Pantomime Villains (Movie Only) (Time Bandits (DVD))

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Time Bandits (DVD)
Date:	17/12/07 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast, great story, one of Gilliam's best movies

Disadvantages: A bit dated now. Weak ending.

Some films leave an indelible mark on you whilst others just fade away. With a hint of nostalgia and a certain childish introspection, I recently caught the fantasy film "Time Bandits" released in 1981 and found myself spinning back into an era that had entered a science fiction phase still a whirl post "Star Wars" and about to take a tangential leap towards Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner".

Kevin (Craig Warnock) does the same thing every night; eats his tea, enquires about his (mainly history) homework and gets ignored by his parents. Busy watching the same gameshow "Your Money or Your Life" daily, Kevin's mom and dad fixate about their electrical gadgets whilst wallowing in their mundane, middle class existence. One night after being sent to bed at 9pm as usual, Kevin hears a noise from the wardrobe. As he watches intently, a knight on horseback crashes through and rides off into the distance. The following night, Kevin volunteers to go to bed early, lying in anticipation with his torch. He's not disappointed as a gang of dwarves fall through the doors pursued by a holographic face that the fleeing crowd proclaim as the Supreme Being. Escaping through a void-like time portal, the self professed International criminals tell Kevin that they own a map that details every time portal in space and having taken the boy with them, plan to use it to make their fortune following a labour dispute with their former employer - the Supreme Being - who, unsurprisingly, wants the map returned. As they move from one adventure to the next, an evil presence as old as time watches them from his domain, plotting his escape from the "Fortress of Ultimate Darkness" after which he can take over the world.

Let me start by saying that I am a fan of Terry Gilliam who co-wrote (along with Michael Palin) and directed the movie. Having been part of the madcap, public schoolboy comedy troupe "Monty Python", his extravagant imagination is there for all to see in "Time Bandits". With a scrolling list of comedy talent (many of whom reappeared in Gilliam's 1985 production "Brazil") on the cast, the movie is a long list of star cameos. From staunch Gilliam supporter, Ian Holm, playing Napoleon to John Cleese appearing as an upper crust Robin Hood and from Sean Connery as King Agamemnon to Katherine Helmond (she of "Soap" fame) as Mrs Ogre, "Time Bandits" is a whose who of cinema from that time. Holm provides one of my favourite moments when, after the Punch and Judy man is shot dead and with cannons and gunfire going off all around him, he watches an improvised show staged by the dwarves trying to fill the void left by the absence of the puppeteer, liking it so much that he confides in them that he only invaded Italy because he thought it was full of little people. Michael Palin appears twice, on both occasions proposing to Pansy (Shelley Duvall), once in Sherwood Forest and the other on board The Titanic with both stopped prematurely by the gang of vertically challenged outlaws falling on top of him and his intended.

Needless to say, it's the dwarves that steal the show as well as most of the worldly goods of the historical characters they encounter. David Rappaport excels as the group's unofficial leader (Randall: "Look, do you want to be leader of this gang?" Strutter: "No, we agreed: No leader!" Randall: "Right. So shut up and do as I say.") whilst being ably supported by Kenny Baker as Fidgit and Malcolm Dixon as Strutter amongst others. Craig Warnock as Kevin does his best to act as a comedy foil to their lunacy with exchanges like - Randall: "Well, this map, Kevin, used to belong to the Supreme Being." Kevin: "You mean you stole it?" Randall: "No, no. Well, sort of." Michael Palin adds a cheeky chappy edge to the script, the whole film so obviously tongue-in-cheek and done in a way that is funny throughout. Featuring sets in Wales and Spain with most of the filming done at Shepperton studios in England, Gilliam's film is a typical visual extravaganza.

Where the movie suffers is in its depiction of gadgets both at the start and through David Warner's "Evil Genius" sub plot towards the end. The latest technology craved for in the movie is old hat now and sounds like someone banging on about their first Casio calculator or how arcade games like "Space Invaders" were de rigueur in the good old days. Also, at the risk of offending the legion of fans that adore the movie, the closing reels are a little too abstract and as the story strays from its mainstay of hopping from one time period to another, the tale descends into pantomime and is weaker for it. The musical score is by Mike Moran with the film's producer, George Harrison, credited with songs and additional material.

With a run time of 116 minutes and a U rating, "Time Bandits" is a children's fantasy film that can be enjoyed by adults as well. Nominated for a string of awards, Gilliam's movie highlights again his fascination with bureaucracy and technology and is used to suggest that our ability to imagine and create is stunted by the desire to evolve. With a wonderful script, dated, but good enough for that time, special effects and a star turn from the mainly short cast, "Time Bandits" will always have a special place in most people's pantheon of fantasy adventures. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading

Mara

DVD available at Amazon from £3.97

Summary: Overview of film