Time Bandits

A young boy accidentally joins a band of time travelling dwarves, as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal.

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Information

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Rating: PG
Directed By: Terry Gilliam
Written By: Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Released: 1981
Runtime: 116 minutes

Cast

John Cleese as Robin Hood
Sean Connery as Agamemnon/Fireman
Shelley Duvall as Pansy
Katherine Helmond as Mrs. Ogre
Ian Holm as Napoleon
Michael Palin as Vincent

Plot

Eleven-year-old Kevin has a vivid imagination and is fascinated by history, particularly Ancient Greece his parents ignore his activities, having become more obsessed with buying the latest household gadgets to keep up with their neighbours.

One night, as Kevin is sleeping, an armoured knight on a horse bursts out of his wardrobe. Kevin is scared and hides as the knight rides off into a forest setting where once his bedroom wall was; when Kevin looks back out, the room is back to normal and he finds one of his photos on the wall similar to the forest he saw.

The next night he prepares a satchel with supplies and a Polaroid camera, but is surprised when six dwarves spill out of the wardrobe. Kevin quickly learns the group has stolen a large, worn map, and are looking for an exit from Kevin’s room before they are discovered. They find that Kevin’s bedroom wall can be pushed, revealing a long hallway.

Kevin is hesitant to join until the visage of a menacing head – the Supreme Being – appears behind them, demanding the return of the map. Kevin and the dwarves fall into an empty void at the end of the hallway.

They land in Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. As they recover, Kevin learns that Randall is the lead dwarf of the group composed of Fidgit, Strutter, Og, Wally, and Vermin. They were once employed by the Supreme Being to repair holes in the spacetime fabric, but instead realized the potential to use the map to steal riches.

With the map and Kevin’s help, they visit several locations in spacetime, and meet figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood; Kevin uses his camera to document their visits.

They are unaware, however, that their activities are being monitored by Evil, a malevolent sorcerer, who is able to manipulate reality and is attempting to acquire the map himself so that he can remake the universe to his design.

User Ratings

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