Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood (2012) – Review

Where to watch Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood

1/2 Star

I received a package from one of our far flung fans in Germany, it contained the Blu-Ray of this movie with a note attached; scribbled in English, “Watch this plead”. I took it that the plead was intended as a please, but after viewing the movie it may well have been a cry for mercy. Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood is one of the most desperate horror/comedies I’ve ever seen, and no wonder. The movie’s premise doesn’t work — not even a little, not even sometimes — and that means all the actors in the movie look awkward and silly all the time. This plays less like a movie than like punishment for a willing audience. I’ve seen youtube videos staged with more proficiency and better production values. This film is not edited as much as roughly assembled. The lead actor’s voice slips in and out of accent so often it could be a stand-alone drinking game.

Robin Hood has been envisioned in many different cinematic forms from the laughable (Frank Sinatra’s Robin and the Seven Hoods) to an Americanized Hollywood product (Costner’s Prince of Thieves), but never has it been handled so poorly. After selling his soul to a sorceress Robin is killed in battle. Distraught over these horrific turn of events Marian and Little John attempt to resuscitate Robin and his Merry Men. In doing so they inadvertently have turned the one-time heroes into the living dead and worse, the ghostly reincarnations are now hunting down Marian and Little John. So the pair attempt to seek out a new potion that will free these tormented souls from their demonic possession.

Actually, if the movie were any good, the absurd plotting and amateurish acting wouldn’t matter. But this movie is dismally, painfully not entertaining.The ineptness of director Oliver Krekel is sort of stunning. Look at the way he stages one scene after another and then can’t find the tone, the jump gag, or even the end of the scene. Any interested enough to be reading this review could have directed at least one of these scenes better than Krekel.

Perhaps the most pathetic aspect of the movie is the way it tries to cross one genre with another in a shameless appeal to everybody. Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood lacks originality, narrative momentum laughs or scares, it’s more likely to serve as a sleeping pill than a nights’ entertainment. I get no joy in my hostility towards this picture, but when I commit the hours to focus on a film and absolutely nothing is given in return, the filmmakers have not honored their part of the deal.

Director: Oliver Krekel
Stars: Martin Thon, Kane Hodder, Tom Savini

Comments

  1. yeah! this movie is terrible. waste of money. sounds like a dubbed chinese movie. the characters are monotonous, the plot is blunt. hard to understand what the movie/story is all about, not funny, not scary, not interesting at all. acting was very poor. fight scenes don’t like a fight scene at all. it looked like the characters are rehearsing for a stage play or something. pathetic ROBINHOOD movie ever.

  2. What really sucks is the package of the DVD how the marketed to the public. I see Herr Director of this film cant answer some questions.
    God help who hires him. I guess the would call the film. Ghost of Turkeys

  3. U don’t have to be in the movie biz to know this movie sucks I can’t believe I got conned into buying it what a waste of money. I can’t believe the director let the movie even get out what an embarrassment to his profession.

  4. i feel like someone owes me ten dollars….how does this crap make it to the new release section? i turned it off after 20 minutes. i was pretty sure it was a porn after the first scene with dialog bc these people were clearly not actors and the opening fight scene had me cracking up! more money went into the cover of the dvd then the actual film and it shows. jokes on me

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