Here is the conclusion to my recent Sick Day Theater run, a movie I couldn’t wait to see as a teenager and decided to revisit. Due to my feverish condition, it took several viewings because I fell asleep from the anti-biotics.
It’s amazing how well Time Bandits has held up after 30 years! Despite the special effects having more visible flaws, the story carried this movie and keeps it relevant in the realm of Sci-Fi (time travel)/Fantasy (divine beings). When it comes to the Time Travel genre, I’d put money down on Bandits being a cornerstone…should The Onion‘s AV people decide to write a primer for such a matter.
I remember George Harrison being involved with its creation (he was a producer). I didn’t officially know that Terry Gilliam directed though. Gilliam also co-wrote it with Michael Palin; this explains the Monty Python cameos and humor permeating throughout. You can also see the beginnings of Gilliam’s core actor group forming: Ian Holm, Katherine Helmond and Palin returned in Brazil.
The other element I didn’t notice as easily as a kid was Bandit‘s message ridiculing materialism and to some extent, technology. This was easily lost on me at 13, an age when teens think “more is better.” Notice how Kevin’s parents are obsessed over their things. Maybe the UK was closing the gap on Americans’ need for unnecessary crap courtesy of Thatcherism and it made some uneasy. David Warner steals the show as Evil. Today I think Evil is supposed to represent the Age of Reason coming to its ultimate, cynical conclusion. Sean Connery is no slouch for his brief appearances neither. I only wish his participation were longer.
Currently Time Bandits remains available via Netflix’s insta-view without an end date on the streaming rights. I’d say, virtually dust it off and revisit this odd little Fantasy Comedy which probably influenced the contemporary Doctor Who writers.