Time Bandits
Starring: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Ian Holm, Craig Warnock
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Rating: PG
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy
1981

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young boy (Craig Warnock) experiences a strange encounter when six midgits enter his bedroom through his closet and inform him that they are trying to escape from the Supreme Being. They take the boy along with him and explain that they stole a map which guides them through time. The adventures travel to different periods of time stealing rare artifacts. Everything is going well until they meet Evil incarnate, who wants to steal the map from them.

Review:
Tim: I'll start with the positive. It is very interesting to watch as the cast travels to different points in history- France 1796, Sherwood Forest during the Middle Ages, ancient Mycenae, the Titanic on its maiden voyage... however, the film takes a turn for the worse when they travel to the Time of Legends and battle the ruler of the Fortress of Darkness. This part of the film is too absurd to be any good.

I also could not quite identify with our "heroes"- 6 midgits working for the Supreme Being and an English schoolboy they picked up along the way. These are not my type of protagonists.

I enjoyed the film's easy shift between various time periods, however, the technology and special effects are very, very outdated. The film is mildly interesting, but feels more like a relic than a movie that still holds up today.

The supporting cast is the best part of the film. Ian Holm is good as Napoleon. John Cleese isn't a very good Robin Hood. This was the character that was least exciting to me. I found these scenes particularly unfunny. Sean Connery is great as Agamemnon. Unfortunately, each of these characters only makes a brief appearance. This is the biggest disappointment of the film. We catch these greats for a second, and then it is back to the munchkins and the brat.

Time Bandits ends in perhaps the worst ending of all time. The concentrated evil and the kid's parents is simply atrocious. I cannot imagine what was going through Terry Gilliam or anyone involved with the project's mind, but it leaves a lasting taste of disgust in our mouths. It is a horrible end to a movie that had a good idea, but failed to really deliver.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Back to the Future trilogy, The Time Machine, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure