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Ultra HD : Recommended
Ranking:
Release Date: November 28th, 2022 Movie Release Year: 1991

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition [UK Import]

Overview -

Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves bows to 4K in a great Limited Edition on Arrow Video packed to the gills with bonus features, goodies, and new transfers. The film itself stands the test of a few decades with this ability to have an entertaining and fun time by not crossing over into those darker territories that are so often seen today. The new 4K picture looks stunning while keeping its filmic roots but the DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix isn't the best. Recommended!

 

Sometimes the only way to uphold justice is to break the law.

From Errol Flynn to Disney, Hollywood has long been fascinated with the legend of Robin Hood. Helmed by director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, The Count of Monte Cristo), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves pays homage to the past while transforming the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest into a movie icon fit for the 1990s.

Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner, Waterworld) returns from the Crusades to find his father dead and vows revenge. With his Moorish companion Azeem (Morgan Freeman, Unforgiven), he joins a band of peasant rebels to do battle against the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman, Die Hard) and win the hand of the fair Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, The Abyss), cousin of the absent King of England.

This grand, swashbuckling adventure in the classic tradition is brought to life by an all-star supporting cast, including Christian Slater (True Romance), Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon) and a memorable cameo from Sean Connery (himself a former Robin Hood), plus an instantly recognizable score by Michael Kamen (Highlander) – not to mention a chart-topping Bryan Adams theme song. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves dazzles in an all-new 4K restoration, accompanied by a king’s ransom of new and archival bonus features.

  • Brand new 4K restorations of both the theatrical and extended cuts from the original negative by Arrow Films
  • 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation of both cuts in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
  • 60-page perfect-bound illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jackson Cooper and Mark Cunliffe
  • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
  • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by José Saccone
  • Six double-sided, postcard-sized artcards
  • Original uncompressed stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Audio commentary with director Kevin Reynolds and actor Kevin Costner
  • Audio commentary with actors Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater and writers/producers Pen Densham and John Watson
  • Here We Are Kings: Making Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – a brand new, multi-part documentary featuring brand new interviews with Densham, Watson, director of photography Douglas Milsome, editor Peter Boyle, costume designer John Bloomfield and many more members of the creative team
  • Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie – an archival 1991 documentary hosted by Pierce Brosnan
  • One-on-One with the Cast – archival 1991 interviews with Costner, Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Slater and Alan Rickman
  • Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” performance at Slane Castle, Ireland
  • Music soundtrack cues
  • Theatrical trailer
  • TV spots
  • Image gallery

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Zavvi Exclusive Limited Edition
Video Resolution/Codec:
HDR10
Length:
143
Release Date:
November 28th, 2022

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

In 1991, everybody gung-ho Robin Hood. The brilliant modern remake that Errol Flynn brought to audiences decades prior now had a big budget, great set pieces, and top actors in every role. Not only did critics and audiences love the film, but it was nominated and won numerous awards that year. Looking back on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, this particular version is even better than remembered despite some of its hammed-up performances and cheesy lines of dialogue.

Prince of Thieves was so big at the time, Mel Brooks made an entire parody film on it with great success. Still, the fact remains that back in 1991, movies were relying on brooding or moody dark tones that had to be serious all of the time. With Prince of Thieves, fun was the name of the game and it shows in every actor's performance, the camera work, and the dialogue. Films are not usually made like this one anymore, which is an experience rather than showcasing a few big action sequences and sewing them together with characters. This movie meant something and with Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Alan Rickman, and even Christian Slater's performances - it revealed that there was new life in this beloved character that not only did great things but had fun while doing so. Hell, even Sean Connery showed up and brought a commanding performance for the few seconds he was on screen.

Kevin Reynolds' ability to tell a grand story from a trained artistic eye was wonderful to watch unfold as the battles and more nuanced dramatic scenes revealed the character's inner workings, especially Rickman's Sheriff as he played that role pitch-perfectly in the most utterly cruel villainous ways. But Reynolds also had a great time exploring those surprisingly fun moments of a first-person shot of an arrow whizzing by, which of course would later be used in the best film of all time - Army of Darkness. But Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves stands the test of time and doesn't cater to the darkness and moody tones of modern days. It had a great time telling its story and it's still infectious.

Read our 2009 Blu-ray Review

 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves shoots its way to 4K + Blu-ray via Arrow Video. The discs are housed inside a cardboard case with that amazing hard cardboard sleeve with new artwork. The new artwork features the actors in the film. There are posters and lobby cards, along with a booklet. The packaging looks great. Here's what you're getting inside the box:

  • 60-page perfect-bound illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jackson Cooper and Mark Cunliffe
  • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
  • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by José Saccone
  • Six double-sided, postcard-sized artcards

Video Review

Ranking:

Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves comes with a great 2160p UHD 4K transfer with Dolby Vision HDR from Arrow Video. This new transfer ignites the impressive visuals once again some thirty years later.

The film was shot on location in the UK back over three decades ago, so some of the source material is still here that can deliver some soft or hazy-looking shots. The large-scale vibrant colors that are used in today's epic adventures were non-existent back in the early '90s, so don't expect this transfer to turn heads in that aspect. But the Dolby Vision and HDR do enhance those darker sequences with the witch in her lair and other scenes of darkness where the only light source is lighted torches and fire. These moments look better than ever and offer up some great ambers, oranges, and yellows in addition to upgraded detail. The green pastures and beige hay bales look wonderful as well. The black levels of darkness and the evil Sheriff's outfit look equally stunning with these Dolby Vision colors shining through. Skin tones are natural as well.

The detail can be sharper in some scenes where others have a bit of haze to them, but again, this looks to be a source material from shooting over in the UK some thirty years prior. Closeups still reveal individual facial pores, hairs, and stubble. The marks on Morgan Freeman's face look great and are distinguishable from one another. Straws of hay and barley along with blades of grass are exquisite. The threads and stitching in the wardrobe also look better than the previous releases. That iconic sequence of the flaming arrow looks the best it has yet in slow motion with some amazing detail as it flies past the camera. There are varying degrees of film grain still intact, but it never swarms or seems busy, but rather has a consistent base that keeps the filmic quality preserved. This is by no means a demo disc, but it's probably the best video image the film has seen since its release.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Unfortunately, there is no new Dolby Atmos track here, but there is a new DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix that sounds impressive enough but was hoping for something a bit more. There is also an original uncompressed stereo 2.0 option to choose from as well. The 5.1 track flows nicely with some great sound effects that punctuate every action beat nicely. Nothing is overly loud and there are no booming noises like there would be in a modern action film, but it gets the job done. Explosions of fire, catapults, and sword clanks all make the correct sounds and come across all of the speakers fluidly. The punches and heavier takedowns all sound wonderful here as well. The horses galloping and waterfalls make way for that low end of bass which is never too loud. The iconic award-winning song sounds perfect here. The sound effects of arrows zooming by are excellent. Dialogue is clean and clear, but for some reason, some of it seemed out of sync in a few places. This is not the best audio track, but it makes use of its surroundings nicely.

Special Features

Ranking:

There is 172 minutes worth of bonus features in addition to the two vintage commentary tracks and the extra twelve minutes for the extended cut. There is only one new extra here the documentary with the crew coming back to discuss making the movie, but unfortunately, no big actors show up for it, which made it not as fun to watch.

  • Extended Cut (155 Mins.) - The extended cut of the film is one of the options to choose from and it's a whopping twelve extra minutes with more Alan Rickman. What more could you want? 
  • Audio Commentary #1 - Director Kevin Reynolds and Kevin Costner deliver the first track here which is more or less a bit dry. They tackle some of the themes, casting, on-set stories, and more. It's an enjoyable listen, but again, a bit monotone. 
  • Audio commentary #2 - Actors Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater along with writers and producers Pen Densham and John Watson give the second track which is much more fun. Everyone discusses the origins of the story and character, making a modern-day telling of this classic tale, and some funny anecdotes from the location shoot. This is the better of the two commentaries. 
  • Here We Are Kings: making Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (HD, 62 Mins.) - Here's a brand new bonus feature that brings back a few of the crew to talk about making the film and how it's held up. It's well made with some wonderful stories on how this production came to be and how it was shot. The tragic thing is that all the big-time actors are NOT here, which makes this would've been amazing extra great. 
  • Robin Hood: The Myth, The Man, The Movie (HD, 32 Mins.) - This is an archival EPK piece that tackles cast and crew interviews and on-set footage and is hosted by James Bond himself Pierce Brosnan.
  • One-On-One With The Cast (HD, 20 Mins.) - The main actors in the film are all here talking about their characters and working on the film. This is a lot of fun, but again, this all took place back in the '90s.
  • Bryan Adams's Music Video (HD, 5 Mins.) - The iconic music video for Everything I Do is here and it's glorious! 
  • Music Soundtrack Cues (50 Mins.) - Basically the soundtrack for the film that can be listened to.
  • Trailers (HD, 3 Mins.) - Trailers and TV spots for the film.
  • Image Gallery - A gallery of pictures from the film and production. 

Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves was the big action blockbuster of its time. Back in 1991, Kevin Costner ruled the cinematic landscape and with his filmmaking partner Kevin Reynolds in hand for this and Waterworld, the two seemed unstoppable. But with this version of Robin Hood, the ham is turned up and theatrical-style production is at an all-time high with the performers turning in great performances even if it comes across as over-the-top and cheesy. They don't make movies like this anymore.  The 4K UHD video looks amazing but the DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix is less than desired. The bonus features are out of this world. Recommended!

Also Available - 

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieve Zavvi Exclusive Collector's Edition SteelBook