Movie · 1938 · Adventure, Romance, History, Action · 1h 42m · PG · English
Curator score: 8.7/10 (103.1K ratings)
Excitement... Danger... Suspense... as this classic adventure story sweeps across the screen!
Overview
Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.7/10
IMDb: 7.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.86/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Metacritic: 97
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast
Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale, Melville Cooper, Ian Hunter, Una O'Connor, Herbert Mundin, Montagu Love, Leonard Willey, Robert Noble, Kenneth Hunter, Robert Warwick, Colin Kenny, Lester Matthews, Harry Cording, Howard Hill
Curator Review
Verdict
A gleeful, high-spirited swashbuckler that still feels fast, colorful, and genuinely exciting. Its Technicolor spectacle, crisp action, and charismatic performances make it an easy classic to recommend, even for viewers who usually bounce off older Hollywood films.
Best for
fans of classic adventure cinema
viewers who want a fun, accessible old Hollywood movie
people who enjoy romantic swashbucklers and heroic escapism
fans of vivid Technicolor spectacle and elegant swordplay
Skip if
you want modern realism or gritty action
you dislike heightened old-Hollywood performance styles
you need a very psychologically complex or ambiguous story
you prefer intimate, dialogue-heavy dramas
Overview
This is one of the great gateway classics: bright, brisk, and built to entertain. The movie moves with real confidence, turning the Robin Hood legend into a pure adventure machine without losing its sense of romance or pageantry. It’s easy to see why it remains the template for so many later swashbucklers.
Worth noting
What stands out most is how alive it feels. The color, the costumes, the score, and the staging all work together to make every duel and chase feel larger than life. Errol Flynn is effortlessly magnetic, Olivia de Havilland brings warmth and grace, and Basil Rathbone gives the villainy just enough polish to make the conflict snap.
Bottom line
Even now, the film’s energy is infectious. It’s not trying to be subtle; it’s trying to be thrilling, and it succeeds with style to spare. If you want a classic that feels like a celebration of cinema itself, this is a very strong pick.
Top Letterboxd reviews
demi adejuyigbe · 1420 likes
horses do not know they're in a movie
Patrick Willems (4★) · 1241 likes
It's kind of embarrassing how much better this is than every other Robin Hood movie from the past 80 years.
mia lee vicino (3.5★) · 915 likes
shrek vibes as fuck
Quinn · 630 likes
Drinking game: take a shot whenever a character in this film throws their head back and laughs.
comrade_yui (5★) · 395 likes
a lot of casual film fans claim to have difficulties watching older hollywood movies: 'too slow', 'it's in black & white', all the excuses. but if you had to break the ice and get them hooked on the classics, you couldn't go wrong with the adventures of robin hood: curtiz was one of the fastest directors of his time, a master of speedy montage and action, his pictures are direct, clear, accessible, and above all FUN. robin hood itself is immediately… more a lot of casual film fans claim to have difficulties watching older hollywood movies: 'too slow', 'it's in black & white', all the excuses. but if you had to break the ice and get them hooked on the classics, you couldn't go wrong with the adventures of robin hood: curtiz was one of the fastest directors of his time, a master of speedy montage and action, his pictures are direct, clear, accessible, and above all FUN. robin hood itself is immediately… more