They come out of his wardrobe, just so there’s no doubt about what sort of story we’re referencing here. It doesn’t take long at all before Kevin’s desire for adventure literally comes bursting into his room in the middle of the night in the form of an eternal and interdimensional crew of little people led by Randall (David Rappaport). His parents are no help at all, ignoring his interests in the glorious and bloody parts of history and crabbing at him about his bedtime when they aren’t lusting after what appliances to buy. You’ve met Kevin (Craig Warnock) before: The boy who dreams of better things than his boring suburban lifestyle. Gilliam is notorious for ambitions that outstrip his ability to deliver, which I want you to bear in mind as I say that 40 later, Time Bandits rates as one of Gilliam’s most interesting, most fun, most funny, and most ambitious films. Gilliam is giving you the message with a friendly wink (delivered via Sean Connery, in fact). Then, it sets about turning everything about its premise upside-down, in ways that, when you think about it, are every bit as crushing as that other feel-good masterpiece, Brazil. (Director Terry Gilliam is American, but by virtue of his membership in Monty Python and the fact he directed a movie starring both Bilbo Baggins and James Bond, it seems like he qualifies for honorary citizenship.) The premise of Time Bandits should sound familiar to anybody weaned on young adult fantasy in novels or film (or, come to think of it, isekai anime), but it’s particularly familiar when you hold it up next to British fantasy that stars young protagonists who have come unstuck in time. Before he knows it, he is swept up into an adventure alongside some quirky characters, on a quest for glory and fame that sees him travel into a far-off and unknown world. A boy in a ho-hum world of drudgery and bedtimes daydreams about something more fantastical.
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