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Spoilers herein.No one wants Gilliam to succeed as much as I, even over this distance of time. He has an architectural imagination, places his sophisticated humor at the metalevel, and on this project had the support of the `spiritual' Beatle. So each time I come to it, I base the experience on an overly generous acceptable of the world he creates.The story is as much about himself as anything, I suppose, with his being swept into one world after another `stealing' this and that.He has succeeded on only one project, I think - `Fear and Loathing.' Until then, he tried something beyond his grasp: the notion that the world has charmingly incoherent (and funny) pockets. Or that there are hidden layers in ordinary reality that just need the right eye. Or even in Brazil, the rather common twist that of the other way around - that reality is the illusion. Only in `Fear' is this collapsed to a simple mechanism of a wholly created world in the mind of a brilliant, drug-addled madman. On that he could have finally approached the more ambitious `Don Quixote' from the other side as it were.One of the touchstones on that path is this project. Some visual imagination, but one gets the impression that none of the vignettes realized that flash of inspiration he had before his attention swooped off in another direction. The `play with' idea - always the safe haven for self-reference - is here a Punch and Judy play. I don't know whether we have to wait until he is dead before we start synthesizing his work into one huge movie of large chunks similar to the smaller chunks in each one. But if we did, that Punch and Judy play would be replaced by the larger `Munchausen' play.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 4: Has some interesting elements.

This is a science fiction classic in the vein of The Goonies and Labyrinth.

Time Bandits is an extremely imaginative fantasy film, and it clearly did not have the budget to make it as spectacular as it could have been. However, keeping in mind how many years ago it was made, it is a very respectable effort. The film is about a young boy who accidently winds up time traveling with a band of midgets who travel through time robbing people. Hence, Time Bandits. Their adventures through time are fascinating to watch, especially scenes like their run-in with the hilariously polite Robin Hood (played wonderfully by John Cleese). The final goal of the midgets is to find the "greatest object on the face of the earth," and their efforts to obtain it provide for wonderful entertainment. While Time Bandits may not be for all tastes, it is definitely an excellent adventure film that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is a trip through the imagination, and a hilarious ending involving the young boy's parents adds to the great fun of it all. If you are a fan of films like The Goonies and Labyrinth (which everyone is), don't miss Time Bandits.

My favorite film of all time.

This is THE definitive work on the nature of good and evil. It asks the age old question: Who is the Supreme Being, and what is it exactly that he wants from us? Terry Gilliam gives us a morality tale wrapped inside a an epic poem seen in the guise of an abstract painting.As a film, all the seperate elements are perfect, and blended together seemlessly by the hand of the maestro Gilliam. It is not only a brilliant comedy, but an enthralling story as well. This is a film that sparks discussion and debate that goes on well into the night.It is the rarest of all cinematic creatures-- a movie that is a genuine pleasure to watch and one that makes you think.

Decent...

[Minor Spoilers]I cannot say that this movie was as magnificent as some of the reviewers have stated on this thread before but it was passable and worth spending an hour or so around with some fast forwarding. Certain parts really dragged out for far too long... The scenes with Robin Hood and the "Evil" were great but I have to say that the Napoleon and Agamemnon parts left much to be desired (there seemed to be a lot of uncomfortable silences – of course this may have been intentional but it nonetheless led to some awkward moments...) Also, why was everybody speaking English? That was a bit puzzling but I guess it made for an easier transition to the movie screen…In conclusion, the movie was worth seeing if only for the "jolly good" Robin Hood scene... :)

its good

This movie rocks. I loved it as a kid and I still do. It has some terrific characters who are memorable and funny. The costume deign is superb and the set design is not bad either. The overall production design is good.

Another Gilliam Directorial Crapfest...

Time Bandits is awful. As awful as Jabberwocky if you can believe it.

The only post-Python Gilliam-directed film I can recommend is 12 Monkeys. In films like Brazil and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Gilliam hits us with crazy visuals...acid trips and fantasies...that go on and on and on until the credits roll. No plot, no involvement, no point at all.

If you've ever seen Lost in La Mancha, you were probably saddened by all the events that led to the cancellation of Gilliam's Don Quixote film...from the lead actor breaking bones, to a flood that destroyed expensive equipment. But after seeing some of Gilliam's other films, I'm now convinced that those events were:

"A blessing! A blessing from the Lord! God be praised!"

One the best films of its kind

To make a film that is both fantastical and intelligent is a difficult task. This was especially difficult at the time TIME BANDITS was made as the tools of the special effects trade were rather minimal and crude. Many films of this era that manage to succeed at the fantastical part are rather stupid films (STAR WARS and EMPIRE STRIKES BACK are two of them). Many people feel that STAR WARS and its ilk are good films but they are not. They are dull and stupid stories with poor acting and ridiculous dialog. TIME BANDITS succeeds at being a highly intelligent, creative and a very entertaining film by masterfully using the special effects of the time to surpass anything (except possibly BLADERUNNER)in its execution of the fantastical. I am old enough to have seen all the STAR WARS films as well as TIME BANDITS in the theater when they were released and as a young adult I was far more impressed by TIME BANDITS than any of the STAR WARS films. Actually, I found the original STAR WARS film rather boring. The problem with STAR WARS is that it is a children's story trying to be young adult entertainment and it comes across as very awkward, immature and childish. TIME BANDITS, however, has set its target audience (like many Warner Bros. cartoons before it) squarely at children but does not talk down to them and therefore succeeds at creating a story that entertains children as well as adults. TIME BANDITS is a masterpiece of science fiction and children's cinema and should bless everyone's DVD collection. It is such a great, great film.

Time Bandits is kid friendly Python

I used to watch this as a kid and enjoyed seeing it again as an adult. I found it was kid friendly for my 7 and 10 year old and in some ways more appropriate than all the imagery on the screen they get pounded with today's movies. It is funny (hilarious in parts) and just plain entertaining in other parts. If you are a Monty Python fan, you'll appreciate this the most. While it is not the best movie in the world, it does deserve some credit for its originality, humor and production value.

a title for your review:

^^^Haha...just following instructions^^^

I remember watching this movie when I was a kid and it was awesome to be able to watch it again. VHS tapes don't last forever! :( I was happy to be able to watch it again, even though I did not remember how it ended until I saw it. I don't remember being disappointed back then, but good movie none-the-less.

Magical stuff!

A modern English schoolboy named Kevin (Craig Warnock) was trying to have a good's nights rest, a group of dwarfish theieves (Kenny Baker, Mike Edmonds, David Rappaport, Tiny Ross, Malcom Dixon, and Mike Edmonds) exit out of his closet and the young boy joins them on the run from the supreme being. The little theives have a special map of time and space that they stole as they travel through different times from the age of Robin Hood to the age of Titanic then they confront the forces of darkness conducted by Evil One (David Warner).

A brilliant, magicial and hilarious fantasy comedy adventure from Terry Gilliam of Monty Python is the first great of Terry Gilliam's big 80's fantasy trilogy that began with this then continued with the even better "Brazil" in 1985 and ended with the underrated "Adventures of Baron Munchausen". The film does have an all-star supporting cast such as Shelly Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, John Cleese, Michael Palin and Ralph Richardson to shine on the film. The script by Terry Gilliam and fellow Monty Python member Michael Palin is witty and the music score is superb even some of the few songs by George Harrison of "Beatles" fame whom also produced the film. The special effect are still very good even in these days of CGI and there's even a fun sense of humor that makes this a winner for everyone.

This 2-Disc DVD set has brilliant picture and sound thanks to Divamax HD and some cool extras like interview with Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin, The Directors retrospective on the films of Gilliam featurette, Trailers, a fold out map of the universe with liner note, Terry Gilliam Bio and DVD-Rom feature on the original screenplay, this is a must have for the fantasy collection.

Also recommended: "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", "The Wizard of Oz", "The Brother's Grimm", "The Dark Crystal", "Harry Potter Saga", "Lord of the Rings Trilogy", "Labyrinth", "The Neverending Story", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Krull", "Willy Wonka (Both 1971 and 2005)", "The Spiderwick Chronicles", "The Golden Compass", "City of Lost Children", "Spirited Away", "My Neighbor Totoro", "Howl's Moving Castle", "Monty Python Movie Series", "Clash of the Titans", "Heavy Metal", "Excalibur", "Big Trouble in Little China", "The Forbidden Kingdom", "Shrek Trilogy", "Willow", "The Princess Bride", "Legend", "Return to Oz", "Jabberwocky", "Castle in The Sky", "Kiki's Delivery Service", "Hellboy 1 & 2", "Superman", "The Last Unicorn", "The Secret of NIMH", "The Flight of Dragons", "Watchmen", "Back to the Future Trilogy", "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", "Making Contact (a.k.a. Joey)", "Army of Darkness", "The Chronicles of Narnia 1 & 2", "Fire and Ice", "Mirrormask", "The Goonies" and "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey".

OK, this was just crappy

I do believe that tales, no matter if fairy ones or the normal kind, should have some sort of meaning. Some of Terry Gillian's movies don't seem to have any.In this one, a boy joins a band of idiotic dwarfs (who helped create the Universe, no wonder it is so messed up) into a journey through time and space that goes so far that it makes King Agamemnon and Napoleon speak English. There is no real moral to the story, no funny scenes, no historic facts that are depicted near to accurate, Evil is a smoked up cliché of sadistic stupidity, really, there is NOTHING worthwhile in this film. Even the main character, a little boy, is not really main and it not really pleasant. I wonder if he was a boy.The effects are really old, the music is horrible, the only merit of this movie is that it makes you wonder what comes next. I'll spoil it for you: nothing comes next, it's just a bunch of crap.Oh, and by the way, the true Evil in the world is caused by science and technology and it is there because of free will. Ugh, disgusting movie.

Absolutely excellent movie with imaginative ideas, great cameos and a hilarious script.

After I had seen a video on YouTube with a clip from the film, I thought it wouldn't look all that good. But when I found it in Woolworth's I bought it anyway since it was only £2 and now I figured I'm going to be watching it for quite a long time. This is a brilliant film with Gilliam's usual idea of giving all the big stars cameo roles. It has quite a curious ending, but otherwise it's a great movie that made me laugh about fifty or more times. It's perfect for fans of Python, too. It's cameos include John Cleese, Sean Connery, Ian Holm, Ralph Richardson and many more. Man, that Terry Gilliam, along with Tim Burton, is certainly my favourite film director, and after you watch this, he'll probably be yours as well.

cosmological

This excellent movie is sure to rivet up all those science fiction fantasies of travelling without moving. Great fun and humour for those altered states of being - where the joy of life lies in being always young.

"I am the Supreme Being after all."

Whacky, whacked out yet somewhat disappointing fantasy from the lone American Monty Python member, Terry Gilliam. A young British boy falls in with some thieving, time traveling dwarfs who are being chased by the Evil Genius (David Warner) and the Supreme Being/God (the late Ralph Richardson). Over the course of their adventures they meet Napoleon (Ian "Bilbo Baggins" Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese, who would have been an ideal Little John) and King Agamemnon of the Greeks (Sean Connery) among others. Sound like fun? Well it is, sort of. Sometimes the film is very funny and even exciting, but at other times its just long, cumbersome and somewhat boring. There are some inspired bits and it is visually arresting, but it's never as funny or as exciting as it should be. Still, Ralph Richardson is funny as the Supreme Being.

Thanks for the Review

I've watched the VHS version many times and was interested in the DVD till I read the reviews. Thanks for the info, I will not be purchasing it. The movie is too good to ruin that way..
Thanks again..

Never mind them: Time Bandits is a GREAT film!

I had a strong reaction to people's negative comments about this movie... I must admit, when I saw the movie in the theater, I can remember it being much more fast-paced then when I saw it for the second time on dvd in the 2000s...I also remember it being funnier...And I suppose the special effects are not up to modern standards... But to call Time Bandits "dated, dumb, and dull," as one reviewer wrote, is in my opinion a great injustice to a great movie.


People have to realize- Time Bandits is NOT truly a comedy or even a fantasy/sci fi movie- and those elements of comedy and sci fi/fantasy that exist in the movie are incidental to its true purpose: being a social/philosophical commentary on the evils/perversions that technology, when left unchecked, can impose on us (or more accurately: how we impose technology on ourselves and others, especially our children), and how people can lose their souls when they love and desire things, money, and power instead of people/living things, morals, and love- which are the truly important things in life. And considering how more than ever before (because there is more technology and things available to us than ever before), almost all of we Americans are about our things, acquiring more things, and having more than the Joneses next door, I think Time Bandits is MUCH more relevant, and has much more to teach us NOW, than when it came out (1981).


Since my second viewing of Time Bandits, I have watched the movie more times, and it grows on me more every time. I love the points Time Bandits subtly makes, as well as the thoughts, imagination, ideas, ideals, and feelings of adventure it provokes... I love the general feel that the movie has. Time Bandits is a great movie, and is considered to be a cult-classic by many- but if you are only into the all-too common modern mindless cookie-cutter films, which lack any real deepness, originality or imagination, you might want to rent this one first before purchasing it.

Interesting . . . .

I watched this movie (for some obscure reason) in a Cinema History class, and was amused if somewhat disappointed. Expecting something slightly more "pythonesque", considering that Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam wrote the screenplay, I was a little surprised by the style of the film, and the plot: the proper young British boy and the gang of over-enthusiastic dwarves travelling the universe in search of adventure, fleeing from the supreme being who would take away their means of amusement.

Still, as long as a movie makes me smile, I'm happy, and I must admit I got a couple of laughs out of "Time Bandits". Some high points in the movie included the all too brief scene with John Cleese as Robin Hood ("And how long have you been a robber? Jolly good . . ."), which lasted about three minutes - odd, considering that Cleese's name was listed first amongst the credits. Sean Connery's bit was also one of the more interesting parts, as well as the Michael Palin scenes - which I have yet to comprehend the meaning of, but which were amusing all the same. "Time Bandits" is one of the stranger movies I have seen, aimed at a younger audience than the Monty Python movies, but also dealing with issues above that, and an interesting movie for most people. Unfortunatly, its ending is worse even than the sudden blotting of the camera screen, as in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which may have been the cause of some of the more unkind reviews. When you realise that it's the end of the movie, you're left completely hanging, and half the appreciation drops away with the ground. Still, it's an interesting movie, and fun for most.

Uncanny brilliance, kickin' it midget style

This film has stayed with me ever since I saw it at a young and tender age. From the very beginning I was entranced when the time-traveling-divine-map-stealing-arguing-thieving midgets arrived, because as we all know, any movie with midgets is automatically funny and entertaining. Then a bunch of other stuff happens but I don't remember it, all I remember is the midgets. Unfortunately due to this I had an experimental stage during college which involved a heartbreaking string of midget lovers and unspeakable sexual acts. But that is besides the point and I am over that now phase now anyway. This is a good movie. It has midgets.

wonderful imagination

The best in this film is the visual and the imagination of the writers. I like very much the kind of humour of Terry Gilliam, he kept this in this film and it's hilarious. The cast is great, personally, I like very much to watch Shelley Duvall, Sean Conery, Michael Palin, etc. This film is a celebration of imagination although, the experience of the boy was real, he was not dreaming, the photos and the disappearance of his parents. He had a experience in another dimension, a voyage in time space! This film must be inspired Terry Gilliam to direct the Twelve Monkeys, after. I think both films are similar although 12 Monkeys is better than Time Bandits, I think.Congratulations to Terry Gilliam and all the cast!

A Cool Eighties Flick!

Time Bandits is a movie that came out before I was born. I was born in 83' so I just missed the late 70's early eighties time period that I love. It seems like many movies from the eighties had midgets. This film is like having a bad acid trip that ends good. A young boy goes through time with a band of midget dwarfs and go from time period to time period through telepathic blue doors that are so fake it's awesome. I love the costumes and camera work in this movie. Movies from this time period had huge budgets and looked great. This film has John Cleese and Sean Connery when he was a younger actor. I really enjoyed this film but only wish I had some Magic Mushrooms for some fun. I swear half the film makers of this time where flower Children hippies who influenced a time period of film making that died off by the mid to late eighties as New Wave culture took over and The New Kids On The Block Bleached the decade with there Southern California Rich White Kids influence.