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Time Bandits

Time Bandits (1981)

November. 13,1981
|
6.9
|
PG
| Adventure Fantasy Comedy Science Fiction

Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon before the Supreme Being catches up with them.

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bowmanblue
1981/11/13

Sometimes a film comes along that is so damn perfect that we can only pray to the Gods who rule over greedy Hollywood producers that they never sully the good name of 'Time Bandits.' In case you haven't guessed – I'm a fan. It's a story about a child that isn't necessarily FOR children. A young lad named Kevin wakes up one night to find, er, a knight, rampaging through his bedroom. And, to the film's extra credit, only a few scenes later the adventure is underway proper when the very next evening, the armoured medieval warrior on horseback is replaced by a gang of foul-mouthed and foul-tempered dwarfs who have stolen the Supreme Being's map of the universe and are now in the process of exploiting the various 'holes' in time for financial gain.Yeah, it's a bit weird. And a bit 'out there,' but then it's directed by no less than Terry Gilliam. 'Who's that?' you ask. Okay, so you're probably under thirty and aren't that aware of that oh so influential comedy troupe Monty Python's Flying Circus. Gilliam was basically the sixth Python who mainly stayed behind the camera drawing crazy cartoons of giant feet and killer prams. In other words, he's well used to weirdness and it shows in every frame. Now, despite also featuring fellow Pythons John Cleese and Michael Palin, don't get fooled into thinking that this is just a 'Monty Python the Movie' (like their other big screen epics 'Life of Brian' and 'The Holy Grail'). Although it does have many weird and surreal qualities as Kevin and the seven dwarfs (I'm not sure there are exactly seven, but near enough) skip through time, doing their best to steal everything that isn't nailed down, while, at the same time, avoiding the wrath of our Creator. However, it never feels like it's set in the same 'Python' universe (sorry if I make it sound like Marvel's shared cinematic universe!).As I mentioned at the beginning, 'Time Bandits' is much darker in tone and, despite Kevin being young and innocent, he's often placed in real danger and faced with many disturbing images and situations that may well upset a younger audience. However, regardless of his young age, the actor himself plays it well and is never less than enjoyable to watch, evoking a real sense of sympathy in him due to his homelife and desire to better himself. This is placed in direct contrast to the dwarfs who are little more than common criminals and yet we still find ourselves rooting for them because they are literally the underdogs and humorous to boot. In every time period they seem to end up in brings the opportunity for one celebrity cameo after the next. As I've already said a couple of familiar Pythons pop up, but expect appearances from Ian Holm and even Sean Connery (who maintains his trademark Scottish drawl despite being a Greek king!).With great characters, great actors, a weird and wonderful story filled with practical effects that would make Michael Bay weep and an end battle scene that is different enough to put any recent Hollywood fist fight or superhero movie to shame, it's hard to say anything negative about 'Time Bandits.' It's a true cult classic that is as delightful (in a dark kind of way) today as it ever was. If I had to dwell on anything minor it might be how this sort of film just isn't appreciated any more by (the majority of) the youth. I can see it forever maintaining a special place in many of my generation's hearts, but, as the years go by, less and less people will be interested in a quirky little tale involving spaceships and Minotaurs and, instead, prefer men in iron suits flying round cities swatting an army of computer-generated aliens. Nothing wrong with that, but I think there should always be room for different types of films. And they don't come much different than 'Time Bandits.' If you love quirky. If you love Python and if you love practical effects then you have to have to watch this before it gets remade and computer generated to extinction.

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ElMaruecan82
1981/11/14

"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."That's Woody Allen talking and you know what, the neurotic genius is right. And I had to start my review of "Time Bandits" with that statement for two reasons: I think the film failed to deliver its premise, but it is a failure signaling the emergence of a unique talent: Terry Gilliam, the Monty Python artist whose mind was like a laboratory of fantasy images and psychedelic extravaganza, responsible for some of the most peculiar movies of the last decades. They were not equally appealing, he's certainly one of the most divisive directors, but if you judge innovation by the frequency of failures, he might be the most innovative director. "Time Bandits" is about a curious and gentle little kid embarking in an time-traveling adventure, from Ancient Greece to Sherwood Forest, Napoleon Wars to the Titanic sinking, from a futuristic time to a pirates ship, with six dwarfs specializing in robbing relics and precious items from the eras they visit, this premise alone is just too irresistible for words. But for some reason that totally beats me, Terry Gilliam turns it into a rather dull, repetitive, unfunny film, one that goes uninteresting quite quickly anyway. Maybe a director like Steven Spielberg could have given it a more entertaining structure and compelling story, but Spielberg was busy making "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and then, he would make "E.T.". There are reasons why these films are classics and "Time Bandits" a cult-movie mostly known by Gilliam aficionados, Spielberg knew the kind of thrills and emotional elements the audience wanted."Time Bandits" doesn't even provide an alternative to the "Spielbergian" adventure; it is an assemblage of different vignettes, all set in different times but that stopped to be impressive as the film progresses. It is worth starting by giving Caesar's what is Caesar's: the production design and settings are top notch, on an Oscar worthy level. But like it often occurs with Gilliams' movies and this one should have been another signal, Gilliam gets so carried away by all the special effects that you never get the feeling he's really directing the film, you don't get the direction, literally. Some parts stretch for far too long without providing much novelty, apart from the visual escapism, and the fact that the kid is more of a follower doesn't provide much room for gags or inventiveness. The dwarfs lead the show and it's not saying much.Don't get me wrong, there are some pretty good parts, the opening where the kid meets the six little thieves and they leave the room, followed by an ominous divine-like figure, is thrilling, unsettling and overall captivating. The Evil One, played by David Warner, is an interesting antagonist in his obsession to surpass God with a creation that would take technology as a focal point. There is also a magnificent climax that kind of redeems the flaws and perhaps provides, as Gene Siskel named it, the ultimate rescue, from any movie, but then it is also ruined by a rather bizarre and abrupt ending. And watching the show with Ebert and Siskel, I could see a glee in Siskel's eyes, he wanted to recommend the film but found it too boring. And I agree, I can't recommend this film that feels like a draft of "Munchausen" which wasn't flawless anyway.Ebert liked the film a little more but there was no enthusiasm in his eyes, and he conceded that kids might enjoyed it for what it was, a series of adventures in different settings, maybe like a video game or a Tintin book. I don't even think he's right. First, the film is just too long even by adult movies' standards, it drags on for two hours and not every scene is indispensable. It could have done without the Titanic part where the special effects didn't match the previous parts. Secondly, the kid is a passive character, he doesn't even have the biting wit of Sally in "Munchausen", he's an adorable little boy who just follows the dwarfs and that's it. There's no coming-of-age element of any sort, no real change of character's arc, I wouldn't underestimate the kids and take for granted that they don't expect a character's arc. Finally, the tone oscillates between moments of sophisticated wits and surrealistic confrontations that might disconcert children.Maybe "Time Bandits" tries to be something between "Tron" and "The Man Who Would be King", with a mixture of Monty Python flavor, a video game of Kiplingesque magnitude, I guess, but it just comes anachronistic compared to what the 80's had to offer and not just Spielberg, a film like "The Princess' Bride" has got the wit, the warmth and the charm "Time Bandits" is lacking. Maybe Gilliam takes its setting, and casting (Sean Connery, John Cleese, Patrick Vaughan and many of Gilliam regulars) for granted and doesn't care for showing some real warmth or depth in the characters, so even as a kids' movie, it doesn't quite succeed.Now, it all comes down to a dilemma, either you praise the film but not with enthusiasm or you condemn it with magnanimity. This is a film full of good intentions, but in its own right as a two-hour spectacle, you better have something to do while you're watching it, it's not really an attention grabber.

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oOoBarracuda
1981/11/15

From the mind of the man who brought us Monty Python, Terry Gilliam, comes the 1981 film Time Bandits. A misfit group of time travelers joined by a little boy bring to life eras in history with wonderful designs and detail. With cover art that is a brilliant mix of Dali and Kandinsky, Time Bandits is a film that has to be enjoyed at least once.Feeling increasingly more neglected by his technology-obsessed parents, Kevin (Craig Warnock) seeks solace alone, often tucked away in his room. One evening his room is crashed by a gang of misfit time travelers, international criminals (in training) who have stolen a map with all the time holes marked on it. These time holes will help them pop into a time period, steal whatever they wish, and jump into another time period before they can be caught. Along the way, Kevin runs into many of the people he has always read about in books during his alone time. Among those he meets are an endearing Robin Hood (John Cleese), the imposing King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), and the ever self- conscious Napoleon (Ian Holm). Traveling with his new troupe brings about some danger and not just in their missions alone. As it turns out, the gang is also constantly jumping away from the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson) that they stole the map from in the first place. Time hopping was instrumental for Kevin to escape his ignored life at home, and finding just the right gang of misfits was more than he could ever imagine, and a group he didn't want to let go of.Time Bandits was a fun movie both for its plot, and production design. Each time in history that they jumped to was full of detail and thoroughly designed. I think of this movie as a good version of Forrest Gump. The group jumped around from time to time, yet maintained a story and was engaging. I doubt I will see this film too many more times, but it was a fun one to watch!

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alyssabond
1981/11/16

This is a classic movie, and in some ways it really stands apart from movies of its time. The vision and scope is extremely impressive. However, it lacks a bit in execution. The story is very episodic, and it's hard sometimes to stay with it. The band of bandits is actually kind of unlikeable sometimes, and the kid isn't exactly the most proactive protagonist.As a kid, though, I totally adored this movie. It was really really fun. it still holds some of that magic and wonder, and there are so many exotic locations and characters that if you get bored with one, don't worry another will be right around the corner. However likewise if you are enjoying one period, you don't get to be there for very long. In that way it felt a bit like a sketch comedy show or something, just higher budget and the humor is very dark.I want to rate it higher, because I love Terry Gilliam, but I'd have to say this one is one of his more uneven efforts.

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