Well, I know I’m probably going to get ostracized by my friends for saying this, but I have always enjoyed “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” for all its pompous glory. I saw it when it first came out in 1991, and though it was entirely pretentious and overblown, I loved every minute of it. It was Kevin Costner’s follow-up to his Academy Award Winning “Dances With Wolves” and many thought it would end his career right there and then. Costner was often derided for not being able to pull off an English accent in his portrayal of Robin of Lochsley, so much so that when Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” was released shortly thereafter, star Cary Elwes uttered the line, “Well, unlike other Robin Hoods, I can speak with an English accent.” But you know, as much as the film had its detractors, I simply couldn’t find fault in what I considered to be a big budget rollicking adventure.

It wasn’t a perfect movie by any means, but there is certainly enough to like about it. The lush cinematography and wonderful musical score by Michael Kamen helped to elevate it above just being some hack Robin Hood film, and all of the performances were over the top enough to make it fun to watch.

One of the main discussions that I used to have about the film was how it seemed at times to be two different movies. Costner’s characterization of Robin Hood was played mostly straight, while Alan Rickman’s portrayal seemed to be written more buffoonish and comical. My understanding of the reason behind this was that the film was originally written for Kevin Kline and Rickman, and was meant to be more comical in nature. But when Costner, hot off his “Dances With Wolves” success, expressed an interest in doing the movie, Kline was dropped and parts of the script re-written to fit Costner’s vision of Robin Hood. If this is the case, it’s a bit sad as Kline would have made an excellent Robin Hood, but such is the way of Hollywood and the movie ended up being really good anyway.

I was pretty excited when I heard that Warner was going to release a 2-disc special edition set of the movie. I had recently sold off a bunch of my old videotapes, planning to replace some of them on DVD and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” was one of them. I was just glad that I had not already purchased the earlier release. This set offers up a gorgeous all-new digital transfer, an additional 12 minutes of footage edited in, and an abundance of extra features.

Amongst the extras are two commentaries. The first is by director Reynolds and Costner, which I was surprised to see considering I thought the two had been at odds since their “Waterworld” experience. The commentary was quite entertaining. The two seemed to get along well and the narrative was informative. The second by actors Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater, along with producers Pen Densham and John Watson, was drier than I expected. There were some interesting comments and stories, but they were few and far between.

Fans of the film can go nuts on the second disc. There’s a documentary that looks to have been made around the same time of the film, which professes to unlock the mysteries of a real Robin Hood, but actually serves as a Behind the Scenes piece about the movie. It runs close to an hour, and as hosted by Pierce Brosnan, it was certainly interesting and did offer up a lot in the way of the making of the film. My favorite part focused of Michael Kamen’s brilliant, yet simple score for the film.

There are several interviews that were also done at the time of the film’s release that look terrible, but nonetheless give many of the film’s stars the opportunity to talk about the film and their characters. Bryan Adam’s fans are given a bit of a treat with the inclusion of video footage shot in Ireland of the singer performing the hit song from the movie, “(Everything I Do) I Do For You.”

As if these extras aren’t enough, there are several galleries that give you a look at weapons of the time, production photos and the like. You could actually spend quite a lot of time going through everything offered up in this set.

“Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” should be viewed for what it is, a high-spirited adventure full of bravado. I suggest forgiving it’s few weaknesses, allowing yourself to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Directed by: Kevin Reynolds
Starring: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Extras: Disc 1 - Feature Length Commentary by director Kevin Reynolds and star Kevin Costner, Feature Length Commentary by cast members Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater and producers Pen Densham and John Watson.
Disc 2 – “Robin Hood – Myth, Man, Movie” Documentary Hosted by Pierce Brosnan, vintage interviews with the film’s stars, Bryan Adams performing “(Everything I Do) I Do it For You” live at Slane Castle in Ireland, Michael Kamen’s soundtrack score in remastered Dolby Digital 5.1, “Weapons of the Time” Interactive Gallery, Photo Gallery, Cast & Crew Bios, Extensive Production Notes, Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots.
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround
Studio: Warner
Release Date: 6/10/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Robin Hood - Special Edition an A.