Hugh Jackman in “The Death of Robin Hood.”
A24
The Death of Robin Hood, starring Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer and Bill Skarsgård, is getting a positive reception from most Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Opening in theaters nationwide on Friday, The Death of Robin Hood stars Jackman as the legendary title character, who is gravely injured during a battle. Tormented by a past involving crime and murder, Robin Hood finds a chance at salvation as he’s recovering from his wounds while in the care of a mysterious woman named Sister Brigid (Comer).
Rated R, The Death of Robin Hood is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One, Pig).
As of Thursday, The Death of Robin Hood has earned a 71% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, based on 79 reviews. RT’s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter rating based on verified user ratings are still pending.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘The Death of Robin Hood’?
Richard Whittaker of the Austin Chronicle is among the top critics on RT who gives The Death of Robin Hood a “fresh” score. Whittaker writes in his RT review summary, “Sarnoski’s script doesn’t needlessly insert darkness into Robin Hood. It’s always been there, and his version of the outlaw is in communion with all those other retellings.”
Cary Darling of the Houston Chronicle also gives The Death of Robin Hood a fresh score on RT, writing that it’s “a brutal, downcast, haunting and ultimately moving film from director/writer Michael Sarnoski … And Jackman turns out to be the perfect embodiment of his taciturn, troubled protagonist.”
Ian Freer also gives the new Robin Hood tale a “fresh” score on RT, writing, “You might feel you’re done with Robin Hood — takes from the rich, gives to the poor, yadda yadda yadda — but Michael Sarnoski’s film finds new textures and humanity in the stock figure.”
Nikki Gemmell of The Australian also deems The Death of Robin Hood “fresh,” but with some reservations, noting that the film has “meticulous costuming, haunting score, stunning cinematography. Yet the introspective script doesn’t quite live up to the pedigree of the filmmaking craft on display; it’s a touch slow.”
Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal is among the top critics on RT who gives The Death of Robin Hood a “rotten” score. Smith writes in his RT review summary, “After the early violence, the movie settles into a kind of pondwater stasis. It’s as if Mr. Sarnoski couldn’t devise any dialogue to suggest the transformation he wants us to believe is under way and settles for a series of dramatically inert scenes.”
Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service isn’t a fan of the new Robin Hood movie either, writing in her “rotten” RT review summary, “Despite all the mud and blood, nothing about this film is particularly earthy or embodied. It ends up as this profoundly dull and utterly pointless commentary on the concept of narrative and mythology.”
Thelma Adams of AARP for Grownups also gives the film a “rotten” score on RT, writing, “While the two charming and vital actors Jackman and Comer try very hard to carry the action forward, The Death of Robin Hood unfortunately collapses under its weighty intentions and self-seriousness.”
Kristy Puchko of Mashable gives the film a “rotten” score on RT as well, writing, “The Death of Robin Hood is an unpleasant and cynical slog, despite a promising cast.”
The Death of Robin Hood opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.