Taika Waititi's Remake Of A Classic 43-Year-Old Fantasy Movie Is Streaming & You Probably Missed It

Summary Taika Waititi has revived the classic British fantasy movie "Time Bandits" as a TV show on Apple TV+ with a new diverse cast.

The new "Time Bandits" show has received positive reception, but its release was surprisingly quiet with little marketing from Apple.

Fans of the original should check out the remake, which emphasizes comedy and changes some elements from Terry Gilliam's film.

Acclaimed filmmaker Taika Waititi has just released a major project, and while it is a remake of a classic 43-year-old fantasy movie, most fans probably missed it. Taika Waititi is the beloved visionary behind immensely popular projects like What We Do in the Shadows, Jojo Rabbit, and Thor: Ragnarok, with his signature comedy and stylistic choices making him stand out from the crowd. After his successful work on Reservation Dogs and Our Flag Means Death, Taika Waititi has returned to the world of streaming television, with him this time taking on a classic fantasy movie from 1981.

1981's Time Bandits is a classic British fantasy movie from director Terry Gilliam, with the movie following a young boy who joins a band of time-traveling thieves as they journey throughout the eras of history in an attempt to find treasure. The uniquely zany fantasy comedy film was a big hit upon its release, with it making $42.4 million on a budget of $5 million and receiving critical acclaim. Despite its successes, the Time Bandits franchise has had no further entries since the original, but this is finally changing with the release of Taika Waititi's new show.

Related All 7 Real-Life Historical People In Time Bandits Season 1, Explained In Time Bandits season 1, young history nerd Kevin and the bandits travel through time and meet many important historical people on their journeys.

Time Bandits Has Been Turned Into A TV Show On Apple TV+ (With A Quiet Release)

Many Don't Know That It Is Out Yet

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Taika Waititi has revived Time Bandits as a TV show, with the remake of the iconic film now streaming on Applt TV+. Much like the original film, the Time Bandits TV show is also about a young boy who travels through time with a group of bandits in order to find treasure, although the main cast of characters is incredibly different from its original movie counterpart. The Time Bandits reboot has gotten mostly positive reception since its release on Apple TV+, meaning that fans of the original movie should definitely check it out.

Despite the new series being a reboot of a classic franchise, it has gotten a surprisingly quiet release. It seems as if Apple has marketed the project very little, which is surprising considering the scale of Waititi's new show. Very few trailers and pieces of marketing material have been put in front of general audiences, leading to a lack of excitement for the show. Very few people are talking about the Apple TV+ Time Bandits show on social media, and it looks as if many potential viewers didn't even realize that the new series was streaming yet.

Related Time Bandits Season 1 Episodes 3 & 4 Recap: 8 Story Reveals & Historical Events Time Bandits season 1, episode 3 and 4 saw Kevin and the bandits continue to stumble through time but with an added mission and goal in mind.

The Original Time Bandits Is A Great Fantasy Movie

One Of The Best Of The 1980s

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For audience members who haven't seen the original Time Bandits, they should definitely check it out, as it is a great fantasy movie. The director of Monty Python and the Holy Grail mixes his signature style of comedy with the whimsical world of children's fantasy in order to create a piece of art that is truly unique, with it having a distinctive feel that isn't found elsewhere. The Time Bandits movie manages to capture a storybook feel on the big screen, with each era that the titular team visits managing to fill audiences with wonder.

Another big draw of Time Bandits is its stellar cast. The main cast is fantastic, but there are few big stars. However, Time Bandits's supporting cast is absolutely packed with major names, with actors like Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, Ian Holm, John Cleese, Tony Jay, and more appearing throughout the film. These recognizable talents are sprinkled throughout the film, making Time Bandits feel almost like a variety show, with each time period featuring some of the best talents of the 1970s and 1980s.

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How The Time Bandits Remake Compares To The Original

It Definitely Makes Some Changes

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The Apple TV+ Time Bandits remake will please fans of the original film, although there are some differences. This version of Time Bandits definitely sanded down the edges of Terry Gilliam's original film, with the Apple TV+ series missing out on some of the original movie's scarier elements. While the original film does have a sense of humor, the Time Bandits remake is definitely more of a comedy, with there being more jokes designed to make the audience laugh than in its predecessor.

Another one of Time Bandits' biggest changes is its main cast, with it being a lot more diverse than the original film. The supporting cast also doesn't feature quite as many A-list stars as the original film, although it still does manage to get some big names like Felicity Ward and Jemaine Clement. Time Bandits also features a lot more story than the original film, with this being the result of taking the original Time Bandits' 1 hour and 50 minute runtime and stretching it out over an entire season of television.