History YMMV / RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves

*** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Creator/AlexandreDumas (published posthumously), which was one of two books he wrote with his take on the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des Voleurs. English title: The Prince of Thieves). Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

*** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Creator/AlexandreDumas, which was one of two books he wrote with his take on the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des Voleurs. English title: The Prince of Thieves.) Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The NES game, while not awful, is prone to FakeDifficulty, including several UnwinnableByMistake situations and is also quite buggy. The designers also tried to cram together RPG and action game elements very awkwardly.

*** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Creator/AlexandreDumas, which was one of two books he wrote with his take on the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des Voleurs. English title: Prince of Thieves.) Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

*** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Literature/AlexandreDumas, which was one of two books he wrote with his take on the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des Voleurs. English title: Prince of Thieves.) Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

*** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Literature/AlexandreDumas which was one of two books he wrote with his take on the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des Voleurs. English title: Prince of Thieves.) Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

*** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Literature/AlexandreDumas from one of two books he wrote with his take in the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des voleurs). Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1872 novel written by Literature/AlexandreDumas from one of two books he wrote with his take in the Robin Hood legend (French title: Les Prince des voleurs). Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known all this when they were naming this movie.

** Actually, the sobriquet is OlderThanTheyThink - it comes from a 1849 novel written by Literature/AlexandreDumas from a series of books he wrote with his take in the Robin Hood legend (It was the first one). Despite the fact it isn’t one of his best known works, the book was then turned into a now forgotten 1948 film with the same name, but there’s no suggestion that the Producers would have known this when they were naming this movie.

** Music/MichaelKamen's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maA5bCx3_Jk Overture]]. The film's production company, Creator/MorganCreek, went on to use it as their logo fanfare for subsequent films. Creator/{{Disney}}, a company that ''wasn’t even involved with making the film'', would also later use the theme [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SsW91e8qP8 as fanfare]] on many of their DVD and Blu-Ray releases.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad George, Sheriff of Nottingham,]] is trying to usurp the throne of England from UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionheart. He tries to convince Robin's father to join him, and kills him when he refuses. He then trumps up charges of devil worship so he can seize Locksley as his own. He has a castellan's eyes put out for doubting the charges, becomes a cruel despot who has children killed for hunting on his land, and sexually exploits women. When Robin first defies the Sheriff, he threatens to CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon. The Sheriff then gives [[TheDragon Guy of Gisborne]] a fortnight to capture Robin Hood, and runs him through with a sword when he fails (this is his own ''cousin''). After that, the Sheriff attacks the Merry Men's village and takes captives, including children, whom he threatens to hang if Maid Marian doesn't marry him. On their wedding day, the Sheriff decides to hang some of them anyway - starting with a kid - before Robin rescues them all. The Sheriff then [[MaritalRapeLicense tries to force himself on Marian]] as the Bishop is saying the wedding vows.

* VindicatedByHistory: Although the film had both its fans and critics at the time of its release, the later failures of ''Film/RobinHood2010'' and ''Film/RobinHood2018'' have retroactively raised the general opinion of this adaptation as one that finds the sweet-spot between 2010's DarkerAndEdgier take on the material, and the often-ludicrous AnachronismStew of the 2018 offering.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/box-of-robin-hood-prince-of-thieves-tiein-breakfas,26456/ Prince of Thieves breakfast cereal]]. A breakfast cereal based on a movie that starts with someone's hand being cut off and keeps going, all the way up to an attempted rape scene.
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* CommonKnowledge: Even to this day, reviewers often comment on Kevin Costner's lack of historical accuracy in using an American accent rather than a British one. However, a modern British accent would be no more accurate to how 12th-century English people sounded, and their language would be nigh-incomprehensible to a modern speaker. And Robin himself, as a Norman, would probably not even speak English (the real King Richard didn't, after all.)

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/box-of-robin-hood-prince-of-thieves-tiein-breakfas,26456/ Prince of Thieves breakfast cereal]]. A breakfast cereal based on a movie that starts with someone's hand being cut off and keeps going, all the way up to an attempted rape scene.

* VindicatedByHistory: Although the film had both its fans and critics at the time of its release, the later failures of ''Film/RobinHood2010'' and ''Film/RobinHood2018'' have retroactively raised the general opinion of this adaptation as one that finds the sweet-spot between 2010's DarkerAndEdgier take on the material, and the often-ludicrous AnachronisticStew of the 2018 offering.

** This movie is often mocked for using American accents for an English setting. However, American English is barely further away from Middle English (the accent that would have been spoken at the time the movie is set in) than most modern English accents are (particularly [[TheQueensLatin RP]]), so the outrageousness of Costner's accent is rather overstated. It might have been more easily forgiven if ''none'' of the cast spoke with modern English accents, but as most of them do, it make's Costner's performance in the lead role stand out like a sore thumb.

* ToughActToFollow: Neither ''Film/{{Robin Hood|2010}}'' nor ''{{Film/RobinHood2018}}'' were as successful or as memorable as this one.

* SpiritualAdaptation: One of many RobinHood films which is this to the novel ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}''. ToughActToFollow: Neither Film/{{Robin Hood|2010}} or {{Film/RobinHood2018 films}} were as successful or as memorable as this one.

* SpiritualAdaptation: One of many RobinHood films which is this to the novel ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}''.
* ToughActToFollow: None of the [[Film/RobinHoodMenInTights following]] Film/{{Robin Hood|2010}} [[Film/RobinHood2018 films]] were as successful or as memorable as this one.

* NarmCharm: By modern standards, the film is too childish and naive (especially after watching ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', which makes its viewing already narmy), and a lot of its elements, acting and style are downright hilarious for most cinematic standards. But a lot of people love it anyway, and often precisely because of those traits.

* SoBadItsGood: Nobody will ever call this a masterpiece, but it has its entertainment value nevertheless. Its ridiculousness just adds to it.

* WeirdAlEffect: Some people are more familiar with the Creator/MelBrooks [[Film/RobinHoodMenInTights spoof]] than this film.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/box-of-robin-hood-prince-of-thieves-tiein-breakfas,26456/ Prince of Thieves breakfast cereal]]. A breakfast cereal based on a movie that starts with someone's hand being cut off and keeps going, all the way up to an attempted rape scene.
* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/KevinCostner as Robin Hood, Creator/ChristianSlater as Will Scarlet, and Creator/SeanConnery, already in his sixties and looking it, playing a character who died at age 42. The first was because Costner was the producer.

* NeverLiveItDown: Creator/KevinCostner still gets ribbed on for playing a ''British'' hero [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent without a proper British accent]] -- sometimes affectionately, sometimes not. Never mind the fact that a modern British accent would have been no more accurate than an American accent (or that as a Norman noble, Robin may not have spoken English ''at all'').

* MoneyMakingShot: Robin firing a [[ArrowsOnFire flaming arrow]] in SlowMotion in front of a [[BattleAmongstTheFlames wall of fire]]. No one who's ever seen the shot forgets it.

* MoneyMakingShot: Robin firing a [[ArrowsOnFire flaming arrow]] in SlowMotion in front of a [[BattleAmongstTheFlames wall of fire]]. No one who's ever seen [[https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/robhood.gif the shot]] forgets it.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Mike [=McShane=] is well known to a lot of viewers for his hilarious performances on the British version of ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'', but his portrayal here of Friar Tuck shows that he really has quite a range of talent.

* MisBlamed: A meta-example; the film is rather notorious for the fact that a few members of the cast, and Creator/KevinCostner in particular, lack a British accent. However, what we consider a British accent today is a fairly recent innovation, and having characters speak with said accent doesn't make them any more or any less accurate to the time period. If accuracy were that important, the characters really should be speaking either Old or Middle English (the film takes place during the period of transition between the two), which would be largely incomprehensible to a speaker of Modern English. Furthermore, as part of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, Robin may not have spoken English: Norman French was the language of the English nobility of the time, and in fact Richard I himself didn't speak English at all. OF course, the fact that most of the characters do speak in a modern English accent, including those who were not native Brits like Creator/MaryElizabethMastrantonio, make it hard to defend the central character not having one.

* MoralEventHorizon: The Sheriff of Nottingham crosses this when he [[spoiler:tries to rape Maid Marian when Robin comes to interrupt their forced marriage.]]

** Rumor has it that this film borrows several elements from ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' (including the Moorish Merry Man, the Celtic influences and some supernatural/occult element) because the writer hadn't done enough research to realize that ''Robin of Sherwood'' had invented those bits and thought they were standard parts of the legend.

* ToughActToFollow: None of the [[Film/RobinHoodMenInTights following]] Film/{{Robin Hood|2010}} [[Film/RobinHood2018 films]] were as successful and memorable as this one.

* WTHCastingAgency: Creator/KevinCostner as Robin Hood, Creator/ChristianSlater as Will Scarlet, and Creator/SeanConnery, already in his sixties and looked it, playing a character who died at age 42. The first was because Costner was the producer.
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** To some, Christian Slater's performance might qualify. While his attempts at a British accent are perhaps even more questionable than Costner's decision not to even attempt one, it's hard to deny the emotional impact of the scene where [[spoiler:he reveals his parentage, and the reason for his hatred of Robin]]. Hard to believe he could sell it so well until you watch it.

* MisBlamed: A meta-example; the film is rather notorious for the fact that a few members of the cast, and Creator/KevinCostner in particular, lack a British accent. However, what we consider a British accent today is a fairly recent innovation, and having characters speak with said accent doesn't make them any more or any less accurate to the time period. If accuracy were that important, the characters really should be speaking either Old or Middle English (the film takes place during the period of transition between the two), which would be largely incomprehensible to a speaker of Modern English. Furthermore, as part of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, Robin may not have spoken English: Norman French was the language of the English nobility of the time, and in fact Richard I himself didn't speak English at all. OF course, the fact that most of the characters do speak in a modern English accent, including those who were not native Brits like Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, make it hard to defend the central character not having one.

** For some reason, Christian Slater hasn't had nearly as much mockery, despite his [[OohMeAccentsSlipping clumsy attempt]] at sounding slightly less American.

** This movie is often mocked for using American accents for an English setting. However, American English is barely further away from Middle English (the accent that would have been spoken at the time the movie is set in) than most modern English accents are (particularly [[TheQueensLatin RP]], so the outrageousness of Costner's accent is rather overstated. It might have been more easily forgiven if ''none'' of the cast spoke with modern English accents, but as most of them do, it make's Costner's performance in the lead role stand out like a sore thumb.