Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits was a surprise box office hit born from a failed project.

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When Terry Gilliam could not secure funding for his film Brazil in 1979, he pivoted to a family-friendly adventure. The resulting film, Time Bandits, became a massive financial success, grossing $36 million on a $5 million budget and launching a trilogy exploring the human desire to escape an ordered society.

Released in 1981, Time Bandits follows a young boy named Kevin who joins a group of time-traveling dwarfs on a quest to plunder historical riches. The film was co-written by Gilliam and Monty Python member Michael Palin, and financed by George Harrison’s HandMade Films. Gilliam later identified it as the first entry in his 'Trilogy of Imagination,' which examines the human struggle against a rigid society through the eyes of a child, a man in his thirties in 1985's Brazil, and an elderly man in 1988's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

The production was marked by unique creative choices and casting. To maintain a child's perspective, Gilliam filmed from low camera angles and surrounded his young lead with actors of similar stature. Sean Connery was cast as Agamemnon after a chance meeting with a producer on a golf course, agreeing to the role for a nominal fee in exchange for a share of the profits. John Cleese, cast as Robin Hood, based his performance on the perceived futility of the Duke of Kent’s interactions with footballers at the FA Cup Final.

Critical reception was polarized. While many praised its visual ingenuity and irreverent tone, some critics, including Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael, found the pacing uneven or the ideas overwhelming. Despite this, the film’s influence was significant; game designer Richard Garriott famously watched it about 20 times to help develop the mechanics and map design for his 1982 game, Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress. A planned sequel in 1996 was ultimately shelved following the deaths of key cast members.

The film's legacy continues through various restorations and a 2018 television adaptation deal with Apple. While the original theatrical run in the US grossed $36 million, a 1982 re-release brought the total to $42.4 million. Today, it remains a cult classic, celebrated for its vivid, original universe and its refusal to rely on the sentimentality often found in children's fantasy cinema.

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