Twenty-four hours from now, I'll have seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And while the early reviews aren't exactly favorable, I'm sure I'll have a decent time. Even if it's not a really good flick, there's something inherently satisfying about seeing such iconic superheroes share the big screen. Especially considering that in the thirty-six years I've wandered this planet, there has almost always been an iteration of at least one of those colossal figures coming to (or leaving) the cinema. Almost forty years of cinematic lore to obsess over!
Impressive, right?
Well...not exactly.
I always trying to convince myself that I'm not really a fan of classic movies, but as I smiled the whole way through 1939's The Adventures of Robin Hood, it's becoming readily apparent I am. Sure, there's a thin layer of cheesy goodness covering this whimsical production top-to-bottom, but of the three Robin Hood films I watched last weekend (more on that later), it was easily my favorite.
Combining aspects of the Dark Knight and Superman Clark Kent, the character of Robin Hood has been dramatized in film for almost eight decades. In this version, Errol Flynn and his rad mustache absolutely own the screen, injecting Robin with a level of joy unseen since FDR was in office. He literally bounces all over the screen, swinging and smiling throughout a Technicolor Sherwood Forest with the slightest of effort. Wait, heroes can be fun?
Yeah. Lots.
But don't think ol' Robin'g just a charming goofball. Nope. Turns out the OG Mr. Hood is a motherf--king badass, heartily chuckling before and after his arrow buries itself in the stomach of quite a few of Prince John's goons.
