History YMMV / RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves

* VanillaProtagonist: Like Creator/ErrolFlynn's [[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood portrayal]], which was a standard example of 1930's Swashbuckler Protagonist, Kevin Costner's portrayal is likewise a standard example of 1990's Swashbuckler Protagonist, even if he was one of the first. As a result, due to being so standard he gets overshadowed by other characters such as Morgan Freeman's Azeem, Alan Rickman's Sheriff, Geraldine [=McEwan=]'s Mortiana, Brian Blessed's Lord Locksley, Nick Brimble's Little John, Harold Innocent's Bishop, Walter Sparrow's Duncan, Michael Goldie's Kenneth and, of course, Richard Couer-de-Lion played by Sean Connery, himself a past Robin Hood, though in stark contrast to his predecessor and successor was able to avoid being a standard 1970's Swashbuckler Protagonist, both due to his skill as an actor being far greater than Flynn and Costner's and the fact that his film was a deconstruction of the genre.

* VanillaProtagonist: * VanillaProtagonist: Like Creator/ErrolFlynn's [[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood portrayal]], which was a standard example of 1930's Swashbuckler Protagonist, Kevin Costner's portrayal is likewise a standard example of 1990's Swashbuckler Protagonist, even if he was one of the first. As a result, due to being so standard he gets overshadowed by other characters such as Morgan Freeman's Azeem, Alan Rickman's Sheriff, Geraldine [=McEwan=]'s Mortiana, Brian Blessed's Lord Locksley, Nick Brimble's Little John, Harold Innocent's Bishop, Walter Sparrow's Duncan, Michael Goldie's Kenneth and, of course, Richard Couer-de-Lion played by Sean Connery, himself a past Robin Hood, though in stark contrast to his predecessor and successor was able to avoid being a standard 1970's Swashbuckler Protagonist, both due to his skill as an actor being far greater than Flynn and Costner's and the fact that his film was a deconstruction of the genre.

* VanillaProtagonist: For a Robin Hood film, Costner has a rather subdued take on it that makes him come less as the [[GuileHero Guile Hero]] Robin that most people are used to and more of your standard goody-two-shoes hero. The cast containg [[Creator/MorganFreeman Morgan Freeman]] , [[Creator/AlanRickman Alan Rickman]], [[Creator/BrianBlessed BRIAN BLESSED]] and ''freaking'' [[Creator/SeanConnery Sean Connery]], (himself a past Robin Hood!) doesn't exactly help matters.

* VanillaProtagonist: Like Creator/ErrolFlynn's [[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood portrayal]], which was a standard example of 1930's Swashbuckler Protagonist, Kevin Costner's portrayal is likewise a standard example of 1990's Swashbuckler Protagonist, even if he was one of the first. As a result, due to being so standard he gets overshadowed by other characters such as Morgan Freeman's Azeem, Alan Rickman's Sheriff, Geraldine [=McEwan=]'s Mortiana, Brian Blessed's Lord Locksley, Nick Brimble's Little John, Harold Innocent's Bishop, Walter Sparrow's Duncan, Michael Goldie's Kenneth and, of course, Richard Couer-de-Lion played by Sean Connery, himself a past Robin Hood, though in stark contrast to his predecessor and successor was able to avoid being a standard 1970's Swashbuckler Protagonist, both due to his skill as an actor being far greater than Flynn and Costner's and the fact that his film was a deconstruction of the genre.

* VanillaProtagonist: Like Creator/ErrolFlynn's [[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood portrayal]], which was a standard example of 1930's Swashbuckler Protagonist, Kevin Costner's portrayal is likewise a standard example of 1990's Swashbuckler Protagonist, even if he was one of the first. As a result, due to being so standard he gets overshadowed by other characters such as Morgan Freeman's Azeem, Alan Rickman's Sheriff, Geraldine McEwan's Mortiana, Brian Blessed's Lord Locksley, Nick Brimble's Little John, Harold Innocent's Bishop, Walter Sparrow's Duncan, Michael Goldie's Kenneth and, of course, Richard Couer-de-Lion played by Sean Connery, himself a past Robin Hood, though in stark contrast to his predecessor and successor was able to avoid being a standard 1970's Swashbuckler Protagonist, both due to his skill as an actor being far greater than Flynn and Costner's and the fact that his film was a deconstruction of the genre.

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* VanillaProtagonist: Like Creator/ErrolFlynn's [[Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood portrayal]], which was a standard example of 1930's Swashbuckler Protagonist, Kevin Costner's portrayal is likewise a standard example of 1990's Swashbuckler Protagonist, even if he was one of the first. As a result, due to being so standard he gets overshadowed by other characters such as Morgan Freeman's Azeem, Alan Rickman's Sheriff, Geraldine McEwan's Mortiana, Brian Blessed's Lord Locksley, Nick Brimble's Little John, Harold Innocent's Bishop, Walter Sparrow's Duncan, Michael Goldie's Kenneth and, of course, Richard Couer-de-Lion played by Sean Connery, himself a past Robin Hood, though in stark contrast to his predecessor and successor was able to avoid being a standard 1970's Swashbuckler Protagonist, both due to his skill as an actor and the fact that his film was a deconstruction of the genre.

* NewerThanTheyThink: 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.

* VanillaProtagonist: Like Errol Flynn's portrayal, which was a standard example of 1930's Swashbuckler Protagonist, Kevin Costner's portrayal is likewise a standard example of 1990's Swashbuckler Protagonist, even if he was one of the first. As a result, due to being so standard he gets overshadowed by other characters such as Morgan Freeman's Azeem, Alan Rickman's Sheriff, Geraldine McEwan's Mortiana, Brian Blessed's Lord Locksley, Nick Brimble's Little John, Harold Innocent's Bishop, Walter Sparrow's Duncan, Michael Goldie's Kenneth and, of course, Richard Couer-de-Lion played by Sean Connery, himself a past Robin Hood, though in stark contrast to his predecessor and successor was able to avoid being a standard 1970's Swashbuckler Protagonist, both due to his skill as an actor and the fact that his film was a deconstruction of the genre.

* 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.

* CrossingTheLineTwice: Nottingham, being performed by Creator/AlanRickman and all, makes such a hammy and snarky performance of every evil action he makes, it's hard to take his atrocities too seriously. He also nearly ''rapes'' Marian with darkly comical pronunciation, even doing an acrobatic split to separate her legs at one point.

** Music/MichaelKamen's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maA5bCx3_Jk Overture]]. The film's production company, Creator/MorganCreek, [[BootstrappedTheme went on to use it]] as their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8povHErVQ2o logo fanfare]] for subsequent films. Creator/{{Disney}}, a company that ''wasn't even involved with making the film'', would also later use it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61ACk_7D7-0 as fanfare]] on many of their DVD and Blu-Ray releases. French film ''Film/LesVisiteurs'' also used a MusicalPastiche of it.

** 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.

* SpiritualAdaptation: One of many Myth/RobinHood films which is this to the novel ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'', focusing on the returning Crusader knight aspects and the return of King Richard rather than the racial conflict of the Saxons and Normans, though the Bayeux Tapestry does appear.

** "[[EvilIsPetty And call off Christmas!]]" (which was improvised by Rickman) feels like a funny throwaway line to modern viewers but it's rather harsher in context: In those days, the governors, land owners and Shire-reves would hold a festive gathering at Yule for their tenants, to keep people's spirits up and help them survive when winter was frequently lethal.

* 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'').
** For some reason, Creator/ChristianSlater hasn't had nearly as much mockery, despite his [[OohMeAccentsSlipping clumsy attempt]] at sounding slightly less American.
* NewerThanTheyThink:
** 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.
** The sobriquet "Prince of Thieves" itself, while fitting nicely, only dates back to this film. (It even inspired the name of another film, ''Film/PrincessOfThieves'', which focuses on Robin and Marian's daughter Gwyn; however, that one is a MadeForTVMovie and not a sequel to this.)
*** 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 [[Film/ThePrinceOfThieves 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.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To both ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'' and ''Film/RobinAndMarian'' in its own ways.

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

* SpiritualAdaptation: One of many RobinHood films which is this to the novel ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'', focusing on the returning Crusader knight aspects and the return of King Richard rather than the racial conflict of the Saxons and Normans, though the Bayeux Tapestry does appear.

** Music/MichaelKamen's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maA5bCx3_Jk Overture]]. The film's production company, Creator/MorganCreek, [[BootstrappedTheme went on to use it]] as their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8povHErVQ2o 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=61ACk_7D7-0 as fanfare]] on many of their DVD and Blu-Ray releases.

* ToughActToFollow: Neither ''Film/RobinHood2010'' nor ''Film/RobinHood2018'' were as successful or as memorable as this one.
* ValuesResonance: Azeem is a positive portrayal of the Muslim faith and is one of the most noble of the cast of characters.

** Music/MichaelKamen's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maA5bCx3_Jk Overture]]. The film's production company, Creator/MorganCreek, [[BootstrappedTheme went on to use it]] as their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8povHErVQ2o 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.
** Music/BryanAdams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is one awesome power ballad.

** 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).

** Arguably. If you don't know that [[Literature/TheBible Judas Iscariot was paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus Christ]], the line where Friar Tuck gives that same amount to the bishop "to pay the devil ''on your way to hell!''" doesn't have quite the same impact.

** To some, Creator/ChristianSlater'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 Creator/MaryElizabethMastrantonio, make it hard to defend the central character not having one.

* 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.

** To a lesser extent, Marian is often referred to as a Plantagenet simply on the grounds that she is Richard's cousin. The film gives her surname as Dubois and it is never stated how closely the two are related.

*** 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 [[Film/ThePrinceOfThieves 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.

* 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).

* 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. 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.

* SpiritualAdaptation: One of many RobinHood films which is this to the novel ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}''.

* 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.