Time Bandits

1981 "…they didn’t make history, they stole it!"
6.9| 1h56m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 13 November 1981 Released
Producted By: Handmade Films
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, they've purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon, Robin Hood and King Agamemnon before the Supreme Being catches up with them.

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Director

Terry Gilliam

Production Companies

Handmade Films

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Time Bandits Audience Reviews

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
merelyaninnuendo Time Bandits2 And A Half Out Of 5Time Bandits is a plot driven comic feature that keeps its jokes under its sleeve as a shield which unfortunately is penetrable. Despite of being bound and connected with the characters and a premise, it feeds itself off on various comic sketches for the most part of it, which clearly is not acceptable. It falls flatly on face on technical aspects like background score, production design, sound department, costume design, cinematography, art design and editing. The camera work is stultifyingly dull and immature for no matter how plausible the effort be to crack a smile on viewers' face, it is undeniably ludicrous. The screenplay by Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam is, as mentioned earlier, a series of various jokes and is never given the priority to anything but the punch line of it. Terry Gilliam; the director, has done a decent work on executing such an eerie script but it fails to connect with the audience as essential. The performance works on the humorous aspect of it but as far as emotions are concerned they come out a bit shallow. Time Bandits actually manipulates for time to stand still for the punch on any or every mannerism of the sequence.
NateWatchesCoolMovies I'm a huge fan of Terry Gilliam's unique visual storytelling style, and I can say that this has to be his most visually effective film. No expenses are spared as every frame is filled to the brim with opulent, period detailed, eye boggling set design and special effects. Moreover, this being released in 1981, all of the effects are of the old fashioned, practical variety, which take much more work than cgi and the payoff is enormous. Gilliam's films are somewhat hit and miss, but I consider this to be a tremendous success, enrapturing and exciting from beginning to end, if not for a few overly silly bits, but you can expect at least a few loopy touches from the creators of Monty Python.Kevin, a smart young kid, is hijacked by a sextet of sassy time travelling dwarfs on the run from their employer, the Supreme Being (a delightfully droll Ralph Richardson), and taken on a madcap odyssey across a network of portals, each leading to a different era in history. Along the way they encounter the Evil Genius (David Warner having a ball in devilish rockstar steampunk getup), intent on stealing their time leaping secrets and unleashing his nefarious plan on the universe.Time Bandits is a sweeping, wholly immersing, visually striking, phenomenally entertaining film that never panders to a young audience by shying away from dark or ominous tones, and always maintains its rip roaring momentum. Gilliam at his finest.
FlickFlip Terry Gilliam's made many movies throughout his career since being the American of the (Mostly) British comedy gang Monty Pyhton. He co-directed Holy Grail with the other Terry, Jones. Then Jabberwocky, and now this. I suggest having this be an introduction to Gilliam to your child in a double feature with the Baron's film for they are easily his most child friendly for seven or eight year olds (I'd hold off on Brazil until ten for the youngling, despite the briefness of the language and other R- rated things). Alright now, this may not be the most enjoyable seeing it for the first time as an adult. I'd think I'd have a higher enjoyment if I grew up on it. But that only means that you'd better show it to your kid during a history and adventure loving phase. Since I didn't grow up on it, I haven't the appreciation as someone raised with it. But I can't deny its quality, eight out of ten.
alyssabond This is a classic movie, and in some ways it really stands apart from movies of its time. The vision and scope is extremely impressive. However, it lacks a bit in execution. The story is very episodic, and it's hard sometimes to stay with it. The band of bandits is actually kind of unlikeable sometimes, and the kid isn't exactly the most proactive protagonist.As a kid, though, I totally adored this movie. It was really really fun. it still holds some of that magic and wonder, and there are so many exotic locations and characters that if you get bored with one, don't worry another will be right around the corner. However likewise if you are enjoying one period, you don't get to be there for very long. In that way it felt a bit like a sketch comedy show or something, just higher budget and the humor is very dark.I want to rate it higher, because I love Terry Gilliam, but I'd have to say this one is one of his more uneven efforts.