Back in 1908, Robin Hood and His Merry Men offered the first cinematic depiction of that legend. Literally dozens more adaptations hit screens both big and small over the last 110 years, and 2018’s Robin Hood brings yet another version of the story.

Set in England circa the Middle Ages, Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) enjoys a comfortable life along with his romantic partner Marion (Eve Hewson). However, this pleasant existence ends when the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn) forces Robin to fight in the Crusades.

Left weary and cynical after four years of combat, Robin returns to his home and enters into a different kind of battle. When commoners seek to revolt against an oppressive, exploitative ruling class, Robin joins the fight.

As I mentioned earlier, we’ve already gotten umpty-ump versions of this story over the years, so if it intends to stand out from the pack, the 2018 Hood needs to find a way to differentiate itself from its predecessors. It does this, but only via fairly obvious “borrowing” from other sources.

While you watch Hood, you’ll feel like you’ve already seen it, but not because it retells the titular legend again. Instead, the film feels overly familiar because it tries desperately to emulate the style of Christopher Nolan.

This means Hood plays like a mix of Batman Begins and Dark Knight Rises too. We get some James Bond overtones tossed in for good measure, but the Nolan vibe dominates.

Unfortunately, the film’s Nolan-esque feel only relates to stylistic choices. Director Otto Bathurst’s big-screen debut shows the ability to copy Nolan’s visual and auditory choices but he can’t give his Hood the depth and substance of the typical Nolan flick.

These deficits leave Hood as a glib, superficial effort. Packed with flashy visuals, the movie lacks any form of heart or dramatic impact.

All the characters feel like cartoons, and none of the actors add life to them. The performances become submerged underneath the action and never feel able to bring emotion to the proceedings.

I wouldn’t call Robin Hood a disaster, as it moves quickly enough to stave off boredom. Nonetheless, the movie feels like a failed, self-conscious attempt to fit the Robin Hood legend into a style that doesn’t suit it, and the end result sputters.

Robin Hood appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though not a killer presentation, Robin Hood usually looked strong.

Sharpness worked fine most of the time. Some interiors looked a bit soft, but those remained infrequent, so the majority of the film was accurate and well-defined. I saw no signs of jaggies or moiré effects, and the film lacked edge haloes or print flaws.

If you suspected Robin Hood would come with the modern standard teal and orange palette, you’ll get what you expected, though not to an extreme. While the flick went with those overtones, they didn’t overwhelm, and the orange bordered on amber and the teal learned green. Given their restraints, the colors looked fine here.

Blacks came across nicely. Dark tones were deep and rich, without any muddiness or problems. In addition, low-light shots gave us smooth, clear visuals. All in all, this became a pleasing presentation.

I also felt happy with the solid Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Robin Hood. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the mix offered plenty of opportunities for lively auditory information, and it took good advantage of these.

From early arrow-based combat to explosions to other action elements, the mix filled the speakers on a frequent basis. The track placed information in logical spots and blended all the channels in a smooth, compelling manner.

Audio quality was also positive. Music sounded lively and full, while effects delivered accurate material. Those elements showed nice clarity and kick, with tight low-end.

Speech was always distinctive and concise, too. This mix worked well for the film.

A few extras appear, and we find a documentary called Outlaws & Auteurs. In this one-hour, four-minute, 28-second piece, we hear from executive producers Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold, producer Jennifer Davisson, director Otto Bathurst, production designer Jjean-Vincent Puzos, costume designer Julian Day, composer Joseph Trapanese and actors Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, and Tim Minchin.

“Auteurs” looks at story/characters and updating the legend, cast and performances, action and stunts, sets and locations, costumes, music,

With more than an hour at its disposal, I hoped “Auteurs” would offer a deep look at the production. Unfortunately, it leans far too heavily toward praise and fluff along the way. Given the show’s length, we still get some good notes, but “Auteur” feels too superficial too much of the time.

A collection of Outtakes fills four minutes, 38 seconds with goofs and giggles. We find a pretty average compilation.

Six Deleted Scenes span a total of eight minutes, 26 seconds. These tend to provide forgettable character bits that add nothing significant or memorable.

The disc opens with ads for Hell Fest and Replicas. No trailer for Robin Hood appears here.

Flashy and stylish, Robin Hood submerges its story beneath one-dimensional theatrics. The film fails to create an emotional or dramatic connection and just feels like a rip-off of better movies. The Blu-ray comes with very good picture and audio as well as a mix of supplements. While not a terrible film, Robin Hood fails to excite.