---
title: "Time Bandits: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/time-bandits/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/time-bandits"
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Time Bandits (1981): what the critics said

Critics' score 75 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics are warm towards this one, and the praise clusters on Gilliam’s invention: the miniature work, the design, and the dream-world built from a boy’s toys and bedroom. Several admire its willingness to be dark where a children’s adventure would usually be cute, down to its refusal of a comfortable ending. The cameo cast, Cleese, Connery and Richardson among them, is mentioned again and again. The more recent reviews, written around restored transfers, agree that the design holds up and the film has aged well.

The spread is wide, though the dissent is thin. Variety’s original review finds the film an underwhelming hybrid, short on laughs and excitement, and rates Ralph Richardson’s appearance as the Maker the funniest thing in it. The Los Angeles Times sits in the middle: consistently entertaining, but with a rambling story that wanders geographically. Those are the only two with serious reservations; the rest run from solidly positive to unreserved.

## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole

Rating 4.5/5. 16 June 2023. 

Cole praises Criterion’s UHD release and Gilliam’s dark, visually inventive children’s adventure. He singles out the film’s miniature work and unsettling refusal of a conventional happy ending.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/time-bandits-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-terry-gilliam/)

## Empire — Ian Nathan

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2006. 

Nathan calls the film a dazzling, unusually satisfying fantasy that balances child-friendly adventure with Gilliam’s surreal humour and darkness. He especially praises the vivid performances and the imaginative dream-world shaped by Kevin’s toys and encounters.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/time-bandits-review/)

## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson

Rating 4/5. 

Hutchinson calls the film one of Gilliam’s best, praising its inventive fantasy. He also singles out the marvellous cameo cast, including John Cleese, Sean Connery and Ralph Richardson.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6x5f3a/time-bandits/)

## The Guardian — Rob Mackie

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2002. 

Mackie finds the film thoroughly enjoyable and says it has aged well. He singles out its non-cute appeal for all ages and its lasting influence.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/sep/27/artsfeatures.dvdreviews2)

## Time Out — NF

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review presents the film as an extraordinarily inventive fantasy. It singles out the schoolboy’s escape from dull suburbia with a band of renegade dwarfs.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/time-bandits)

## Los Angeles Times — Andy Klein

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 2014. 

Klein finds the film consistently entertaining, while noting that its strengths are matched by flaws. He praises its imaginative visuals but faults its rambling, geographically scattered story.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/entertainment/andy-klein/tn-gnp-dvd-review-time-bandits-flashes-back-to-early-gilliam-20141215-story.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1980. 

The review finds the film an underwhelming hybrid that delivers too few laughs and too little excitement. It singles out Ralph Richardson’s appearance as the Maker as the funniest moment.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1980/film/reviews/time-bandits-1200424816/)

## The Skinny — Scott McKellar

Rating ★★★★★. 26 August 2013. 

McKellar finds the fantasy shamelessly fun, with darker moments that give it an edge. He particularly praises the restored transfer for showcasing the film’s design work.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/time-bandits-film_review-2013)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/time-bandits.md