TIME BANDITS (1981)

TIME BANDITS (1981)

Tagline: ...they didn't make history, they stole it!

(Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy) [PG]

In this one, a young boy ends up being dragged into a perilous adventure where time travelers are using a map they think they stole from God, to rob the richest people in history. In this adventure, they must face the threat of Napolean’s wrath, the world’s most famous thief, a king, a giant, and an evil genius to try and find the most treasured object of all time. 

First off, when I was a kid, I probably watched this movie 15 to 20 times. Now that it’s on streaming platforms I was able to check it out again and it’s just as nuts as I remember. 

Pacing wise it doesn’t take long for this movie to kick into action and Kevin (played by Craig Warnock who only appeared in two films) are whisked off to another time via a time portal. Shot for around $5 million the amount of world-building and sets involved in this movie are actually pretty phenomenal. Apparently, no studio wanted to pick this project up so it ended up getting made by George Harrison and Denis O’Brien. As a kid, my favorite scene was probably the finale, but second, from that was the scene that was where King Agamemnon (played by the legendary Sean Connery) is fighting this dude wearing a bulls-head. I think largely because it was Sean Connery who I probably secretly wished was my dad. 

Acting-wise this movie is loaded with talent. Everyone from Shelley Duvall (best known for THE SHINING) to Katherine Helmond (best known for the TV show “Who’s The Boss”)is in this thing. I really liked Craig Warnock in this. I can’t say that for a LOT of the kids that stared in 80’s movies, so it’s a big compliment. David Rappaport plays Randall in this and is probably one of my favorite characters even though he’s a bit of a scoundrel. Ian Holm is also great in this as Napoleon. He is best known for portraying “Bilbo” in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies as well as Cornelius in THE FIFTH ELEMENT. Anyway, you get the idea, this wasn’t just some movie no one knew about thrown together to try and be cool. This movie made 8 times what it cost to make at the box office. 

Effects wise there are some cool lighting effects in this and some animated stuff, but it’s very sparingly used. The practical effects are all fantastic and the design work is beyond amazing as well as just the concepts introduced. I love that the actor that played “God” in the movie actually edited the script to avoid saying lines he didn’t think God would actually say. We also get a story that involves the “devil” basically but isn’t demonic if that makes sense. It feels very tame overall while still introducing serious concepts from a kid’s perspective. I always enjoy that kind of stuff where we’ve got eye-popping un-jaded ideas and imagination, rather than stiff pretentious paint-by-number constructs that have to be what the public thinks is “scientifically” accurate. Screw that, science doesn’t have a damn clue about most everything anyway. 

Anyone with a sense of wonder will enjoy this thing and it’s got just the right balance of humor and dread as well. For me, this is a solid 6 out of 7, but not a movie I need to watch more than once every 3 years or so. If there is a way to jack this concept up, I am pretty sure the new TV series will find it, but I really hope not.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HANDMADE FILMS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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