From the Enlightenment to the Mali Empire, do Time Bandits Episodes 5 and 6 match Apple's beautiful cinematography?
The post Time Bandits Review: Finally, the Story Wheel is Spinning appeared first on TV Fanatic.
Time Bandits is a difficult sell. It’s clearly aimed at kids but lacks the indelible eccentricity of the original. Of course, every creator has their own vision, which usually contradicts the original to some degree.
But it’s difficult to take seriously when that vision manifests a substantial divide between the authentic and the remake. In terms of aesthetics and feeling, the new show shares very little with the original.
That’s not always bad, but Taika Waititi’s style and comedic zeal are generally overwhelming, to the expense of everything else, even what might work if given time.
With that being said, Episodes 5 and 6 came as a surprise. The wheel of the story and the characters is finally spinning, albeit very slowly. At this point, movement in any direction is a welcome change.
After all, for a story to have any meaning and depth, you have to care about or at least relate to the characters. It took Time Bandits four episodes to get there, but here we are at long last.
At this point, it’s not a surprise that no one knows who Judy is. As one of the Time Bandits, Judy is a stranger to the audience in every way.
Her lines are few and far between, but Episode 5 gave her a little boost. It wasn’t much, mind you, but enough to remind viewers that there actually is a Judy, and she’s real.
It takes the Giacomo Cassanova of late 18th-century fame to bring Judy to the forefront, but we finally get a dose of back-and-forth with her character, and it’s refreshing.
In fact, we get more than a little character growth throughout Episodes 5 and 6. One of the show’s significant flaws is the lack of empathy with the characters, and Time Bandits is finally making some moves in that direction.
Judy’s dry, morose delivery of comedic dialogue may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Still, it’s stimulating within the slapstick, goofy, and overly aloof aura that Waititi repeatedly hammers home.
While Judy spends some time with the insufferably goofy Cassanova, Alto gets to test out his acting chops, starting with his eyebrows and drawing the eye of an elderly lady who wishes to see him in a Shakespearean play.
Penelope lays down for the evening with a somber expression (a rarity for her) and gazes at an artistic rendering of someone named Gavin. There’s nothing else to the scene, but the reverence Penelope gives to the small painting speaks volumes.
Bittileg is busy playing the go-between, dealing with everyone’s problems, contributing his terrible advice, and creating problems of his own. As usual, Kevin shows off his historical credentials, culminating in Penelope being forced into a duel.
In Episode 6, the show finally reveals a thread between Penelope (and the rest of the Time Bandits by association) and Kevin, which is more than just an irritable pairing bound by the glue of bad luck.
As it turns out, Penelope and, by extension, the rest of the Time Bandits are finally warming to Kevin’s presence. Speaking of warming, the show makes its most inexplicable decision by bringing Kevin’s sister into the story, resulting in her becoming trapped in the Ice Age.
It’s inexplicable because the show dedicates so little time to her and stretches itself thin trying to cover the exploits of the Time Bandits, Pure Evil, The Supreme Being, the Supreme Being’s investigators, and Kevin’s sister, Saffron.
Saffron and the Supreme Being’s investigators are stretching the limit. Their screen time is so excruciatingly tiny that it’s easy to forget them entirely.
At some point, Saffron will weave her way into the Time Bandit’s tale, but the journey to get there is entirely forgettable.
The same is true of the investigators. In fact, the only interesting thing to note about them is that it seems like Waititi went with two little people to assuage the critical outcry during the pre-release coverage.
What is the purpose? Why are they investigating?
The Supreme Being and even his cohorts show up wherever the Time Bandits are at any given moment, seemingly on a whim.
Yet we have two investigators tracking the Time Bandits because The Supreme Being can’t—except he can. Okay, moving on.
The idea of switching out the position of the Supreme Being with that of Pure Evil is nothing new. It’s a predictable trope, and even if the two are only reduced to moral equals, the end result is too easily anticipated.
However, not much time is spent with either; from the point of establishing two opposing moral views, not much needs to happen with either of them. One is light, and one is dark. End of story. At least, that’s usually the case.
But both are given just enough time in the story to establish the upcoming switcharoo or equalization. It all seems too easily calculable.
On the bright side, Pure Evil has enough personality and razzle-dazzle to make his minuscule screen time entertaining. The Supreme Being is Taika Waititi, who acts as Taika Waititi.
Again, one of the best things about watching shows on Apple TV+ is the quality. Apple is in a bit of trouble over its proliferous spending problem, but it shows on Time Bandits.
Late 18th century England is about what we expect since a day rarely goes by without light gray, dreary clouds draping the sky in that corner of the world.
However, the Time Bandit’s journey to the Mali Empire of the early 14th century is a thing of beauty. The costumes, swirling colors, canopies, and vibrancy of life thump with essence juxtaposed against the harsh desert terrain.
Spending issues aside, credit where credit is due. One thing no one will ever be able to say (at least not with a straight face) is that Time Bandits doesn’t look good. If Season 2 rolls around, however, things might change a bit with Apple tightening its financial belt.
Time Bandits, from this writer’s point of view, is nowhere near the level of surreal oddness and classic fantasy of the original.
It’s trying but often gets in its own way with an unending lack of seriousness, occasional plot holes, and immersion-breaking detours to characters who are microscopic within the scope of the whole.
Episodes 5 and 6 touch the brake pedal a little bit, slowing down and allowing some of the characters, especially Judy, Alto, and Penelope, to experience some variation of what we call growth.
Sure, the characters are lively, funny, and boisterous, but when all of your characters match that exact description 100% of the time, you only have a single character broken into several pieces.
Time Bandits is a fine example of overindulgence, and six episodes in, there is finally a tiny connecting tissue between the audience and some of the characters.
Though the season finale is taking shape a little too early, there’s some hope that the final four episodes will deliver enough character to make these nutty Time Bandits worth traveling with again.
What did you think of Episodes 5 and 6? Do you like the direction of the show? Let us know in the comments below!
The post Time Bandits Review: Finally, the Story Wheel is Spinning appeared first on TV Fanatic.
