On August 21, the screening of the fantasy adventure comedy ended on the Apple TV+ platform «Time Bandits», based on the Terry Gilliam film of the same name, which was released back in 1981. In the review below, we will analyze what the authors borrowed from the original film and what their creation is in isolation from it. And most importantly, how interesting it is to watch the local adventures.
Pluses:
The presence of exciting adventures; the actors cope well with their tasks and are in their places; there is definitely a reason to laugh; everything is fine on the technical side; comfortable timing of the episodes;
Minuses:
not all the adventures seem interesting, just as not all the jokes work; some people won't like the specific comedy style of Taika Waititi and his co-authors; a certain naivety of the plot, due to the appeal to children's audiences, among other things;
«Time Bandits»
Genre fantasy adventure comedy
Showrunners Jemaine Clement, Ian Morris, Taika Waititi
Starring Lisa Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, Charlene Yi, Tyg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Rachel House, Kira Thompson, Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Premiere Apple TV+
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
Kevin, 11, loves history, and even more so he loves to talk about it because he truly has a deep knowledge of the subject, acting as a kind of walking Wikipedia. It is a pity that everyone around him, even his parents, do not share his passion for important events and prominent figures from the distant past.
One day, the young historian witnesses a group of strange strangers, led by the eccentric Penelope, emerge from the closet in his room, possessing the ability to travel through time. Kevin decides to follow the bizarre travelers, not realizing that this adventure will change his life forever. But alongside the fascinating journeys across different eras and continents, there is also the eternal struggle between good and evil, in which, as it turns out, the kid has a special role to play.
The plot of «Time Bandits» is based on the eponymous adventure and fantasy film by Terry Gilliam, which was released 43 years ago. The iconic British director wrote the script with his «Monty Python» co-star Michael Palin, and as a result, the $5 million invested in the production brought in more than 40 million at the box office.
New Zealand comedy masters Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, as well as the Englishman Ian Morris, who have already created several successful comedy projects together. They have taken on the task of refreshing and modernizing Gilliam and Palin’s interesting idea for today’s audience. The newest version of «Bandits» fully adheres to the simple concept of its predecessor — the main characters travel through time and get into various adventures.
Given the serialized timing, the remake’s authors had much more room to realize the adventure element and reveal the characters’ personalities. The latter not only stopped being dwarfs, but also gained more individual traits, making each of the bandits a source of jokes and a contender for the audience’s attention. At the same time, there are also short people, but their presence is more of a tribute to the old «Bandits» than a necessity in the script.
Today, under the reliable wing of Apple TV+, filmmakers can afford much more than Gilliam did in 1981, and the series looks like it.
Where the original had a certain artisanal feel to it in terms of sets and visual effects, Waititi and company’s film features streaming-quality special effects, lush landscapes, gorgeous costumes, and more. Whether it’s the golden, sun-drenched, endless African sands of Mansa Musa’s reign or the gloomy, criminal New York of the Prohibition era, everything in the frame reveals the hard work that went into this or that setting.
But there are certain questions about the content, because it is impossible to say that the whole series is completely successful — some adventures and jokes seem to be of higher quality, and some less so.
Immersions in some eras look fascinating, and in others — outright boring, while inventive lines coexist with primitively stupid ones. For example, according to a purely subjective perception, the episode with the friendly Maya tribe could have been filled with more inventive humor. However, the storyline of the protagonist’s younger/older sister, as well as the character himself, do not evoke any response. The joke about «Jeff Bezos from the Amazon», or Damon and the Demon — is good, mocking the Trojan Horse — is worse.
What the old movie could definitely impress with was its outstanding cast: here you have Ian Holm in the amusing role of a complex Napoleonand John Cleese as Robin Hood, and Sean Connery as King Agamemnon, and recently passed away Shelley Duvall aboard the legendary «Titanic». The remake can’t boast of such high-status actors, except that Lisa Kudrow stands out from the crowd, and even then, thanks to her previous achievements, in particular, the cult «Friends». But even so, everyone in the gangster team is in their place.
It is obvious that «Time Bandits» is primarily intended for family leisure time together, particularly with children (especially during summer vacations). Hence, the certain naiveté of the story, the general levity of the atmosphere, and the softened view of the epochs in which terrible things happened. Therefore, one should not expect any historical accuracy in this fantasy story.
In general, this project is of the kind where you can really understand both those who will like it and those who will think it’s not worthy of attention.
It can be recommended to fans of Terry Gilliam’s film, viewers who can tolerate the specific humor of Taika Waititi (and this is the man who played with ridicule in Marvel’s «Thor: Love and Thunder»), is looking for content for joint family viewing. After all, no matter what achievements or shortcomings the local story may have, it is primarily about the importance of friendship and family. And this is the right message for the younger generation of viewers.
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