YMMV / Robin Hood (2010)

• Aluminum Christmas Trees: France really invaded England during King John's reign, though it happened a decade later.
• Awesome Music: The musical score by Marc Streitenfeld.
  • This beautiful piece of Celtic music (Woman of Ireland) that Robin and Marion do their Dance of Romance to.
• Broken Base: Marion disguising herself as a knight to take part in the battle at the end. Some are fine with it, since Marion was established as a capable fighter and it was a nice subversion of Stay in the Kitchen - plus she has a personal stake in the battle due to Robin fighting in it, and wanting justice for Walter's murder. Others found it trite, feeling that Marion was already a strong enough character without having to be conventionalized into a token Action Girl (especially since she ultimately doesn't get to avenge Walter personally - making it feel rather pointless).
• Complete Monster: Sir Godfrey is a cruel, sadistic knight. Originally the closest friend of Prince John, Godfrey betrays him and his entire country for personal gain, selling them out to King Philip of France to reconquer as long as he himself profits. Godfrey ambushes and murders several knights in an attempt to assassinate King Richard, before using his friendship with John to get himself appointed to collect taxes from English villages. After having French soldiers kill and impersonate the knights under his command, Godfrey leads them in slaughtering several villages, hoping to incite a revolt against John so the French can invade. When he attacks Nottingham, Godfrey locks the people inside of a burning building and confronts Sir Walter Locksley, taunting him about his dead son and tormenting the old man before brutally killing him when Walter lands a small blow.
• Critical Backlash: While not a great Box Office success and generally considered one of Ridley Scott's weaker films, it has its fans, particularly for the chemistry between Robin and Marion, some fun supporting characters, and decent action scenes.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Eleanor of Aquitaine who is played by Dame Eileen Atkins at her acid-tongued best; stealing every scene with either logical advice or stellar one-liners.
  • Isabella too, who is played by the beautiful Léa Seydoux and allowed to be dressed up like a princess in all her scenes (well, except the first one). She also subverts French Jerk by showing herself to be more moral than John. And she also avoids being a Neutral Female by becoming a minor player in the political game, exposing Godfrey as a traitor by pretending she heard word from France (and therefore giving it more weight than if William Marshall or Eleanor had delivered the news).
• Fan-Preferred Cut Content: The movie started as a highly bid script, Nottingham, that was actually revolutionary by Robin Hood adaptation standards: A Police Procedural, with the Sheriff of Nottingham as The Hero investigating the crimes of the notorious outlaw, Robin Hood. The twist was that Robin was framed, but Nottingham was still The Hero. While this kind of story, making the villain the sympathetic protagonist and villifying the traditional hero, would become done quite a bit in the decade following this film's release, many feel like this version would have made the more interesting movie.
• Improved by the Re-Cut: The Director's Cut adds 15 minutes of material and fills in a major Plot Hole.
• Jerkass Woobie: King John is brash, lecherous and doesn't lack Kick the Dog moments, but consider the situation he's in. He's the runt of the family and nobody ever expected him to rule, his relationship with his mother is abysmal since she has always loved Richard more than him and he finds himself at the head of a very indebted kingdom. And then he finds out that his childhood friend Godfrey is conspiring against him.
• Just Here for Godzilla: If there's one thing nearly everyone agrees is great about the film, it's Cate Blanchett at her snarky best as Marion. Indeed, the romance between her and Robin is considered a highlight.
• Memetic Mutation: "OUTLAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!"
• Moral Event Horizon: Godfrey was bad before, but killing Walter Loxley when he barely represented a threat, then locking all of the Nottingham villagers inside a building and then setting the building on fire FOR NO REASON sends him flying over the edge of this trope.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • King John is Poe Dameron.
  • Isabella is played by Lea Seydoux, years before her more remembered roles in Blue Is the Warmest Color, Farewell, My Queen and Spectre.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Most of the negative sentiment about the film can be boiled down to this phrase. Ironically, people were already badmouthing the film before its release for being a Robin Hood "remake". Of course, not one Robin Hood film has been a remake of previous ones, but they all draw upon the same source material. A lot of the backlash can come from the Demythification treatment it gives to a folk tale - following the lead of King Arthur (2004) and Troy - reimagining Robin Hood as a historical story.
• Uncertain Audience: The film at once tries for a take on Robin Hood that's more grounded in realism and historical fact, but then also has numerous historical inaccuracies and character beats that make it feel more like a folk tale. Additionally, there are some political themes that make it hard to enjoy as a simple action adventure movie - while also lots of elements preventing it from being taken seriously as a political piece. Basically, it tries to be both Gladiator (the action adventure epic) and Kingdom of Heaven (a political drama with only a few action scenes).
• What Do You Mean, It's Not Political?:
  • England's head of state waging war in the Middle East has led to financial troubles keenly felt by his successor.
  • Robin tells Richard that he doesn't think God would be pleased with his crusade. Not the crusade itself but the massacre of prisoners after the battle of Acre.
  • The American Tea Party movement, unsurprisingly, LOVES the story of a down-to-earth soldier fighting against both a menace to his nation's border and the oppressive and unjust leadership of his own government.
  • The idea of individual liberties and other enlightenment ideals (which won't really become popular for another few hundred years, but this is Hollywood after all) that were key in the American Revolution.

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