Time Bandits Review

My love for all things crafted by George Harrison’s studio, Handmade Films, has led me through some of the forgotten classics of British cinema. The countries output during this time was nothing short of excellent, and these somewhat cult style movies that have seeped into the mainstream were diamonds in the rough. Withnail & I, Life of Brian and How to Get Ahead in Advertising are all personal favourites of mine. One of their earliest outputs though, was one that had eluded me for some time. Terry Gilliam’s friendliest and perhaps most grounded project of all, Time Bandits is a visual treat from start to finish that relies on the strength of both director and cast.

A child history buff named Kevin (Craig Warnock) finds himself whisked away on an adventure with several dwarfs as they set out to find great treasures throughout space and time. When I said that this was the most grounded Gilliam film available, it’s still a mind-bending, visual treat. The grounded portion comes through in the dialogue and presentation. Not as many janky camera angles, tilted movements or visuals that can make your skin crawl. If anything, the horrors found within his later work are nowhere to be found within Time Bandits, instead, Gilliam focuses in on the childlike whimsy to be found in many of the sequences provided.

From Ian Holm dressed as Napoleon, Sean Connery throwing the head of a Minotaur into the sky, alongside Kenny Baker leading a troupe of thieving dwarfs and encounters with John Cleese as Robin Hood, there’s more than a handful of entertaining elements present within Time Bandits. It all works rather well, and the pacing is perfect enough to keep everything consistent and engaging. With it being rather easy to veer off track, it’s impressive how focused Gilliam and his cast are, never divulging too much information or slowing down to appreciate some of the more nuanced elements. Those details are left for further watches of the film, the barrage of information found within this charming endeavour are best remembered on future encounters with Time Bandits.

Granted, some moments feel rather sluggish, but the bulk of Time Bandits feels fresh enough to stay engaging, whilst at the same time offering up hit-or-miss comedy moments. Cleese’s lengthy, one scene as Robin Hood is marvellous, capturing his comedy style well under the lens of Gilliam’s brief flutter at adapting such a famed character. Jim Broadbent, too, musters up the strength to provide one of the most engaging call-backs jokes I’ve ever seen, and steals the show in his intensely brief appearances.

All the twisted camera angles and stylish direction you’ve come to expect from a Terry Gilliam movie is neutered, thrown out in the face of encouraging character design and a spin of fantasy. The haunting, surreal imagery that blends reality so seamlessly with the Python-esque flow of his imagination, Time Bandits is a marvellous time travel flick that brings together a rather regular adventure story, but staples it to some otherworldly visuals, some that don’t quite gather the courage to go that extra mile.