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Originally released back in 1981, Time Bandits is the product of many names that some will immediately identify with the infamous Monty Python group. Following up with his direction of The Jabberwocky, Terry Gilliam set out in a new direction that was separate from Python, although Michael Palin would be on board for this film regardless. Time Bandits is the story of young Kevin, a young English boy with a craving for adventure. One night while lying in bed, Kevin experiences an armored knight suddenly burst through his closet and then disappear in a forest that is part of his bedroom. However, it seems that perhaps the whole thing was a dream, or was it? The next night, Kevin goes to bed early, prepared for the return of the knight, but he gets something a little more unexpected. A group of diminutive men emerge with a strange map. But, when the Supreme Being shows up to retrieve the map that they stole, the group runs off, and Kevin goes right along with them. The map that they have stolen shows various points where they can time travel, and the group has decided that working for God is a bit of a drag and instead, want to get rich by robbing from famous figures throughout history. But, when they go in search of the greatest wealth in all of history, they find much more than they bargained for, and the Dark Lord they meet wants the map for himself, with his own evil goals in mind. While the film is over 20 years old, it stands up very nicely despite the trials of time. Time Bandits isn’t necessarily a comedy like other Python work, although there are moments, but instead is a fantasy film, and a good one at that. There are many things that definitely show that this is Gilliam’s work, and much of that is in some of the visuals, something that has always been a big part of his style. At times, his classic Brazil comes to mind, although some of the more “dark” looks bring the film Twelve Monkeys to mind as well. But, there’s more than just that. One thing that makes this film stand out is the cast, and it’s very well put together. It’s not often you see a director take an approach where the bulk of the main characters are in fact dwarves, and usually they are used for bit parts, or placed inside costumes where no one can see them. This is one of the few films where fans of the Star Wars films actually get a glimpse of Kenny Baker. And while the little people are the main focus of the film, there are others actors in here as well that are familiar. As mentioned, John Cleese of course appears in the film, portraying none other than Robin Hood. Though his appearance is rather brief, it’s full of the usual Cleesebrand of humor. Then, there’s Mr. James Bond himself, Sean Connery appearing as King Agamemnon. Ian Holm appears in the film as well as Napoleon, and though it may not be a name that’s immediately recognizable to some, I think that the name Bilbo Baggins in conjunction with Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings will ring a few bells. It may not have been the intention back then, but in looking at the cast that was assembled, Gilliam did a fantastic job at bringing together some of the best stars in many bit parts that help make the film classic. I believe that the main reason that Time Bandits still works today is the fact that the film didn’t try to date itself when it was originally made. The costumes are period pieces, so there’s not an issue at all there, and even when Kevin is in his “modern” British home, there really are few things that appear on the screen that would make you laugh. This isn’t like watching War Games, a film that might have been cutting edge when it came out, but is about as laughable today as it would be trying to hack a government database with a Speak-n-Spell. Instead, Time Bandits is a film that easily belongs to the same league as other fantasy films from the 1980’s such as Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, and perhaps even The Dark Crystal, and will remain timeless. There are a few occasions however where the editing of the film doesn’t seem to be as good as it could have been. While the quality of the film has been cleaned up quite a bit, and is an improvement over any well worn video cassette copy you would pick up at the local video store, there are some points in the film where there seem to be slight jumps in the film, and unfortunately there are very noticeable. There’s no real way to fix that though, aside from trying to find all of the original footage and re-edit the film. But, it really doesn’t take away from too much of the enjoyment, unless of course you are particular about the editing of a film. By today’s standards, Time Bandits is a film that if it were to be released in the mass media onslaught of poorly made films, probably would just fade away a week after release. However, it should be noted that while the film was made for a mere $5 million, it managed to bank $6.5 million on it’s opening week in the United States, and then factor in the $20 million plus in rental revenue and you’ve got a classic piece of cinema history. Here’s to stinkin’ rich! This marks the third time in fact that Time Bandits has made it out on DVD. The first time, Anchor Bay released it, the only extras being the theatrical trailer. Next, Criterion took a crack at it, this time adding in commentary for the film as well as a scrapbook. Anchor Bay now releases the film with new extra material. For starters, since this is part of there Divimax line, that means you’ve got a new, high definition transfer, something that I’m sure will help if you own an HDTV, but doesn’t really make much difference for those of us that haven’t taken our technology to that level. But, also included on the second disc is an interview with Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, and you know how those Python boys can be. There’s also a 60-minute Terry Gilliam featurette that’s well worth a look. The disc also has a map of the universe with some liner notes, but don’t go expecting to find a way to jump through time. If you own a DVD-ROM incidentally, you may be interested in checking out the original screenplay. Sadly, the commentary tracks are gone, but that’s the price you pay I suppose. Besides, I’m sure that there would issues getting it from Criterion. Time Bandits may not have been quite as exciting today as what it was years ago, but it still is a very fantastic film and an absolute joy to watch. One of the best things about the film is that if you do have little ones, this is one of those movies that really is harmless enough that they can watch it, unattended, and you won’t have to worry about them picking up language that you would rather they not know, or have them hiding under the covers late at night. If you haven’t picked up Time Bandits yet, or even if you have, this is a version that you absolutely must own.
-mike-
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