Eight hundred years ago, Richard the Lionheart led the third Great Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Turks... Most of the young English noblemen who flocked to his banner never returned home... The film opens near Jerusalem in a terrible dungeon where Robin of Locksley is about to show the 'English' courage...

Locksley manages to escape with a fellow prisoner, a Moor called Azeem, and flees home to England...

On his arrival to Britain, the prodigal son finds dark forces plotting against his absent king... His father has been slain and his lands confiscated by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham...

To evade Gisborn's soldiers, Locksley heads off to the supposedly haunted Sherwood Forest, where he takes his chance with ghosts, and where he is accosted by a band of outlaws...

Like Burt Lancaster in 'The Flame and the Arrow,' Costner tries to lead the woodsmen in a revolt against injustice and tyranny, but misses the youthful exuberance and passion of Dardo...

Costner looks handsome as the legendary Prince of Thieves who must use his mastery of archery, siege warfare, and combat strategy to rescue his beloved damsel...

Morgan Freeman looks great as Azeem, the wizard with uncommon clarity of mind, who vows to repay Robin for saving his life... His knowledge of science is a surprising blow...

Mary Elizabeth Manstrantonio is Robin's beautiful and clever companion whose love for the arrogant young nobleman led her to see him taking her advice in Sherwood Forest...

Alan Rickman fluctuates between being a comic buffoon and a dangerous madman... He plays the Sheriff of Nottingham who has no limit to his ambitions...

Christian Slater is the hot tempered 'turncoat' with enough reason to hate Robin than any one else...

Geraldine McEwan is the ugly witch who saw the 'painted man' haunting her dreams...

Michael McShane is the natural charisma who would not strike a fellowman of the cloth... In fact he will help him pack for his journey with lots of gold...

Michael Wincott is the Sheriff's nefarious cousin who justifies his intrusion with news of profound value: 'I met a hooded man today who made me warn you not to harm his people.'

Nick Brimble is the best man of the woods who challenges Robin for his sacred gold medallion...

Walter Sparrow is the loyal servant to the Locksleys who has lost his vision by the Sheriff's own cruelty...

Harold Innocent is the corrupt churchman who accuses innocent men of witchcraft and let them die...

There are beautiful, breathtaking, and amusing scenes: Robin's father, dressed in his black battle armor on top his black stallion, preparing to battle the 'men in masks'; sweeping shots of the English countryside as Robin and Azeem escape Sir Guy of Gisborn and his soldiers; the bout with quarterstaves across a stream; plenty of flaming arrows flowing through the greenwood along with some exciting fighting; and like Burt Lancaster in "The Flame and the Arrow," who pauses in the middle of a frantic battle to plant a kiss on a kitchen maid, Alan Rickman plants his kiss on Maid Marian in the middle of his frantic duel with Costner...

The majestic cameo (one of the best in epic movies) at the end of the film by a great, iconic figure, makes the movie just the right mix of adventure, humor, and romance...

ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, a medieval romp of wenches, women, warriors, wild men and the woods, is, taken at face value, an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser of a film. It's a deliberate throwback to the days of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, featuring a tough, swashbuckling hero, a rich tapestry of a storyline bringing together all of the clichés, and plenty of action for archery fans to enjoy. It also happens to be packed full of errors, both geographical and factual, and it features some of the cheesiest performances outside of a local pantomime. That's part of the charm.

First off, this isn't a film to be taken seriously. From the moment Robin washes up in Dover and announces that he'll be in Nottingham by nightfall, you know that getting the historical details right wasn't the priority of the scriptwriter. The detour to Hadrian's Wall en route is still unintentionally hilarious, and the mumbo-jumbo pagan cult stuff is just as out of place as the presence of the lost boys in Ridley Scott's po-faced take on the myth, ROBIN HOOD.

But along the way, ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES is a lot of fun. Yes, it's nonsense, but it's entertaining tosh and I for one was thoroughly enjoying myself while I watched it. Okay, so Costner's gruff seriousness grates more than a little, as does the vomit-inducing romantic sub-plot with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's wishy-washy Maid Marian, but at least Alan Rickman and Michael Wincott get into the spirit of things with delightfully over-the-top villainous turns that belong, yes, in a pantomime.

Goodness knows what Morgan Freeman thinks he's up to, prowling around in the background as an out-of-place Moor, but he adds entertainment value too – as does Christian Slater's weaselly Will Scarlett. There's action aplenty, along with a touch of viciousness and horror as the Sheriff of Nottingham consults a grisly old witch woman; not the usual kind of stuff you find in family fare. This movie is certainly no masterpiece, but there's something about it that's undeniably charming.

I really liked Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves, I found it enjoyable and beautifully filmed. It is true, Kevin Costner's performance in the title role mayn't be to everyone's tastes, least of all mine, I found him too American plus I personally preferred Errol Flynn, who was born for the role. I just didn't think he was right for the character. But the performances from everyone else more than compensates, Alan Rickman, a great actor was a revelation as the villainous sheriff, and Geraldine McEwen almost unrecognisable as Mortitiana. Morgan Freeman and Sean Connery are excellent too, and Mary Elizabeth Monstratonio is very radiant as Maid Marian. There are also some beautiful camera-work, and some splendid set pieces, like the fight in Sherwood Forest. The script wasn't that bad, I particularly loved the Sheriff's "Do you mind Robin? We've just got married!" The music by Michael Kamen was beautiful and quite rousing. All in all, maybe not as good as the Errol Flynn film, but this is actually very enjoyable. 9/10 Bethany Cox