Guillermo del Toro Praises Mindbending Classic Now Streaming on HBO Max as a “Landmark to all fantasy films”
Recently, decorated director Guillermo del Toro set out to name his top ten Criterion releases. As it turns out, he wasn’t able to pick just ten, so every entry on his list consists of a two or three-way tie. But I can relate. It’s not easy to pick hard-and-fast favorites when it comes to movies.
One of the films we were excited to see del Toro championing is Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits. I vividly remember watching it as a youngster and having my mind blown by how weird it was. But weird in the best possible way. See below for the director’s take on Time Bandits.
“Terry Gilliam is a living treasure, and we are squandering him foolishly with every film of his that remains unmade,” says del Toro. “Proof that our world is the poorer for this can be found in two of his masterpieces. Gilliam is a fabulist pregnant with images—exploding with them, actually—and fierce, untamed imagination. He understands that “bad taste” is the ultimate declaration of independence from the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie. He jumps with no safety net and drags us with him into a world made coherent only by his undying faith in the tale he is telling. Brazil remains one of the most important films of my life, and Time Bandits is a Roald Dahl–ian landmark to all fantasy films. Seeing Time Bandits with my youngest daughter just two weeks ago, I was delighted when she laughed and rejoiced at the moment when Kevin’s parents explode into a cloud of smoke.”
If you’re interested in checking the film out, you can find Time Bandits streaming on Max, as of the publication of this post.
The setup is as follows: Young history buff Kevin (Craig Warnock) can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson), they’ve purloined a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Taking Kevin with them, they variously drop in on Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) before the Supreme Being catches up with them.
Stay tuned for more recommendations from the masters as we uncover them. And be sure to follow us on Twitter so you never miss an update.
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