TIME BANDITS

* * * ½

STARRING: John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, David Warner, Michael Palin

1981, 110 Minutes, Directed by: Terry Gilliam

Description: About a kid named Kevin (Craig Warnock) who joins a band of mischievous dwarves on a jaunt through various eras and epochs. They've stolen a map to holes in the space-time continuum that belongs to the Supreme Being (suitably played by Sir Ralph Richardson), and as Kevin survives a variety of heroic adventures, including an encounter with King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), an Evil Genius (David Warner) pursues the coveted map using his nefarious magical powers. — Amazon.com

Comedy/fantasy about some dwarves who steal Time from God and is then pursued by Him through various time zones. They get a small boy in tow and together they meet various historical figures such as Robin Hood (played by John Cleese in a deliciously funny scene) and Napoleon Bonaparte.

How do they manage all this time travelling? As one of the dwarves explains to the young boy, the universe was created in a bit of a hurry (seven days!) so there are some time portals basically still around. At the end of the movie God is revealed to be an immaculately dressed businessman who can't stand the idea of chaos.

As you might have gathered by now this is all very Monty Python, which should come as no surprise considering that Time Bandits is directed by Terry (Fisher King, Brazil) Gilliam. Hollywood wouldn't have touched this subject matter with a three-foot barge pole and for this alone the movie should be commended. That it also happens to be a very funny and well-made movie is a bonus.

Voted
# 78
of the
Top 100 Sci-Fi Movies
of all time
by: