“The Adventures of Robin Hood” Television Review: To Binge or Not to Binge

    Over the course of the years, countless legends have graced our modern culture.  From Hercules to King Arthur, these stories have been passed down and have helped shaped our idea of heroics and morality.  Still, one legendary figure seems to relate to almost every working class person and that person is Robin Hood.  Historians have debated if he was based on a real person or completely made up but his story remains legendary regardless.  What we know for sure about Robin Hood is that he was a folk hero as far back as the 1400s and that he always fought for the people of England.  He was a true working class hero.  Being the popular figure he is, countless pieces of media have depicted the adventures of Robin Hood.  From books to movies, from video games to television shows, Robin Hood content is available and popular on all forms of media.  One such piece of media I will be talking about now is the show “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.

    One quick note about this show, I have been watching episodes from a complete series box set provided to me from the good folks at Mill Creek Entertainment.  This show is public domain and there have been releases on DVD in groups of episodes from other distributors over the years (I think I have a few) but for the cost, this Mill Creek release is the cheapest and easiest way to obtain the complete series in one set.  If you are already a fan of the show or Robin Hood in general, I highly recommend this particular release.

    As far as the show is concerned, “The Adventures of Robin Hood” tells the story of...the adventures of Robin Hood.  The title pretty much sums up the television show nicely.  Joking aside, the show features Robin of Locksley returning home from the crusades to find he was presumed dead and his estate has been given away.  Trying to make things right, he ends up an outlaw and at odds with the “law”.  Robin joins forces with the outlaws in Sherwood Forest and together they fight the Sheriff of Nottingham in the name of King Richard.

    The television show ran for a number of years, from 1955 to 1960 and the show hasn’t aged too well unfortunately.  While the actual show is entertaining, the episodes got a bit repetitive although characters do come and go throughout the series which helped keep the show somewhat fresh.  Being shot in black and white mutes what could have been a vibrant and colorful show and dates the show quite a bit.  While it was common for shows to be filmed in black and white during this era, most modern audiences will be unlikely to watch a low resolution show, shot in black and white and filmed in fullscreen.  Not being in color, the show can also be hard to see at times.  The static in the audio is also a bit distracting at times.

    It is interesting to watch this show and compare it to other Robin Hood shows.  Being a big fan of Mel Brooks’ fan, I have always loved “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” but I had no idea how many references that movie made in regards to this show.  Interestingly, I was surprised how differently this show felt compared to the 1938 Errol Flynn “The Adventures of Robin Hood”.  While the film had a playful tone, the tv show takes itself more seriously.  The show does get more fun as it goes on and it embraces it’s swashbuckler heritage perfectly.  One thing I liked is how the pilot covered his time in the crusades without focusing on it entirely like the Russell Crowe “Robin Hood” movie.

    The show helped spawn a feature film in 1960 called “Sword of Sherwood Forest“ which also starred Richard Greene and co-starred Peter Cushing.  Greene played Robin Hood as a noble who knew when to fight and when to live to fight another day.  I actually enjoyed Greene’s performance more than some other actors but he isn’t my favorite either.

    It is hard to say if someone should binge this show or not mainly due to it’s age.  I think older audiences would get a kick out of it while younger people just wouldn’t find it accessible in my opinion.  It was interesting to see a show feature sponsors in their opening credits though.

Overall Grade: B

To Binge or not to Binge Verdict: BINGE(For people 30+) NOT TO BINGE (For people under 30)

Buy “The Adventures of Robin Hood” The Complete Series on DVD Today!!!

"Man of Steel" Movie Review

    I remember seeing the first trailer for “Man of Steel” attached to “The Dark Knight Rises” and the preview sent chills down my spine.  I am a huge Superman fan and seeing the names Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan attached to the project brought me much hope and delight.  When the film came out, I remember thinking Warner Bros and DC had a hit on their hands because it had everything the critics complained about “Superman Returns” lacking, namely a fresh more realistic take and more action.  I was extremely surprised at the time to see the same critics also panning “Man of Steel” for delivering exactly what they wanted.  After the dust settled, “Superman Returns” ended up getting better critical reviews than “Man of Steel”, although “Man of Steel” did manage to do slightly better at the box office.

    “Man of Steel” proved to also be just as divisive among fans.  It seems like some people wanted a more classic take on the character while others were extremely happy with the vision Zack Snyder had for the film.  I very much enjoyed both “Superman Returns” and “Man of Steel” but after awhile, it became more and more clear that Bryan Singer wasn’t going to be allowed to make a sequel to “Superman Returns”.  The studio wanted a reboot and they hired Zack Snyder, hot off of “300” and “Watchmen”, to direct the film while “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan would act as a sort of figurehead to the film.

    The film tells the story of Kal-El/Clark Kent and his journey to becoming Superman once again.  The film opens on Krypton with Jor-El sending his son Kal-El to Earth in order to escape the planet’s destruction.  As Kal-El is sent into space, General Zod’s rebellion on Krypton is stopped with the help of Jor-El and General Zod is sent to The Phantom Zone.  When Kal-El arrives on Earth, he is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent who name him Clark.  Clark Kent grows up with amazing powers and soon realizes he is more than a typical man, he is a Superman!  Just as Clark starts to feel comfortable with new powers, General Zod arrives on Earth having escaped the Phantom Zone with one goal, start a New Krypton on top of the ashes of the Earth.  Only Superman can stop him!

    At the time it seemed like a wise decision to launch the DC Extended Universe with it’s oldest flagship character, the last son of Krypton himself, Superman.  I think making General Zod the main antagonist of the film was wise due to his ties to Krypton.

    As far as casting goes, this remake took a cue from the Richard Donner “Superman” movies and cast Hollywood heavyweights around a lesser known lead.  Henry Cavill steps into the role which Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh had played before him.  Cavill was a fan favorite for the role and was almost cast years before when McG was still set to helm what would become “Superman Returns”.  Cavill is a capable Superman but can be wooden at times as Clark Kent.  Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play Jonathan and Martha Kent with the weight you would expect from two iconic performers.  Michael Shannon plays a creepier and more menacing version of General Zod than seen before.  Still, I have to say I personally prefer Terence Stamp’s quiet nobility as the evil Zod in the original Donner films.  Amy Adams doesn’t hurt the film as Lois Lane but doesn’t vastly enhance it either.  Rounding out the main cast is Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Crowe is one of my favorite performers in this movie.

    Now, aside from the visuals, one of the most memorable aspects of the Superman movies was always John Williams fantastic score.  Everyone and their mother knows the main Superman theme so when I found out that Snyder wasn’t using the theme, I was a little angry.  Imagine my surprise when I hear the theme Hans Zimmer delivers and I really love that score as well.

    Looking back, I personally feel like “Man of Steel” was a fantastic start to the DCEU that hit a snag when all the critics decided to unfairly dump on it.  It told a solo Superman story well while including Easter eggs setting up future movies and characters without being in your face.  I guess every film is truly subjective though, with this film continuing to divide critics and the fan base.  Count me as someone who was all aboard for future DC films.

Grade: A-