Time Bandits (1981 film)

Growing up on The Princess Bride and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures I would say strongly influenced my opinion of this being the best of the Gilliam/Palin trilogy. At first I didn't get it. It was my first Gilliam film and I didn't think he would make a film with such a ssllooow pace. At least it seemed that way after having watched all the Monty Python films. Watching it always picks up and in constant reviewing of the film I would say I often stop the film at the Napoleon scene which seems early, but I didn't like how his character took the focus off the main group. I didn't like Napoleon in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures either really so it's not a personal thing about this movie. The character can be overbearing but in Time Bandits I can at least say his fixation on the conquests of other short tyrants is amusing. However Palin's recurring role is great for its straightforward comic relief as he and Shelley Duvall play lovers from different times who can never catch a break. The tomfoolery of the Bandits are cool but the individual names I can never remember but the group dynamic is memorable all the same. The strong artistic merits of the film are first off of course Gilliam's sense of cinematography and set design but more importantly in the plot (as written by Gilliam and Palin) is the morality embodied in Craig Warnock's character, the innocent uncorrupted boy who looks for a time of character not easy material access and draining technology. I'm always amused by films, songs, television episodes and even just books that condemn technology to some degree, because I see the point but it is inheritly counter-productive. I wish we were better at keeping technology and being responsible with it. A second plot point which tickles me in a special way is the Evil Genius/Almighty Being argument about use idea of society is better with (SPOILER ALERT) the Almighty winning out because the permission of wickedness and freedom to do the right thing is with respect to Divine gift of free will and only the honest, pure of heart Kevin having the courage to ask why of the Almighty.