Time Bandits

Twenty-three years after its successful release in 1981, Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits works better as a series of memorable scenes than a completely satisfying whole. But as a showcase for the director's unbridled imagination (in collaboration with co-writer and fellow Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin), the film fully deserves its cult-favorite status, enthralling children and adults alike with its history-hopping tale of a resourceful kid named Kevin (Craig Warnock) and a troupe of mischievous dwarves who jaunt through time using a magical map coveted by an Evil Genius (David Warner). Boasting a giant ogre, cameo appearances by Napoleon (Ian Holm) and Robin Hood (John Cleese), a visit to the Titanic, heroics provided by King Agamemnon (Sean Connery), and a benevolently sarcastic Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson), Gilliam's near-epic fantasy is chock full of delights. And while the budgetarily-challenged filmmaking may seem quaint compared to the later extravagance of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, it's a safe bet that Time Bandits will equally stand the test of…well, time. Anchor Bay's 2003 "Divimax Special Edition" corrects what is widely regarded as a debatable-quality transfer on the Criterion Collection release of 1999 (and is a clear improvement over Anchor Bay's own earlier plain-vanilla release), boasting Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX audio, and a supplemental disc that functions as a primer on both Gilliam's career (with an hour-long segment of the Bravo channel series The Directors), and the film itself (with a jovial new interview featuring Gilliam and Palin that closes with an amusing mock-argument). While missing the feature-length commentary that remains exclusive to the still-available $40 Criterion edition, Anchor Bay's lower price, extras, and spanking-new transfer make this the release of choice for libraries and completist-minded collectors. Recommended. (J. Shannon)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Dec. 2, 2014—Criterion, 116 min., PG, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1981's Time Bandits sports a great transfer and an uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary (by director Terry Gilliam, co-writer/costar Michael Palin, and costars John Cleese, David Warner, and Craig Warnock), a conversation between Gilliam and film scholar Peter von Bagh (80 min.), a “Creating the Worlds” production featurette narrated by film writer David Morgan and featuring production designer Milly Burns and costume designer James Acheson (24 min.), a 1981 clip of costar Shelley Duvall on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show (9 min.), a stills gallery, a trailer, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic David Sterritt. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a beloved Gilliam fantasy film.]