The Adventures of Maid Marian (2022) Dir. Bill Thomas

A hooded individual sneaking through the forest with a quiver full of arrows on their back opens this new feature based around the exploits of the famous Midlands outlaw.

Yet this person is not Robin of the Hood, or even Robin of Loxley. In fact, it isn’t Robin at all. We are actually being introduced to Maid Marian (Sophie Craig), often cast as the love interest of the legendary bandit who robs the rich and gives to the poor.

But here she is not the damsel in distress you’ve seen in previous incarnations but a feisty combat-ready soldier taking the hero role whilst Robin is away at war.

It’s Nottingham 1199 and Marian has been hiding as a nun in a convent but after hearing the news of King Richard’s death, she leaves and reconnects with her love Robin (Dominic Andersen) who returns to find her.

First off, I’m a major fan of the Robin Hood legend and not just owing to the Midlands connection. I still own Kevin Costner’s 1991 version “Prince of Thieves” on VHS (1^st place in our list of the best Robin Hood movies by the way) and also I recently visited the Sycamore Tree from that very film too.

The Adventures of Maid Marian appears to have a couple of nods to that well-known version as she demonstrates her fighting prowess against Robin and later a fight they have involving wooden staffs seems to echo the Little John river confrontation.

In addition, for people my age, its set-up has similarities to the 1989 BBC comedy series Maid Marian and her Merry Men which also places Maid Marian front and centre.

Actor Bob Cryer arrives as The Sheriff of Nottingham who has returned to exact revenge on Robin who he feels was responsible for his downfall. However, his first appearance at nearly 30 minutes into the film (of an 82-minute length) is far too late to really establish this iconic villain.

The film’s biggest drawback though is simply the vast amount of wandering around the woods. Of course, Sherwood Forest plays a key role in all versions but here it’s a slog to watch Marian walk, meander, jog (delete as appropriate) through the trees and fields in the first act.

With little drama, minutes are eaten up with silent musings, whereas some additional dialogue and scenes of conflict would be hugely beneficial. That said, the cinematography is pretty great and the location shooting and wardrobe is top notch and captures the earthy feel of the period.

The story continues as the duo cross paths with Little John after an encounter with the Sheriff’s men. But sadly, every time the adventure feels like it’s about to jump into another gear, we pause for another sequence of woods-wandering, slow chasing or moments where characters hide.

One sequence that really works though is when Robin and Marian protect themselves in an outhouse trying to avoid an attack. Piercing weapons are shot into their sanctuary, there’s a little bit of fun banter and together it feels more like the exciting historic caper an audience would expect. With real peril and some stirring music, the film could have done with an equivalent scene to this at the start which would get the viewers’ blood pumping a lot more.

In the end, the cast do well with what they have – they just don’t have much of it – and if you can get to the faster second half then its increased pace really makes it far more engaging.

The Adventures of Maid Marian certainly is an interesting take on the folklore, showing a different angle to the story many of us are so familiar with and Marian’s legendary courage is certainly brought to the forefront. Overall, there’s definitely a more tightly edited fleshed-out romp buried deep in here somewhere, but it also has moments of merry mayhem that entertain despite a low budget.

★★½☆☆

Michael Sales

Signature Entertainment present The Adventures of Maid Marian on Digital Platforms 9th May