks who have tackled the role with elan and distinction.The interpretation is too heroic , clean cut and self righteousness ,to ever really impose itself on the movie. The familiar story is given a new airing with Robin returning from the Crusades to discover his lands appropriated ;his father dead at the hands of the sheriffs men and the poor groaning under the weight of taxes.And to top all this his beloved Maid Marion is about to tie the knot with the sheriff.Robin -with Saracen friend Azeem in tow -joins up with a band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest to challenge the ruling tyranny.New ingredients for the early nineties audience include sorcery ,flip dialogue and some psychological perspectives but essentially its the old tale retold
The action set pieces are well done and there are enough scenes of swordplay and archery to satisfy most
viewers but it needs tighter editing and better pacing to grip consistently.
Freeman is excellent as Azeem and Mastrantonio make a spirited early feminist Marion Its an enjoyable movie but I mark it down for the colourless performance of Costner -who is not a bad actor but is simply miscast-and the excessive running time
Rating: 
Summary: Features review: What is vintage?
Review: I am a disappointed with this release. It seems to boasts so much about a picture transfer and new DTS sound. The picture quality remains poor and the sound nothing more than just normal 5.1 sound. As regards the wonderful documentary about Robin Hood the extras are unnecessary and irrelevant. The so called "vintage" interviews should not be added. It seems that the producers have dug up all they have and just filled up the DVD just as an excuse to cash in on a few bucks. The extended scenes were clearly taken out in the original movie to add pacing to the movie. Hence the added scene slowed the picture down. The movie on the other hand is fantastic. Brilliantly directed! Alan Rickman is ALAN RICKMAN. There is no one who can play a villain you love to hate. The man is "vintage"...what the producers called "vintage" is but to me [fluff]. Now Alan is VINTAGE......
Rating:
Summary: So-called "Special Edition" is a bit of a let-down.
Review: While PRINCE OF THIEVES may not be the ultimate Robin Hood film (that award goes to the 1938 Errol Flynn classic), this update makes for spectacular entertainment. The cast is great, though the two stand-outs for me were: Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, perfectly, PERFECTLY cast as the Maid Marianne, as she expresses both a fiercely independant woman and the appropriate damsel-in-distress mode when needed; and Alan Rickman, giving what may be his greatest performance in the sense that he's just as sinister and threatening as he is wildly hillarious. The production design is first-rate, and you are transported back to 12th Century England via lavish sets and outstanding costumes. But the best part of the movie was undoubtably the now-classic musical score by Michael Kamen. One of the best themes ever written. But what really attracted me to this all-new Two-Disc Special Edition was the 12 minutes of previously-unseen additional footage that supposedly strengthened the state of the Sheriff and his relationship with his witch. Well, it delivered exactly what it promised! Never before have I seen a movie changed so much by twelve minutes! Your whole perspective of the Sheriff changes; and in the previous theatrical cut, the witch was nothing more than a weird little random excuse for the Sheriff's "master" planning. But now, she's a much more fleshed-out character, and takes her place as an official supporting character. Another reason I picked up this DVD was for the "All-new Digital Transfer". After what was done on Warner Bros.' previous Two-Disc Special Editions with the picture and sound remastering, I had extremely high hopes. Alas, such is not so; in the first half-hour or so the picture is simply awful, full of grain and undefined blacks. But don't worry, it gets much better after a while, though it's still obviously not an "All-new Digital Transfer". And the sound seemed really messed up; I couldn't hear a single word the characters were saying, no matter how loud I turned up the volume . . . . . . . and all of the sudden, BOOOM!!! the music blasts in, and no matter how much I turned it down the music was just as loud! Weird, huh? Through both audio and video problems, it was really hard to focus on the actual movie. So, after watching the film, I was hoping the second disc of "bonuses that hit the bull's eye" would make me feel some worth for my $... spent. Unfortunately, it didn't really work. The making-of documentary "Robin Hood: Myth, Man, Movie" was far more annoying than insightful, with a young Pierce Brosnan as host making a complete idiot of himself. Thankfully, the cast interviews (though only 2-3 minutes each) were much better. The "Weapons of Sherwood Forest" gallery is utterly pointless for anyone over the age of ten. Equally pointless is that section where all you do is listen to different tracks of music from the movie. Oh well, at least the interviews and cast/crew bios are interestng! (And those menus are pretty neat, too.) I must admit, however, that I have not yet listened to either of the commentaries, and I have rather high hopes for those (though not TOO high, as I know where that has gotten me with this two-disc set). OVERALL: Definitely worth buying over the single-disc edition (obviously), but I would have greatly preferred the price of $... instead of $... Well, maybe if you wait a while, the price will go dwn at some places; maybe you'll feel more bang for your buck, as they say.
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