I don’t think we’re in Sherwood Forest anymore...
Beyond Sherwood Forest is a 2009 Fantasy Action Adventure Syfy Channel Original Movie starring Robin Dunne, Erica Durance, and Julian Sands.
After seeing his father murdered, a young Robin Hood flees deep into Sherwood Forest for safety. Decades later, the Sheriff of Nottingham decides to put an end to the troublesome renegade and his band of followers, and unleashes a bloodthirsty winged beast into the woods to carry out the task. At the same time, Marian flees into Sherwood Forest to escape an arranged marriage to Leopold of Austria, and soon encounters her old childhood friend Robin.
Beyond Sherwood Forest contains examples of:
- Always Night: It seems to be always dusk in the magical realm of the Dark Woods. Robin even wonders how the trees can grow in a place without sunlight.
- Arranged Marriage: Marian's father and Prince John plan to marry her to Leopold of Austria in order to cement a political union between John and Leopold that will end in Richard's assassination.
- Arrows on Fire: Robin uses flaming arrows to wound the dragon (which is ironic as dragons typically breath fire) during the attack on Will's village.
- Big Eater: Little John, who constantly suggests stopping for a meal, mentions how long it has been since they last ate, and even finds some local fruit to eat while they are in the Dark Woods.
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Robin fires a Multishot to simultaneously knock the crossbows out of the hands of two of the guards on the tax wagon.
- Climbing the Cliffs of Insanity: Robin has to climb an almost sheer cliff in order to find the fruit that will allow Alina to regain her mortality.
- Doomed Hometown: Will's village is destroyed by the dragon searching for Robin Hood.
- Enchanted Forest: A mystical portal in Sherwood Forest leads to a realm known as the Dark Woods: a magical, darker version of Sherwood Forest, filled with all manner of fantastic and deadly beasts.
- Flower from the Mountaintop: In the Dark Woods, Robin has to climb to the top of a mountain in order to pick the fruit that will allow Alina to regain her mortality.
- Gardening-Variety Weapon: During the fight in the castle courtyard, Marian grabs a pitchfork to hold the guards at bay.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When Alina (in Dragon form) assists Robin and the others in the final battle the sheriff threatens that she will never find her heart if she tries to stop him. However she still chooses to attack the Sheriff (Saving Robin’s life). She ends up being mortally wounded.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Bart Bartholomew's weapon of choice is a whip. It eventually causes his death when he wraps it around the dragon's snout. As the handle is looped round his wrist, he is unable to drop it when the dragon drags him into its mouth.
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: Alina turns into a dragon whenever sunlight falls on her, then she reverts when she is in the dark.
- Klingon Promotion: After the Sheriff is killed by the dragon, Malcolm murders William of Locksley—who is next in line—in order to secore the position.
- Lodged-Blade Recycling: During the climatic battle, the Sheriff stabs Robin in the shoulder with a dagger. When the Sheriff turns and stabs Alina with his sword, thus leaving his back exposed, Robin yanks the dagger out and uses it to stab the Sheriff.
- Low Clearance: Little John hoists a rope across the road to knock one of the outriders on the tax wagon off his horse.
- Magic Pants: Averted. Every time Alina transforms into a dragon, her clothes are destroyed, leaving her naked and shivering when she changes back.
- Martial Arts Staff: The quarterstaff is the weapon of choice for both Little John and Marian. In fact, the adult Marian's first scene shows her practising with a quarterstaff against a training dummy.
- Multishot: During the robbery of the tax wagon, Robin shoots two arrows at once to simultaneously knock the crossbows out of the hands of two guards.
- Painful Transformation: Alina's transformation into a dragon is shown to cause her considerable pain.
- Repetitive Name: Guy's chief henchman is named Bart Bartholomew.
- Runaway Bride: Marian flees into Sherwood Forest to escape her Arranged Marriage to Leopold of Austria.
- Savage Wolves: While in the Dark Woods, Little John and Will are attacked by a pack of massive, magical wolves that dissolve into a shower of sparks when killed.
- Scars Are Forever: Malcolm gets a cut on a cheek from Robin's father just before he kills him. Sixteen years later, the scar is still extremely prominent. Robin gives him a matching cut on the other cheek during their final duel.
- Soul Jar: The Sheriff of Nottingham removes Alina's heart from her body and holds it hostage in order to ensure her compliance.
- The Speechless: Gareth cannot speak because the Sheriff cut out his tongue after murdering his parents and burning his village.
- Suffer the Slings: Gareth is an expert with the sling. In his first appearance, he knocks out an armoured rider on horseback with a sing sling stone.
- *Twang* Hello: During his first meeting with Robin's band, Will makes a point by throwing a knife so it sticks into Little John's quarterstaff. While Little John is holding it.
- Weredragon: Alina transforms into a dragon whenever she is exposed to sunlight. The longer she stays in dragon form, the more savage and less human she becomes.
