Robin Hood - Season 1 Part 1 - DVD

Content: Over the centuries, the legend of Robin Hood has gone through countless incarnations. From late medieval ballads to dramas, novels to comics and theatrical productions, there is hardly a medium in which Robin Hood has not left his mark in some form. Of course, cinema and television have taken up the legend time and time again. Since the first film version in 1912, the story has been told in many different variations. Whether as a comedy, a classic adventure film, a cartoon or even a sex tape, the hero of Sherwood Forrest has gone through countless incarnations. And in 2006, the BBC commissioned another.

For three seasons, Jonas Armstrong got to stand up for the rights of the poor as Robin of Locksley in the woods around Nottingham. The first six episodes of the entertaining adventure series have now finally been released in Germany. In this series, the makers mix well-known myths with numerous new ideas. Admittedly, the makers didn't take authenticity very seriously in this new edition. So some of the costumes look rather as if they came from the spring collection of H&M and not from the 12th century. But this hardly detracts from the entertainment value.

At the beginning of this version of Robin Hood, Robin, along with his faithful servant Much (Sam Troughton), returns home from the Crusades through the Holy Land in 1192. He is horrified to find that hunger and oppression reign in Nottingham. Robin quickly realizes that the sheriff (Keith Allen) appointed by Prince John cannot be reasoned with and that humanity and compassion are foreign words to him. Together with his henchman Guy of Gisborne (Richard Armitage), the sheriff runs a reign of terror that Robin tries to rebel against. As a result, Robin is summarily declared an outlaw and must flee into the woods with Much. There he meets a group of outlaws around Little John (Gordon Kennedy) with whose help Robin wants to take up the fight against the Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchmen. He also receives support from his childhood sweetheart Maid Marian (Lucy Griffiths), who herself leads a secret double life to help the people of Nottingham in these difficult times.

Whether he is trying to make Robin Hood out to be a murderer, threatening the people of Nottingham with having their tongues cut out if they don't tell him where Robin and the other outlaws are hiding, or trying to lure the outlaws into an elaborate trap with the prospect of a lot of money, the Sheriff seems no match for Robin Hood's ingenuity, courage and quick bow.

The makers of this new variation on Robin Hood have obviously tried to give the legend, which has been told and reinterpreted so many times before, a bit of a fresh cell treatment. So while many familiar elements, such as the legendary archery Robin completes in disguise, are woven into the series. But in addition, there are also quite a few new ideas that prevent viewers who are familiar with the story from switching off bored at some point.

Admittedly, the series does strive for a certain dramaturgy, but overall the action remains rather superficial. But that's not too bad, because the whole thing is fun. If you already felt well entertained by the reinterpretation of Merlin, you can safely risk a look here, too. Because the mixture of tradition and modernity, of humor and suspense can be quite respectable despite minor weaknesses.

Picture + Sound: The picture is clean, the image sharpness is on a good level, now and then just the backgrounds seem a little washed out. In the darker sequences, slight blurring and noise can also be detected. The colouring, on the other hand, looks very appealing. Overall, the picture quality is on a good TV level. This also applies to the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, which has some good surround effects to offer (such as arrows whizzing by or swords clashing), but overall is dominated by the dialogue and music. Good.

Extras: Apart from two interesting, but unfortunately not subtitled audio commentaries, this first box has no other bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: The remake of Robin Hood offers entertaining entertainment, giving the viewer a mix of classic adventure story, humor and suspense. The first six episodes of the first season are presented technically well implemented, only the somewhat meager bonus material clouds the positive overall impression. If you like series like Merlin - The New Adventures, you will also enjoy this version of the classic legend of Robin Hood from Sherwood Forrest! Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp