Time Bandits (1981)
86%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 8 nominations
Time Bandits is a remarkable time-travel fantasy from Terry Gilliam, who utilizes fantastic set design and homemade special effects to create a vivid, original universe
Time Bandits is a wild ride through time and space, filled with chaos and humor. While some critics may find it lacking in humanity and charm, I found it to be a delightfully dark and twisted adventure. Terry Gilliam’s unique vision is on full display, with visual and thematic exaggerations that push the boundaries of cinematic conventions. It’s not your typical kids’ movie, but that’s what makes it so much fun. From the six time-bandits to the unexpected ending, Time Bandits is a must-see for anyone who loves a good laugh and a bit of adventure.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment,
Distributor
Criterion Collection, AVCO Embassy Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Harlington, Bedfordshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1981
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 13, 1981 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 30, 1999
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Craig Warnock, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, John Cleese, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, directed by Terry Gilliam, written by Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bob Thomas, Tasha Robinson, Nell Minow, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Ian Freer, Jordan M Smith, Mike Massie, Larry Vitacco, Diego Galán, PG, time travel, history, Supreme Being, dwarfs, map, Napoleon, Robin Hood, King Agamemnon, Criterion Collection, AVCO Embassy Pictures, Dolby, Surround, Flat (1.37:1), 35mm, Flat (1.66:1)
Worldwide gross: $42,368,025
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $142,750,094
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 855
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 15,567,077
US/Canada gross: $42,365,581
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $142,741,859
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 538
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,507,356
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,925,159
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 605
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $16,846,442
Production budget ranking: 1,459
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,071,809
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $116,831,843
ROI to date (est.): 451%
ROI ranking: 287
Sean Connery – King Agamemnon, Fireman
Shelley Duvall – Pansy
Katherine Helmond – Mrs. Ogre
Ian Holm – Napoleon
Michael Palin – Vincent
Director(s)
Terry Gilliam
Writer(s)
Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin
Producer(s)
Terry Gilliam
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (5)
The film lacks what Garland, Lahr, Haley, Bolger, et al, had in abundance: humanity and charm.
October 22, 2018
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Time Bandits is one of Gilliam’s more chaotic films, which is really saying something, but his six time-bandits fill the screen with fractious energy.
December 17, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5
Tasha Robinson
The Dissolve
TOP CRITIC
Adults will get this movie, but kids won’t.
September 23, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
When you can count the laughs in a comedy on the fingers of one hand, it isn’t so funny.
June 5, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The film is resolutely, passionately antiadult, yet much of the humor has an adult sophistication and edge to it; this is one kids’ movie that doesn’t condescend.
June 5, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
For a kids film this is pleasingly dark with Gilliam delivering as much classical fairy tale as knockabout comedy.
August 30, 2006 | Rating: 5/5
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Time Bandits is rife with visual, physical and thematic exaggerations that stretch the boundaries of cinematic conventions to form a crazed comedic concoction.
October 29, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Jordan M. Smith
IONCINEMA.com
Many of the exploits are lightly engaging, but never full of the tension and excitement of more polished adventure films.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
For the most part Time Bandits goes its charming, merry way weaving much hilarity as it does, until the movie careens to its twisted, unorthodox ending.
May 27, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Larry Vitacco
Philadelphia Gay News
Terry Gilliam has crafted a story so full of illusions that continuously surprise the audience. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 21, 2019
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
It’s a strange and weird and wonderful mix of boy’s own adventure, Python-esque humor, and grim irony, all wrapped in tall tales, ancient myths, and historical figures.
March 14, 2015
Sean Axmaker
Parallax View
Gilliam opts for an acerbic and often nasty tone that risks offending the very audience at which it purported to be aimed.
December 30, 2014 | Rating: 69/100
Dan Jardine
Cinemania…
Plot
Intrigued by history but neglected by his parents, Kevin, an eleven-year-old schoolboy, gets the chance to make his dream come true when a band of six time-travelling dwarfs appears out of thin air in his bedroom. Having stolen the Supreme Being’s one-of-a-kind map of time and space, the audacious time-bandits whisk Kevin off on an exciting journey to the depths of history, skipping from one era to another. Now, to further complicate matters, the dangerous arch-rival known as the Evil Genius is hot on their trail, bent on getting his hands on the precious map. But, who would have thought that Kevin’s seemingly unexceptional room was the entrance to a mysterious wormhole and the portal to a marvellous world of adventure?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a star-studded cast including John Cleese, Sean Connery, and Shelley Duvall.
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