Princess of Thieves Movie Review

Like father, like daughter, right? This Disney fable continues the legend of Robin Hood via his young daughter Gwyn (Keira Knightley, who had a small part as Amidala's #6 assistant in Star Wars: Episode I), who chops off her long locks and follows in dear old dad's footsteps (literally -- she has a romance with a royal, enters an archery tournament in disguise, and fights the evil king). The plot is virtually indistinguishable from the traditional tale, only with a zit-free, teeth-whitened, Disney Channel-friendly kid in the lead and the ultimate goal being to save dad from execution. Gulp! (Well, don't worry, it's all tamely G-rated, or essentially so.)

The adult-worthy stuff is minimal. Malcolm McDowell plays the wicked Sherriff of Nottingham, over-the-top, but that's really what this tepid story needs. (Speaking of which, it could also use a dose of historical reality, unless history really has forgotten the rule of King Philip, son of Richard the Lionheart... ahem.) Knightley will likely find a small following of preteen girls who want to follow in her medieval tomboy footsteps, but most viewers will find themselves a bit bored. Why? This story's been told a million times before -- and while Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves may not be the greatest telling of it, at least Kevin Costner was believable as a male. Sorry Keira, but you just don't look like a dude, no matter how you the disguise.