Robin Hood movies ranked from worst to best

On the occasion of the theatrical release of the A24 version worn by Hugh Jackman, a look back at the main adaptations of Sherwood’s most famous outlaw.

12. Robin Hoodby Otto Bathurst (2018)

By wanting to modernize the legend at all costs, this stupid and nasty blockbuster version with Taron Egerton completely misses its subject. Pseudo-medieval aesthetics, permanent slow motion, video game-style action scenes and a lackluster storyline: the film accumulates stylistic effects without rediscovering the spirit of adventure specific to Robin Hood. Despite an attractive cast, with Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn and Jamie Dornan, this rereading forgets what makes the character charming and has established itself over time as the perfect example of what not to do with a legendary character.

11. Robin Hood’s Revengeby Val Guest (1954)

First Robin Hood produced by the legendary Hammer studios, Robin Hood’s Revenge inaugurates a series of five films devoted to the famous archer between the 1950s and 1960s. Don Taylor plays a more sober and serious hero than in Hollywood productions. Modest but effective, this British B series demonstrates Hammer’s know-how before its golden age in fantasy cinema. A curiosity.

10. Robin Hood, the true storyby Anthony Marciano (2015)

Yes, it is indeed a French adaptation. An offbeat parody, carried by Max Boublil, who never seeks to compete with the major adaptations. The director of gloss Play (also with Boublil) transforms Robin into a clumsy antihero in an absurd comedy, full of anachronisms, puns and very schoolboy humor. The result is uneven and did not meet its audience upon its release, but the film embraces its parodic delirium until the end. Without being a success, it is viewed with sympathy thanks to the infectious energy of its casting.

9. Sacred Robin Hoodby Mel Brooks (1993)

In the same genre, another parody in tights from the master of the genre, who never seeks subtlety, and goes all the way with his absurd humor. Schoolboy gags, crazy songs and references to popular culture follow one another without any downtime. Cary Elwes plays an irresistibly naive Robin in a rereading that diverts all the clichés of swashbuckling films. If some gags have aged, this comedy remains a true cult film for all those who grew up with the humor of Mel Brooks.

8. Robin Hood and his merry companionsby Ken Annakin (1952)

Before its 1973 cartoon, Disney had already brought Robin Hood to the screen with this live-action production filmed in England. Richard Todd, nominated for an Oscar a few years earlier for The Last Journeyplays a courageous and charismatic Robin. Without revolutionizing the myth, the film seduces with its sustained pace, its magnificent natural settings and its true swashbuckling spirit. An adaptation today little known but full of charm.

7. They called him Robin Hoodby Michael Sarnoski (2026)

With his own twilight vision of the myth, the director of Pig imagine an old Robin Hood, broken by battle and haunted by his past. Hugh Jackman delivers an intense, restrained performance, which sometimes recalls his work in Logan. More melancholy than adventurous, the film revisits the myth from a new angle and dares to deconstruct its hero. An ambitious proposal, magnificently interpreted.

6. Robin Hoodby Ridley Scott (2010)

Ridley Scott chooses to tell the origins of the character in an ambitious, almost political historical fresco. Magnificently photographed, carried by Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, the film impresses with its scale and its battle scenes. On the other hand, its very realistic approach erases much of the fantasy and panache associated with Robin Hood. Closer to a medieval drama than an adventure film.

5. Robin Hood, prince of thievesby Kevin Reynolds (1991)

For an entire generation, Kevin Costner will remain Robin Hood. This blockbuster from the 1990s is full of energy, romance and adventure, driven by cult music and spectacular staging. If Costner’s American accent has often been mocked, it is impossible to forget Alan Rickman, imperious as the Sheriff of Nottingham, who steals almost every scene in which he appears. A huge popular success that left its mark on pop culture for a long time…

4. Robin Hoodby Allan Dwan (1922)

Long before Flynn, Disney or Costner, Douglas Fairbanks already imposed the model of the leaping hero in this very first blockbuster devoted to Robin Hood. Silent black and white film, Robin Hood was one of the most expensive feature films of its time and the first to benefit from a major Hollywood premiere. Its monumental sets, its epic breath and the charisma of Fairbanks laid the foundations for almost all the adaptations that followed.

3. The Rose and the Arrowby Richard Lester (1976)

What if Robin Hood was no longer an invincible young hero? It’s the whole idea of ​​Richard Lester, who finds an aging Sean Connery facing a moving Audrey Hepburn in Marianne. Twenty years after the Crusades, Robin finally returns to England to discover that time has changed everything. More melancholic than spectacular, this twilight rereading favors feelings and disillusionment. An elegant, touching and deeply human work.

2. Robin Hoodby Wolfgang Reitherman (1973)

Our number one is the one who has rocked millions of children. By transforming Robin, Marianne, Little John or Prince John into animals, Disney has created one of its most endearing adaptations. Behind its apparent simplicity lies a funny, tender, musical and incredibly lively film. The songs are unforgettable, the characters are full of personality and the emotion is constantly on the surface. More than fifty years after its release, this animated version undoubtedly remains the one that best captures the spirit of the hero: a defender of the weakest, mischievous, generous and profoundly free.

1. The Adventures of Robin Hoodby Michael Curtiz & William Keighley (1938)

It’s hard to imagine Robin Hood without thinking of Errol Flynn’s smile. This flamboyant adaptation established the codes of the character and his modern representations: green tights, sword duels, humor, panache and a sense of justice. With its sumptuous settings, its dazzling Technicolor and its frenetic pace, the film remains one of the greatest classics of Hollywood adventure cinema. An absolute reference.