Apple TV+ has resurrected the cult 1981 movie Time Bandits to mostly positive results. The Terry Gillam cult classic has been reinvented as a sweet, family-friendly romp that doesn’t break many barriers but will entertain young and old.
Created, directed and starring Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi, alongside writer Iain Morris (The Inbetweeners), Time Bandits lacks the innovative whimsy of their previous work, What We Do in The Shadows, but manages to capture the ‘Bill & Ted for kids’ mood perfectly.
11-year-old Kevin (Kal-El Tuck) is a history-obsessed outcast whose family finds him the most boring person in the world. His life turns upside down when he discovers a temporal portal in his Bingley bedroom. Instead of being afraid of the Vikings in his bedroom and the strange creatures lurking in the shadows, he relishes the chance to indulge in his obsession with history.
Meet The Bandits
Kevin is protected from the satanic creatures entering this portal by the show’s namesake of bandits, led by the overconfident Penelope (Lisa Kudrow). She is joined by Widget (Roger Jean Nsengiyumva), a navigator who’s not great at navigating; Judy (Charlyne Yi), a self-described empath who can’t read a room; Bittelig (Rune Temte), who “has the strength of seven average-strength men”; and Alto (Tadhg Murphy), a flamboyant actor and master of a few disguises.
The bandits and their lack of characterisation contribute to why this show is not quite the homerun you would expect from this creative team. Kudrow is magnetic as Penelope, channelling the brash selfishness of her The Comeback character, Valerie Cherish. Kal El Tuck is incredibly likeable as Kevin, a book-smart kid with zero life skills.
The other bandits feel a little like NPCs that all blend into each other, with barely enough personality or evolution to make audiences care. The lack of chemistry between the cast was probably not assisted by Charlyne Yi leaving production early after saying they were a victim of abuse by another member on set. Her absence is handled with as much care as the writing team can do, although it is concerning how losing a supporting character causes little to no impact on proceedings.
A Stolen Map And A Confidence Beyond Their Skillset
Armed with a stolen map and a confidence beyond their skillset, this unlikely group of renegades fumble their way through the timeline, hoping to somehow access treasures. On the surface there is very little jeopardy to Time Bandits. This family-friendly show isn’t very high risk, nor does it rely on action sequences to keep audiences engaged. Time Bandits is perhaps a little more than it appears on the surface as the small-time thieves get entwined with two major cosmic powers battling it out celestially.
Taika Waititi’s Supreme Being, the godlike entity who owns the stolen map, and Jermaine Clement’s Wrongness, a Satanic creature who wants the map for his own evil plan, fight it out in the backdrop of the narrative. At times, these sections, which belong more in an episode of Miracle Workers or Good Omens, feel disjointed from the rest of the narrative.
Unlike other remakes of classic films, like Sexy Beast and Fatal Attraction, Time Bandits lends itself to the episodic formula. With every episode, Kevin and his band of merry bandits travel to a new time period to enjoy a new adventure. Whether they are travelling to prohibition America or 14th century Africa, every era is recreated to the smallest details.
Time Bandits joyfully jumps through time, sometimes delivering episodes within episodes. At times, the time and location are underused, especially as they are so meticulously created and cast. Famous faces, including Matt King, Mark Gatiss, and Ross Noble, appear throughout the show, often in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments. Some episodes land better than others. A highlight is their trip to Africa to meet the richest man, only for him to mock European names and foods in the same way people speak about African culture.
Fans of Waititi and Clement’s previous work may be disappointed in the gentleness of Time Bandits’ humor. It feels like the wit of What We Do In The Shadows with the budget of Our Flag Means Death, only watered down to appeal to those under 14. At times, the show struggles to find its tone, sometimes too silly to appeal to adults but too boring for children.
It’s best to keep Terry Gillam’s movie out of your mind when starting Time Bandits. The show isn’t quite as violent and is far more sentimental about time travel and bad guys. The show often leans too much into sentimentality, ignoring the kookiness and wit of the original tale. There always has to be a lesson learned and a moralist speech, but luckily, they are delivered by the often undervalued Lisa Kudrow.
Time Bandits is now streaming on Apple TV+.
