“Robin Hood” is one of the highly anticipated movies of 2018. Indeed, it has a stellar cast, an old yet beautiful story that deserves to be retold, absolutely mind-blowing fighting scenes on an epic scale, romance, drama, and anything that you can wish. But the truth is, it’s much bigger than just an adventure piece. “Robin Hood”, as the narrator tells the audience, is not a bedtime story. And by the time you reach towards the end, you will realize why it is not – because it has the combination of horror and nightmare for the rich that get poorer, and its silver lining, where the poor get the platform to stand against evil to get back what they deserve with the right leader who was able to lead them toward the long awaited victory.

Robin Loxley (Taron Egerton) of Nottingham has everything he could have wished for – Marian (Eve Hewson), the love of his life, a beautiful mansion he could live in, a privileged life which seems would never end, so he could grow older and happier with every passing day. But destiny had another fate for him when his path crosses with Yahya, aka John (Jamie Foxx), who reminded Robin who he’s born into is not what he’s meant to become – to be the only person who will be able to hit the rich where it hurts most– to steal their money and give it to the poor. But that fight is not going to be easy. However, Robin Hood and his mentor could not care any less. Because the cause is much greater than fear, which they decided to eliminate from their psyche.

Robin Hood was doing well at war, when he, during one particular moment, realizes that the war has no empathy, the greed for killing has no limit, and no matter how much blood it gets to drink, it will always get more and more thirsty. It was John’s son who was about to get executed, but Robin goes against his own people to defend the armless and helpless young man from getting beheaded right before the eyes of his father. No matter how hard he tried, his attempt ended to no avail. However, that was enough for John to soon become Robin’s mentor, to understand one’s true friend is not one who laughs by your side, but the enemy that turns into a friend by trying to save the life of your loved one.

As the story unfolds, Robin turns into the Hood and begins his battle within the establishment against the Cardinal and Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn, a perfect villain) who proposes a new tax bill that is aimed to further enrich rich people and finance a war nobody really needs. When the money begins disappearing, first from the church, the Sheriff begins his hunt to catch the thief, not realizing that the one who he’s looking for is right there, next to him, playing the role of a good ally with a hidden agenda – to destroy his evil plan plotted against innocent people.

I can actually go on and on about how much Otto Bathurst’s version of “Robin Hood” has to offer. But for that, a whole different level of writing and analysis will be required which is not going to be presented in this review. The screenplay co-written by Ben Chandler and David James Kelly speaks for itself, when the two end up describing the story of “Robin Hood” with such a clear picture that it almost appears the same way as the society we live in today.

In the end, there is no need to write about the technicality of the film, action scenes, or how well Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx found their on-screen chemistry. Those things can be read in some other reviews. But there’s one thing I should highlight here – “Robin Hood” is one of the most intelligent movies you will probably see. It provides food for thought through action. The lines it deliver will make even the most drunk person sober. Putting the Church in front, the film cleverly goes back and forth to remind us of our true values, and how the same values have been corrupted right under our nose. That said, “Robin Hood” is like a hurricane that breaks apart the image we have created about a beautiful and prosperous society. So, be ready to be blown away because this journey you’re about embark on is going to be totally worth it. And if you end up reading some negative reviews, don`t forget, at the end of the day, the final word will always be after you. So the question is, my dear reader, why won`t you go for it?