The Show:

Throughout history few tales have been as romantic or enticing as that of Robin Hood. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor, he fights for justice, and he is damn good with a bow and arrow. Frankly, everybody is familiar with the legend of Hood, his band of Merry Men, Maid Marian, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. In book, TV, and film the characters have come to life with a heavy dose of folklore and intrigue. The latest rendition of Robin Hood comes in the form of a British television show.

Robin Hood began airing in October of 2006 and was met with a reasonable amount of success. It is now being shown on American television and has been signed for a second season so fans of Robin of Locksley's adventures have something to cheer about. With the release of the DVD collection a much larger audience has the opportunity to check out the show. However, the big question is whether or not the show is worth getting excited about.

Comprised of thirteen episodes the first season of Robin Hood presents a modern spin on the classic tale. It improvises many areas of the legend and does what it can to entertaining by action rather than by great storytelling. The end result is a show that feels unbalanced yet appealing thanks to fun writing and an enjoyable cast. Basically if you leave your brain at the door and come without high expectations you'll walk away feeling satisfied.

Quite obviously the show focuses on Robin of Locksley (Jonas Armstrong) and his exploits in Sherwood and Nottingham castle. This season starts out with Robin and his former manservant, Much (Sam Troughton), returning home from the crusades. In the years that they were away fighting the Holy War with King Richard many things changed back in Locksley. Sir Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage) has overseen Robin's lands and the people have suffered exponentially.

Robin is stunned to see the atrocities being committed against the poverty stricken and with his noble sense of right and wrong he confronts the Sheriff (Keith Allen). Robin's outspokenness and defiance against the Sheriff have put he and Much on the other side of the law. Branded outlaws the two become a thorn in the Sheriff's side but when they encounter a band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest they become a force to be reckoned with.

To make a long story short Robin and Much team up with a group of outlaws and misfits named Little John (Gordon Kennedy), Lady Marian (Lucy Griffiths), Allen A. Dale (Joe Armstrong), and Will Scarlet (Harry Lloyd). Friar Tuck is notably missing from this first season though a newcomer, Djaq (Anjali Jay), fills in the other character slot. With the team in place the show focuses on them trying the Sheriff's patience, robbing from the rich and corrupted, and helping out the little people. Of these thirteen episodes there is a decisive pattern that is followed throughout and the show only veers from the formula on occasion. This leads to that unbalanced issue I spoke of earlier.

In nearly episode the same plot exists with many of the roles simply reversing. In one episode Djaq is captured by the Sheriff, in another it's Little John, then a short-lived character named Roy, Much, or even Robin. Frankly, seeing our heroes repeatedly imprisoned only to leave the rest of the group with the task of rescuing them gets old after a while. It sets up a running, and presumably unintended gag, that the Sheriff and all his men are nincompoops. Nottingham jail is so easy to break in and out of that the sense of drama stemming from a main character being captured and threatened with death becomes a joke.

Sadly another part that keeps Robin Hood feeling unbalanced is the infusion of modern elements. Seeing Marian do Tai Chi in one scene is very out of place and for that matter so is Little John's "Today is a good day to die!" Star Trek reference. Costuming is another pill that is hard to swallow at times with duds that are sometimes too modern for their own good.

Probably the biggest element that keeps Robin Hood entertaining in an amateurish manner is the campy action. Robin back-flips from buildings, the Sheriff's guards are knocked out by a single punch, and in nearly every scene the heroes come out on top too easily. Let's see, five outlaws armed with sticks against twelve fully armed guards? You're not really taking a chance if you bet on the underdog. Sometimes this isn't the case and there is a real sense of danger but it's so inconsistent that it's hard to take seriously. I mean, Lady Marian moonlighting as a vigilante known as the Nightwatchman? Please! And don't even get me started on the psycho English guy with tattoos that takes down a Saracen assassin squad by himself. If you have seen the episode "Peace? Off!" you know what I'm talking about.

So with repetitive episodes and tacky action, what makes Robin Hood worth checking out? For me it was all about the sub-plots and character development.

Throughout this first season there are a few stories that surface in multiple episodes. The main one is arguably the relationship between Robin and Marian which heats up as the show progresses. At first Marian is resentful of the fact that Robin left her to run off to fight with King Richard. Once he turns outlaw she quietly supports but openly denounces him with scathing remarks. She's always willing to assist but as Guy of Gisborne begins to court her things get boggling.

Robin's character also adds a necessary amount of weight to the program though he's a little too young for my taste. Fresh from the battlefield his personality has a dark edge that the playfulness and ego attempt to bury. Robin is quick to anger and lashes out at anyone near him which does alienate him as a hero at times. However, this built up frustration lets itself go when he confronts Guy of Gisborne and learns of his actions during the Crusades. This particular moment sheds light on Robin's inner demons and really helps the development of his character.

Otherwise the rest of the actors do decent jobs with what they are given. Allen plays a remarkably sarcastic and darkly humored Sheriff, Little John is wonderfully brooding, and Much often plays the straightman and provides comic relief. It's safe to say that Armitage frequently steals the show as Guy of Gisborne thanks to his slimy performance and smarmy attitude. You'll just love to hate Guy.

If you can get by the cheesy action sequences, light scripting, and breaks in fantasy for modern elements you'll find a show that is a lot of fun to watch but not entirely engaging. Robin Hood's first season spends a lot of time finding its way but by the halfway point you'll notice the quality improve drastically. Robin Hood purists may find plenty to scoff about though if you're looking for an entertaining show with potential definitely give his one a shot. I'm looking forward to the second season and hope that the writers learn from the mistakes shown here in the first.

Video:

Shot in 1080i high definition Robin Hood looks very good presented on DVD even if it is the standard format. Nearly every scene in the show has a certain crispness to it that makes it pop from the screen and the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image goes a long way to improving the experience. There are a few minor complaints with the picture quality but they do not really detract from the transfer.

Sharpness is generally very good though close-ups and some distance shots seem to be slightly on the soft side, almost as if the camera was out of focus. Likewise the picture is very clean but a few darker scenarios and random shots include an abundance of grain. Contrast and color is well executed for the most part but again there are flaws with some over-saturation and washed out colors. These gripes seem to be a byproduct of the filming of the show itself and not of this transfer. It's almost as if there were different styles employed or cameras of varying quality.

Overall the show looks quite good with some fantastic cinematography but it's hard to ignore the minor flaws that permeate the picture.

Robin Hood is presented with two English language tracks. The default is a 2.0 stereo offering with a limited presence on the soundstage though it's suitable depending upon your needs. The 5.1 Surround Sound selection is decidedly the best of the two available tracks. During slower moments where the show is dialogue driven the rear channels remain relatively dormant but once the action picks up they come alive. Particularly impressive is the way arrows are caught on the rear speakers as they zip by you on all sides. Otherwise there isn't an awful lot of directionality here though some ambient effects do crop up from time to time. Optional English subtitles are also included.

Extras:

Each one of the five discs in this collection includes some bonus features.

The first disc offers an audio commentary for "Sheriff Got Your Tongue?". Gordon Kennedy (Little John), Lucy Griffiths (Marian), Executive Producer Foz Allen, co-creator Dominic Minghella, and Composer Andy Price all chime in with this commentary. They essentially talk about what's happening on screen but there are a few tidbits of behind the scenes information tossed in for good measure. For instance Allen (the Sheriff) apparently fell from his horse in the opening scene of the episode and that's why they brought in the Sheriff's chair. They go on to make jokes about many things and talk about their experiences with the show. It was on topic and light which made for a very good commentary.

The second disc includes a commentary track for "Parent Hood" with mostly the same commentators except this time around Richard Armitage (Gisborne) sat in for Andy Price. For all intents and purposes this commentary track was just like the first one with some background information and discussion about what's happening on screen. It kept up the standard held by the first track and was interesting enough to warrant watching the episode again just for the feature.

Also included on the second disc is a featurette called "Hood Academy" which lasted roughly 15 minutes and offered training footage for the cast. Their trainers talk about what they put the actors through and the actors all chime in to discuss their personal experience with it. The only other features on the second disc are some character profiles for Robin, Marian, and Roy.

On the third disc Guy of Gisborne gets the character profile treatment. There is also an audio commentary for "Tattoo? What Tattoo?". This commentary featured Armitage, Price, Jonas Armstrong (Robin), Sam Troughton (Much), Anjali Jay (Djaq). This particular commentary was a little on the goofier side with more jokes than actual information. Still, the actors had a good time and spent most of the track making jokes so it was amusing to watch if nothing else. I was slightly disappointed because this was one of my favorite episodes from this first season. Disc four is where you'll find the character profile for the Sheriff and commentary track for "A Clue: No". Armstrong, Troughton, Jay, and Allen chime in for another loose commentary track but this one had a little more structure with Allen being in the fold.

Finally, the fifth disc is where most everything else ended up. Filling out the rest of the character profiles you can expect to find Djag, Scarlet, Little John, and Much here. This disc also includes a making of featurette that clocks in just shy of thirty minutes. This documentary is comprehensive in that it shows the formation of the show from the idea stage to completion. Each member of the cast chimes in to talk about their personal experiences with filming from bumps and bruises to who they admire. There is a slight element of fluff in the featurette but there are enough glimpses behind the scenes to make it worth watching.

A 16 minute documentary about the costume design is here as well. In it Costume Designer Frances Tempest discusses the decision to make Robin Hood appear modern and attractive to a younger audience. Like I mentioned this is a look that I think is sometimes polarizing but her reasoning and sense of design is put on display well here. Another documentary regarding design is all about the production of the show and various set pieces. These backdrops are quite impressive and it was informative to watch how they came to be implemented in the show.

In the end Robin Hood Season One is a unique attempt on the historic and legendary story. There are many flaws within its structure and presentation but these kind of dissipate as the season progresses. It's admittedly a show that aims at a younger audience and because of that it can feel a tad too immature at times. Still, if you are looking for a different spin on the Robin Hood mythos and enjoy silly action then you'll find it reasonably entertaining. This wasn't the best rendition of Robin Hood I have seen but it certainly was a lot of fun. Recommended

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