Time Bandits

I am so glad I ignored the negative reviews. It's cute and funny and I ended up liking it enough to binge it. I never got bored as it's non stop action through all the historical periods and famous people. The scenery, sets, and costumes are also very enjoyable and well done. I found myself enjoying and chuckling at much of the sly, witty quips that constantly pop up. The actor who plays young Kevin was adorable, BTW. With each espusode you like each of the bandits more and more, even Lisa Kudrow's character despite her less than stellar acting. If you have a sense of humor and fun you will enjoy it.

I understand people not liking this. It's light and breezy, it doesn't really need to exist and it mostly destroys the charm of the practical effects which helped make the original so great. But the original was simple-minded in its ending, and this one adds more complexity to the dynamics involving the parents (using the word complexity liberally). And, like the original, it's very funny. The Prohibition episode in particular I found to be very enjoyable. This won't be for everyone, and I would get a hardcore Gilliam fan's anger against it, but sometimes, you just need to turn off your brain and enjoy yourself, and this show is a perfect way to do that. I spend all my time watching movies or reading about them on LetterBoxd, so the fact that I am not only watching a show, but looking forward to it and enjoying it enough to write a review certainly says something.

The nostalgia police are out in full force to bash this show but it's actually brilliant. The people who rate it poorly will almost never be satisfied with a remake because their memories of the classics are all viewed through rose colored lenses. People were right about the Willow series, which actually was an unwatchable disaster, but the harsh critics are wrong about this. I have great respect for the integrity of IMDB ratings. I use them to filter out all of the garbage, so if people are going to gang up to distort the quality of a show I'm going to defend it!

Taika Waititi was the best possible choice (other than Terry Gilliam himself, who's now 83) to make this adaptation. His humor is dry and witty but still appropriate for kids 10+. This is not one of his second-rate shows where you can tell he was a passive force in production. It's obvious he's a fan of the original and that he put effort into making this not just entertaining, but also insightful and even a bit educational in that it reveals the all-too-beautifully-flawed humanity of our predecessors throughout history.

The whole family will be laughing out loud at the same jokes, which is not easy to achieve. It requires a bit of wit, whereas so much humor these days takes the easy route of shock or vulgarity for adults or overuse of clichés and/or slapstick for kids. Some parts might be a little scary for younger kids (which is true to the original) but our 12 year old is thoroughly enjoying it.

Kevin was cast well. He'll be relatable to kids who don't fit the popularity mold and prefer reading and utilizing their imagination to climbing the middle school social ladder. Jemaine Clement is amazing in the roll of Wrongness... absolutely hilarious! Waititi is also fantastic in the role of the Supreme Being. The bandits may be of different proportions from those featured in the 80s but that has absolutely no bearing on the quality of their chemistry, and I think Lisa Kudrow does a fine job as well and is funny in her own right.

Our family struggles with a lack of family shows that are entertaining for both kids and adults. We usually end up in some kind of compromise where one or the other party is enjoying the show while the other one sort of loses interest and ends up looking at their phone. This show is one of the rare gems that will have the whole family sharing laughs and wanting more.

First and second episode review: I didn't find the trailer too interesting, so I wasn't really excited to watch this show. But because of Lisa Kudrow, the adventure genre, and it being an Apple TV Plus comedy show, I decided to give it a try.

To be honest, at the beginning, it seemed kind of normal. I thought about skipping it after 20 minutes because it felt childish, average, and predictable. But as I continued watching, I really started to like it. I watched both episodes. The duration is fine, although I usually prefer comedy shows that are a bit shorter. This is the first adventure genre show I've watched, and I really enjoyed it. There were some nice jokes, and the show has a cool vibe. The cast is awesome, especially the young kid, who is a really good actor, and Lisa Kudrow, who is still amazing. I loved the visuals, the feel of the show, and the little bit of history lessons. I haven't watched the 1981 movie, but I don't think I need to since I'll be watching the remaining episodes. I would have liked the show even more if there was some romantic tension and if the episodes were less than 30 minutes. Also, it would have been better if all the episodes were released at once, but two episodes a week is also fine.

Overall, it's a nice, fun watch. This show might not be for everyone but it's definitely for me as I too would love to escape the reality. 3/5.

Update: I just finished watching all the episodes, and my ratings remain the same. If you don't think too logically, you might enjoy it. Kids will probably like it more. The ending is not predictable, which is good, although they ended it on a cliffhanger, likely aiming for a season 2 renewal. I'm not sure if a season 2 is necessary, but if it happens, I will watch it.

I have fond memories of the 80s film. Always loved the adventure. Palin and Gilliam wrote a masterpiece for the film.

This outing, in tone, is overall similar. But it seems to have it's faults. I'm not yet certain if the faults out weight the pros.

It has a generally "fun" atmosphere. Dialog and settings are light-hearted and adventurous. Sort of a somewhat "silly" walk through historical settings. That's always a great watch. So there's a big plus there.

The cons.. well... Kudrow really. This appears to be an example of when you finally get a "name" to sign onto a project and they are thrust into a primary spotlight role regardless of how well they fit the part. Kudrow doesn't fit this part. Not at all. She's completely lacking the "wannabe tyrant with a lack-of-confidence" trait in the character she's portraying. Just wrong for the character. This is Kudrow *trying desperately* to play a Monty Python (Palin/Gilliam) character and falling flat. To me, Kudrow has always "forces" comedic roles (post Friends) - and it can become obvious at times.

I can't help but think swapping the roles of Jemaine Clement (the bad guy) and Kudrow would have been better for the series. Jemaine Clement is a fantastic comedic actor - and his talents appear to be wasted in the role he has in this.

I miss the fact that Kevin was the same size as the rest of the bandits in the film. That made them all seem much more like a "gang" of bandits -- I somewhat "get" why that wasn't a choice in today's social climate I guess, but it's not as favorable to have Kevin be a small child compared to all the 6ft tall adults.

The "bandits" in this series aren't very quirky overall - or haven't shown it much yet - that's what made the bandits in the original Palin/Gilliam film so endearing.

Anyway.. after 2 episodes it's not horrible, but it's not yet "great" either. It's worth catching, but there's no telling if it'll get better or worse at this point. I think, largely, that depends on how central Kudrow is in each episode. Looking at the list of the cast, there does appear to be some great comedy names yet to appear in the series.

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After 6 episodes, it's just sort of lackluster and often "try hard." It's not bad, but I have yet to find any laughs. It CLEARLY tries.. but I'm just not finding it funny. And some aspects are just non-sensical.. they travel back to Georgian times and everyone is calling Kudrow's character "sir"?? I know today that may be a thing in 2024, but in the 1700s??? Historical settings are all very superficial and unrealistic in terms of character mindsets.