Time Bandits (1981)
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A young boy joins a band of thieves who travel through time to plunder treasures from history.
The story
Young Kevin is fascinated by history, particularly Ancient Greece, while his parents are obsessed with modern consumerism. One night, he witnesses a knight ride through his wall into a forest. The next night, instead of a knight, six dwarfs emerge from his wardrobe. They have stolen a map and are seeking an exit before being discovered by the menacing Supreme Being. When a portal appears, Kevin is faced with the choice of joining the group. He eventually follows them through a portal, landing in Italy during the Battle of Castiglione, beginning a journey through various historical periods while being pursued by a malevolent being named Evil.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Kevin joins a group of dwarfs who use a stolen map to travel through time, visiting locations like the Battle of Castiglione, Mycenaean Greece, and the sinking RMS Titanic. Along the way, they encounter figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood. They are hunted by 'Evil,' a malevolent being seeking the map. After being separated and captured by Evil in the 'Time of Legends,' the group eventually escapes his trap. Evil is defeated by the Supreme Being, who reveals the adventure was a test. The dwarfs return to their duties, and Kevin is left behind in his room. He is eventually rescued by firefighters, and while his parents find a piece of 'Evil' in their toaster, they are destroyed by it, leaving only their shoes as Kevin is whisked away by the Supreme Being.
- First release year
- 1981
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Terry Gilliam
- Writers
- Terry Gilliam · writer; Michael Palin · writer
- Cast and characters
- David Rappaport · Kevin; Sean Connery · Agamemnon; John Cleese · Robin Hood; Shelley Duvall · Vincent and Pansy; Katherine Helmond · Mrs Ogre; Ian Holm; Michael Palin; Ralph Richardson · the Supreme Being
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure; comedy
- Themes
- escapism; imagination
- Tone and mood
- irreverent; whimsical
- Setting
- Various historical periods and locations including Italy, Mycenaean Greece, and the RMS Titanic.
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; fantasy; adventure
- Franchise connections
- Trilogy of Imagination
- Reception
- The film received mainly positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, opening at number one in the US and Canada.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · review count: 54; Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 18
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by the 'Trilogy of Imagination' concept.; The character of Robin Hood was originally written for Michael Palin.; The film inspired the game Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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