Time Bandits

This heroic journey film was full of random Monty Python humor slapstick comedy and famous moments in history. This movie, I would imagine, is what you would get if you combined Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure with Labyrinth.  It combines adult humor with a child’s imagination, with rather an oddly depressing ending.  At times while watching this film I had ”what the ***” moments as the movie progressed.  I could, however, at times see some parallels between this film and The Hobbit. Here, though we have a young boy with crummy parents who needs an escape. We see this from the get go as his parents are more obsessed with their appliances then they are with him and his well-being.  I did like how Bilbo Baggins made a starring appearance as Napoleon (thank you Ian Holm).  You actually heroes or heroic figures show up in the film, such as Napoleon or Menelaus. And of course you have the battle of good and evil clearly laid out for you and the hero defending the good and clearly defining it for his peers. As discussed in class this film takes us through the stages of the journey with the Innocent world of childhood (boy in his room with his figurines and toys), call to adventure (when the dwarves appear out of his closet), refusal of call( his reluctance to follow them when the Supreme being shows up), crossing first threshold ( when he finally follows them down the path they create and through the time whole).  Trials and tribulations await him before he can return home. He has to help his companions attempt to live the life they wanted and face facts of what is actually good for them before he can go back to his time.  This is not blatantly said yet clearly is defined in the very concept of the film.  This was a very strange movie, but it did show a good example of the heroes' journey.