Apple has been discussing a TV series based on Terry Gilliam’s cult work Time Bandits At least since 2018. Is its time-travel extravaganza worth the wait? Yes… and no.
It all depends on how you feel about the many other projects involving Waititi and his frequent collaborators Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris. The three co-founded Time Bandits series, co-created or co-wrote multiple episodes; Waititi also directed the first two installments. Additionally, Waititi and Clement play key supporting roles: the former as a supreme being (basically God), the latter as pure evil (basically the devil). These guys are prolific and have signature style, which is on full display here; it’s not hard to see the tonal consistency between this latest project and similar ones what do we do in the shadows, Our flag means deathand Concorde flightalthough the focus here is more kid-friendly.
A fondness for eccentric behavior, especially out-of-character behavior, makes perfect sense in the following context: Time Bandits‘Adventure. Like the movie, the TV show begins with eccentric outcast Kevin (Kal-El Tucker) shocked, but mostly delighted, when an anachronistic time traveler enters his bedroom. He follows them on a quest to steal a map stolen from the Supreme Being over the centuries in order to steal more; while at the same time, Pure Evil sends a demon to hunt them down in order to seize the map for his own nefarious purposes.
This means that each episode finds the group jumping from one era to another and encountering a variety of cultures, almost everyone equally sarcastic and offbeat. This has led to moments like the builder of the Great Wall of China saying “that’s so cool!” or a 14th-century villager dismissing the Black Death using language that sounds like it came from a COVID-denier’s Facebook post.
The spirit of Terry Gilliam’s films is very much present in the series, but with 10 episodes (around 30-40 minutes each), there’s more time to explore different eras of history, much to Kevin’s delight; as Like in the movie, he’s a big history nerd. The visual effects are of the high quality you’d expect from an Apple production, which is a good thing since the pinball action spans ancient Troy, medieval England, the Ice Age, 1920s Harlem, and more, as well as, de facto, Paradise and Hell, the landscapes are lush, detailed, and vibrant.
There’s also more time to develop the characters – Kevin has a sister, Saffron (Kiera Thompson), who has her own cool storyline, and we learn a lot more about their parents than we do in the movie many. We also get to know the bandit gang as individuals, although it takes a few episodes to really get used to them. Penelope (Lisa Kudrow) is clearly the leader, even though she claims not to be; Alto (Taji Murphy), an aspiring actress; Judy (Charlene Yi) ), who claims to be a compassionate person; Bittlig (played by Runtempt) is a burly but kind-hearted Viking; Wiggit (played by Roger Jean Nsengiyuwa) is a would-be navigator who hasn’t quite figured out how to read mysterious maps.
Other key roles, in addition to Waititi’s The Supreme Being and Clement’s Pure Evil (it’s a tough choice as to which performance is more campy), include Rachel as the demon hunter Fianna. House—and of course a host of guest stars, including one we won as a fan favorite. Our flag means deathand British comedy star Mark Gatiss (“Good Omens”, “Sherlock”, “Doctor Who”, “The League of Gentlemen”).
With the constant repetition of “Where are we and what can we steal?” driving the ham-fisted portal-hopping narrative, Time Bandits The arc of the piece is larger, involving Kevin’s growing urgency to find his way back to present-day England, and the push and pull between the creatures of the universe. But the stakes are never too high. This is a show aimed at kids and families, so when the giant beasts and threats of torture come into play, you never really feel like Kevin and his friends can’t escape the dangerous predicament they find themselves in.
this time bandit The movie’s ending is notoriously bleak yet liberating, and while the TV series takes a different path, its ending is equally compelling for different reasons. Without getting into specifics, let’s just say that a second season has not yet been announced, but it’s already clear Time BanditsThe creative team is banking on this, leaving a lot of unresolved material to explore in future episodes. Some may find this frustrating, although younger viewers seem unlikely to be bothered by any unresolved plot threads.
Time Bandits The first two episodes premiere today on Apple TV+; two new episodes will be available every Wednesday through August 21.
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