What children’s film blows up a dog?
” — director Terry Gilliam Time Bandits can be viewed as a simple, odd, children’s comedy from two of the famous Monty Python troupe, writer/director Terry Gilliam and writer/actor Michael Palin, but to do so does not do the film justice. Themes of greed, selfishness, obsession, the base stupidity of evil, self reliance, unconditional love, and the universal right versus wrong all come into play. The performances are all winners in this film. Craig Warnock, whose older brother originally read for the role, is perfectly innocent as Kevin, a boy whose parents are less interested in their son than in watching the latest television game show and bemoaning their lack of the newest appliances on display there. David Warner plays The Evil Genius, a role that he came to play under many names in his career, when he wasn‘t Jor-El in Lois & Clark, or soon-to-be shot in zero-G Chancellor Gorkon. Or singing. The great Ralph Richardson plays the Supreme Being, before he embarrassed the 17 or so peo
