Time Bandits

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Fantasy Adventure Movie... a classic!
Review: I just bought this DVD and watched it tonight. I first saw this in the theaters when I was about 7 years old or so and I remember it making a strong impression on me. I've always been a huge fan of adventure/fantasy/scifi movies and Time Bandits may be one of the ultimate adventure movies. With the band of international thieves, the kid Kevin travels throughout history and meets many luminaries, including a very cool John Cleese as Robin Hood. For those who might be interested to know, Trevor Jones (movie composer) wrote a few musical pieces, and George Harrison wrote a really cool song that plays at the end credits.

I was really impressed with how good this movie looks even 15 years (or so) after it first was released. Barring a few very dated special effects (most notably, the Supreme Being's floating head looks very much like a cartoon drawing in some scenes), this movie holds up very well and is very watchable (compare this to When Harry Met Sally, which visually looks very very dated). The colors are bright, and the sets are unbelievable! This movie is similar to The Adventures of Baron Munchausan, which is a fun, though not as good, movie by Gilliam. The audio, on the other hand, is not in as good shape as the video. At several parts in the movie, the audio becomes very "bad" and gives a slight "buzzing" type sound. The score is pretty decent, not annoying or overly synthed.

As for the special features, this DVD doesn't really have alot of them, considering it's a Criterion Collection one. However, it does have a kind of funny trailer, commentary by Gilliam, Michael Palin, Cleese, the guy who playe Kevin, and one other actor (one of the bandits I think). I haven't listened to it but it should be interesting I would imagine. The video scrapbook turned out to be pretty cool, much cooler than I expected. It lasts about 3 minutes or so and shows snapshots of the actors and crew on the set and in costume. It also shows a few storyboard sketches, but the real treat (kind of an easter egg in a way), is the very last picture which shows a picture taken in 1997 of Gilliam and the kid (now all grown up) who played Kevin! That was really cool, and made me a little misty eyed.

All in all, I highly recommend this movie and this criterion edition DVD if you like fantasy or adventure movies. It's simply one of the best!!

Rating:
Summary: PYTHONESQUE ADVENTURE
Review: From a script written with fellow Python Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam's TIME BANDITS Divimax Special Edition (Anchor Bay) is a certified cult fave of wonder, wit and unbridled imagination. A school boy is sucked into a crime spree by a time travelling gang of dwarves who have a map to the holes in the space-time continuum. Along the way, they encounter Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), Evil Genius (David Warner) and God (Sir Ralph Richardson) -- who almost answers one of the supreme theological questions.

This new two-disc edition in Divimax is a state of the art hi-def transfer. The bonus disc features interviews with Gilliam and Palin and a career retrospective that includes Brad Pitt, Shelley Duvall, David Warner among others.

Rating:
Summary: THAT TERRY GILLIAM REALLY IS A CREATIVE GUY.
Review: "Time Bandits" is filled with the signature humor that characterizes Terry Gilliam and his Monty Python's buddies John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin (co-writers of the script along Gilliam). This is not a conventional movie, the main characters are portrayed by charismatic dwarfs and a kid. Even though actors like Sean Connery have the main credits, the real protagonists are the little guys.

"Time Bandits" is a story filled with fantasy and very little seen situations (or even never seen before situations), Terry Gilliam and his Monty Python buddies really are very creative and original people, they have created an unique style that distinguish them from the rest of the comedians.

"Time Bandits" built the foundations for movies like "Brazil" and "12 Monkeys", movies where Terry Gilliam improved his formula that combines social satire, science-fiction and black comedy.

Rating:
Summary: More Little People Hitting Each Other!
Review: As one would expect of a Criterion release, the DVD of "Time Bandits" is an absolute pleasure, from the clean film transfer to the many delightful added features.

The production scrapbook is a treasure, along with the commentary by Gilliam and Palin. These features truly enrich one's appreciation for the film; not only do they lavish praise on the actors playing the "dwarves" (who, in retrospect, did nothing less than a heroic job), but also reveal many of the clever tricks that allowed them to create such a sumptuously beautiful film for the cost of Speilberg's monthly catering bill. Compare this film to expensive clunkers like "Tron" (which came out a year later!) to appreciate the extent of Gilliam's craft. Cleese's description of his day's work is howlingly funny, and David Warner is generous and wryly amusing. The now-grown Craig Warnock is not particularly eloquent, however, and it's hard to tell if he's joking about the film scarring him psychologically!

The trailer is simply awful, after a promising start, but it's indicative of AVCO's cluelessness about how to market such a fresh and original film. They tried to pass it off as Python style comedy, safe for kiddies and fun for grow-ups. In fact, it's nothing of the kind - it's a dangerous and rigorous film that one may wish to keep out of the hands of small children.

Despite it's vague resemblance to "The Wizard of Oz" told upside down (or inside out?), "Time Bandits" is not a typical (modern) children's film. It has an old-fashioned Grimm-ness, with creatures dying nasty, sweaty deaths and even "good" characters behaving quite badly at times. In short, it is more utterly honest than any fantasy film made since Disney bowdlerized "Snow White."

Understanding that young people like to be frightened, and taking peculiar delight in how "awful" his band of dwarf thieves are, Gilliam places a very real boy (so real, he's almost dull) in an amazing series of situations, exposing him to terrible ordeals with only a shifty gang of unreliable and occasionally stupid companions to guide and protect him - though mostly they ignore him or egg him on to be more like them (being dwarves, he towers over them, both physically and morally). At the very moment he feels he's found the right place to be, they tear him away with no regard for his wishes or feelings, and ultimately thrust him into conflict with forces neither he nor they can comprehend, let alone master.

Sounds a bit like growing up, doesn't it?

Along the way, Gilliam tweaks various legendary Great and Powerful Figures (Napoleon, Agamemnon, Robin Hood - even Satan [referred to exclusively as "The Evil Genius"]), not to mention technology and consumerism, to reveal the narrow-minded, clumsy, grasping people we grown-ups really are.

The ending remains controversial, although I can remember seeing it in my late teens and feeling utterly liberated by it (what teenage boy doesn't want his parents to evaporate, at least once in a while?). There's more honesty and meaning in the last five minutes than any patently false "happy ending" could hope to achieve, although young children conditioned to expect Pocahontas to live happily ever after with John Smith (which, of course, she didn't) may find it too disturbing.

"Time Bandits" is a triumphant use of fantasy to articulate truth, of the power of the imagination to find the reality hidden in plain sight (the figures in the final conflict can all be found in the boy's room in the early scenes). It's an unforgettable film, with images and characters that will stay with you for a lifetime, even if you aren't an impressionable, disaffected, precocious brat (like I was when I first saw it), but especially if you are!

Rating:
Summary: JOLLY GOOD!
Review: I'm not sure what the issue is all about? The letterboxing/aspect ratio on this edition is fantastic! The quality of the sound and picture is also superior in comparison to the Anchor Bay edition - which I had owned at one time. I guess the only complaint I could have would be the lack of more DVD extras - a documentary, featurette, storyboards, deleted scenes... but no matter, this is an excellent edition!

The movie itself is excellent! One of the few of my childhood favorites that stand the test of time. Imaginative and hilarious. I can watch it with the same sense of wonder now as I did then. I only wish Criterion would get a hold of "Munchausen" and try to restore it and maybe provide more background on the production, deleted scenes and ideas that never made it to the final film.

Time Bandits is not for all tastes. May want to rent before making any sort of real purchase - and if you are at least looking at this review, you are halfway there. Cheers.

Rating:
Summary: an interesting film for older mature children.
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film was marketed as being for children. I thought that this film is too morbid for small children and recommend that children be at least 8 years old to watch it.

In this film, a young boy joins a troupe of dwarves who travel through 'holes' in time with the aid of a time map stolen from a deity. They rob famous historical figures such as Napoleon and Agamemnon. Later they are captured by an evil sorceror who takes the map from them.

This film has several creatures in it that I think would frighten younger children I urge parents to watch the film by themselves before showing it to their children.

The Criterion Collection has special features including a theatrical trailer, a slide show of production photos and a video, and full-length audio commentary by selected cast & crew.

Rating:
Summary: Great new transfer with nice extras makes this worthwhile
Review: First, I have to note that most of these reviews are for the somewhat disappointing Criterion Edition released in 1999. The version I'll be reviewing is the much improved Divimax (high definition digital transfer)from Anchor Bay. The two DVD edition of Time Bandits from Anchor Bay has isn't perfect but it's a stark improvement on the previous no frills version they issued in 1999 and the Criterion Edition from the same time frame.

The high definition transfer and the fact that the film has been enhanced for 16x9 televisions are definitive improvements on the previous edition. The picture is sharper although I did note some minor edge enhancement and digital compression issues. On the whole, though, the picture looks marvelous. The first disc features only the film and it doesn't have the great audio commentary compilation by Gilliam, Michael Palin, David Warner, John Cleese and Craig Warnock. That's a pity because that would have made this the ultimate edition of the film.

Now the major complaint from some folks regarding the image size. Gilliam shot Time Bandits to be shown theatrically in a 1.85:1 ratio. Time Bandits was probably shot full screen (like Kubrick's films so that they wouldn't be badly "cropped" when released). More than likely Gilliam matted the image AFTER the film was shot. The widescreen image IS the way Gilliam intended the film to be seen).

The worst looking DVD was the one put out by the highly regarded Criterion Company. It featured interlace problems, an unstable picture (perhaps due to a flaw during the telecine transfer)and sound that sound left much to be desired. The aspect ratio (the dimension of the width and heighth of the film on screen)is correct here and the beautifully detailed transfer is so sharp that, on occasion, you can even see the limitations (there's a hint of wires in some scenes)of Terry Gilliam's optical effects.

The soundtrack has been remixed for the Dolby Digital EX track although I much preferred the more natural sounding 5.1 mix. Since the original source material was designed for stereo and there were some recording limitations at the time the film was made, the tinny sound is still a bit of a problem. That's not a problem that can be easily solved unfortunately. Still, Anchor Bay does the best they can with the materials at hand.

The second disc contains all the extras. The feaurettes include the marvelous The Directors: The films of Terry Gilliam with interviews featuring Gilliam, Shelly Duvall, Brad Pitt, Amanda Plummer, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Stowe and David Warner. There's also an interview with Gilliam and Palin as well as the original theatrical trailers for the film. Some of these features duplicate comments heard on the commentary track for the film from Criterion.

There's also a Terry Gilliam bio and, most importantly, a DVD-Rom version of the original screenplay. Both these features are no where else to be found. Anchor Bay includes a fold out Map of the Universe which also has a background on the film production.

Rating:
Summary: GUESS WHAT! its a Gilliam film, NOT a Monty Python flick.
Review: So stop whining!

This is the first installment on the, i think its called the dream trilogy or something(beginning here, then Brazil((best film by Gilliam)), and ending with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen).

This is a wierd movie. A kid who lives with mean, totally Pythonized parents is kidnapped by maching gun toting, cigar smoking dwarves who have stolen a map from god that will let you skip through time. This sounds like a setup for a epic adventure but it isn't really that big, as these time bandits have absolutly no idea what they are doing. They first rip off Napoleon, then get ripped off by Robin Hood, then they rip off a king of Greece etc.

Though most don't see it, the ending is a perfect setup for Brazil. Content wise. Think, why do all the actors from this movie appear later in Brazil playing similar characters(Robert Deniro replacing Sean Connery's form in Brazil)? Watch all 3 movies and think hard, you'll eventually see it.

Anywho, this film have great special effects. The acting is great. The music is HORRIBLE, you can tell it was made in the 80's. This movie seems very rushed, more time could have been in some really intresting scenes but this film zips by. The movie looks like it has a ton of scenes cut out for pacing but no, it doesent. The grand finale is cool and the explanation is hilarious. The ending is funny, and sets up for Brazil(duh). The tone of this film is really random! It goes from serious, to cheesy, to Monty Pythonish(robin hood), to artsy fartsy, to mega absurd, then back to serious.

I still wish the Sean Connery scenes could have been longer, it was the most intresting part of the film besides the ending. Strange film, better follow ups, don't go in expecting a kiddie movie or a Monty Python flick.

Rating:
Summary: A Concept Film that Doesn't Know When to Quit
Review: Like a big candy bar. Eye-popping but unfulfilling. Momentarily pleasing but undernourishing. Couldn't help but think this could have been so much better. It's kind of a Monty Python reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. More mature and cleverer. A plucky resourceful child is transported to a parallel world where the child must make things right before he/she is allowed to go home. The Munchkins are the stars this time. The Supreme Being is, of course, Oz. Evil is the Wicked Witch. Instead of the fantasy world sing-a-long; Gilliam goes with Sci-Fi time travel. Either the movie should have been longer to allow for more story & character development or some of the great ideas should have been shelved for other projects. There's a certain episodic feel to the proceedings as the time travelers jump from time to time but don't really get anywhere; much like the film itself.

Rating:
Summary: Time Bandits - A very good English comedy from the eighties!
Review: "Time Bandits" is an interesting comedy from the very early eighties that if you're interested in dry English humor will no doubt be very entertaining for you. I distinctly remember watching this movie on HBO repeatedly and enjoying as thoroughly as if it were an Oscar winning masterpiece, that is of course, when I was fourteen or so. I hadn't watched the film in several years and was overjoyed when hearing it would be released on DVD once again. Having now watched it again after so many years, I would have to say that it is seen quite differently through the eyes of a mid thirty year old as opposed to an early teenager. Don't get me wrong though, this movie is quite funny and entertaining and worth the meager cost for the DVD, especially considering the DiViMax format.

Contributing greatly to this movies success of so many years ago is its impressive list of stars. Of even greater interest is the fact that many of the biggest names starring in this English comedy is that they weren't even in the lead roles. With a list including the likes of Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall and David Warner, it may be easy to forget that the primary stars of this film were the midgets, all of which did a great job with their respective roles and, not to mention, a young Craig Warnock in the lead role of Kevin.

Of even greater interest with this film is one of the Executive Producers which was none other than George Harrison, as in George Harrison from the Beatles. He was also responsible for the songs for the film as well.

"Time Bandits" was directed by Terry Gilliam whom many may recognize as the director for many "Monty Python" films, does a very good job with the film. One of the most important aspects one may wish to remember if you're looking to watch this film for the first time is when this film was made which was in the eighties and the technology available at that time. Graphically, this film was well ahead of its time when it hit the theaters.

The Premise:

Kevin (Craig Warnock), a young English boy, is sent off to bed by his parents and after he turns the light out, his closet starts shaking furiously and before he knows it, a knight on horseback appears right there in his bedroom and then shortly thereafter the knight disappears and the room is back to normal. The next night, Kevin is sitting there with a Polaroid waiting on something else to happen and just as he gives up and decides to go to sleep, the closet starts shaking again...

What follows from there is a very interesting comedy in which young Kevin finds himself following a band of midgets through time as they use a map that they've stolen from the "Supreme Being" and they intend to rob as many people as they can.

I would definitely recommend this film to any and all that enjoys comedies, especially British comedies and the typical brand of humor that implies, especially "Monty Python" type comedies. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 televisions
-The Directors: the Films of Terry Gilliam - A career retrospective featuring interviews with Director Terry Gilliam and Actors Shelley Duvall, Brad Pitt, Amanda Plummer, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Stowe and David Warner
-Interview with Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin
-Theatrical Trailers
-Fold out Map of the Universe and liner notes
-Terry Gilliam Bio
-DVD-ROM: Original Screenplay