10 Biggest Differences Between Taika Waititi's Time Bandits Show & The 1981 Movie

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Time Bandits (1981) and Time Bandits season 1.

Time Bandits season 1 revealed many differences between the 2024 Taika Waititi show and the 1981 Terry Gilliam movie it was based on. The 1980s fantasy movie was adapted into an Apple TV+ show that featured 10 episodes in its first season, allowing for an expansion of the story. Along with this expanded story came many changes, though they followed similar premises, making it a clear remake rather than a show inspired by the movie.

Perhaps the biggest changes between the show and the movie came in the Time Bandits season 1 ending, which marked a major departure from the original story. It also set up a potential Time Bandits season 2, which would introduce a completely new story that wasn’t part of the original movie. Like the show, the Time Bandits movie ended on a cliffhanger, but the series went in a different direction.

10 The Time Bandits Casting

The Time Bandits Aren’t Played By Actors With Dwarfism In The Apple TV+ Show

The most obvious change between the Time Bandits show and movie was the casting of the time bandits. In the original movie, the time bandits were played by six actors with dwarfism, but the Apple TV+ series went in a different direction. This was somewhat controversial when the Time Bandits cast was originally announced, as many saw it as taking away potential opportunities from actors with dwarfism. Still, the Time Bandits cast features diversity in different ways.

While the time bandits in the 1981 movie were all white men, in the Apple TV+ show, they consist of four men and two women with multiple characters of color. Additionally, the leader of the time bandits is Penelope, a woman. Though they play more minor characters, Time Bandits does have little people in their cast playing the detectives and Supreme Being’s employees. With them having stolen the map at the end of Time Bandits season 1, they could play a larger role in Time Bandits season 2 if renewed.

9 The Focus On The Time Bandits

The Time Bandits Have More Development In The TV Show

Time Bandits season 1 allowed the series to explore the characters in much more depth. The time bandits in the 1981 movie blended together, with each of them filling in a stereotype akin to Snow White’s seven dwarfs. Some of this was maintained with the Time Bandits show, with Bittelig being the strong one, Arlo being the dramatic actor, and more. Yet, as the story unfolded, it was revealed that the time bandits were more than surface-level stereotypes.

This change was an improvement from the original Time Bandits movie, as it wasn’t just about Kevin. It was also necessary for the story, as it wouldn’t have worked if Kevin spent 10 episodes with characters that lacked depth. The Time Bandits series also featured a found family element that wasn’t in the movie, which added some more touching and heartwarming scenes and let viewers become more attached to the characters.

8 Kevin’s Sister

Saffron Doesn’t Exist In The 1981 Movie

Along with the found family element that was added to the Apple TV+ show, Time Bandits featured more actual family dynamics with the addition of Kevin’s younger sister, Saffron. In the movie, Kevin is an only child, making him the only main character from his timeline. Yet, in the show, his younger sister ends up time traveling as well, joining him and the time bandits in the final few episodes.

This provides some interesting storylines for Kevin, as he feels like an outsider in his family but eventually forms an important bond with Saffron. Her joining the time bandits also made the found family element even sweeter, as they accepted her because of her relation to Kevin. The development of Kevin and Saffron’s relationship was a nice change that elevated Kevin’s character in the Time Bandits show.

7 The Historical Figures Kevin & The Time Bandits Encounter

The Historical Figures Differ Between The Show & Movie

In both versions of Time Bandits, Kevin and the bandits travel through time and encounter different historical figures along their journey. Kevin is excited by this thanks to his knowledge of history, while the bandits are just looking for the best items to steal. In the movie, the historical figures include Napoleon Bonaparte and Robin Hood. King Agamemnon plays the biggest role, adopting Kevin after he helped him kill a Minotaur.

The number of episodes in Time Bandits allowed the show to meet even more historical figures, including Madame Chung, Mansa Musa, and Cassandra. There is no overlap between the time periods and historical figures in the Time Bandits series and movie, which helps keep each of them unique despite sharing source material. If the Time Bandits show had followed the exact same formula the movie had, it wouldn’t have felt original enough. Changing the historical figures was an easy way to differentiate the projects.

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6 Vincent & Pansy

Vincent & Pansy Aren’t In Time Bandits (2024)

Two of the supporting characters in Time Bandits are Vincent and Pansy. Kevin and the time bandits meet the couple when they first travel back in time to the Middle Ages. The couple shows up again on the Titanic later in the movie. They are used in Time Bandits as comedic relief, as they act as if they are the main characters. Their appearances are brief but notable. It’s also one of Shelley Duvall’s funniest performances alongside Michael Palin.

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Yet, Vincent and Pansy don’t exist in the Time Bandits movie, and they don’t have an equivalent either. This is likely because their inclusion in the movie was typical Monty Python humor, and the Apple TV+ version of Time Bandits has creators with a different style in Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. They aren’t necessary to the plot, though they are entertaining. It would have been a nice nod to see them in the series, but it’s understandable why they weren’t included.

5 Pure Evil’s Powers

Pure Evil Is Stronger In The Time Bandits Movie

In the original Time Bandits movie, the bandits were being watched by Evil, who conspired to steal the time map from them. To do this, Evil manipulated reality. He even took control of one of the time bandits and lured them into the Fortress of Ultimate Darkness. This made him much more dangerous in the movie when compared to the television show, where Evil became Pure Evil. Both David Warner and Jemaine Clement give comedic performances in the villainous role, but they work in different ways.

To accomplish his goal in the Time Bandits show, Pure Evil uses a demon, the huntress Fianna, to track down Kevin and the time bandits. She is the one who coals Kevin’s parents, and then later when history is altered, brings them to his lair to hold them hostage. Pure Evil uses this to get Kevin, Saffron, and the time bandits to come to the Fortress willingly. Rather than relying on his powers, Pure Evil uses his lackeys and masterminds his way into getting what he wants.

4 Supreme Being’s Plan

Supreme Being Is A Darker Character In The Taika Waititi Adaptation

Supreme Being, played by co-creator Taika Waititi in Time Bandits, has a larger role in the Apple TV+ series. He has small appearances throughout the series rather than simply appearing at the end as he did in the movie. He might not have a lot of screentime, but Supreme Being has a bigger impact on the plot thanks to his plan to create Earth 2. This plan would involve him wiping all history and every living thing on Earth to start over.

This plan is regarded as bad as Pure Evil’s plan to take over and make the world miserable. It wasn’t a part of the Time Bandits movie, as Supreme Being was a much nicer character. At the end of the movie, it was revealed that Supreme Being had let the time bandits steal the map as a test, and he let them rejoin him in his work as the universe’s creator. Supreme Being being a bad boss is a running joke in the Time Bandits show, but he proved he wasn’t as good as one may assume.

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3 Pure Evil’s Fate

Pure Evil Is Alive At The End Of Time Bandits Season 1

At the end of the Time Bandits movie, Supreme Being defeated Pure Evil by setting him on fire just before he unleashed his ultimate power on Kevin and the time bandits. However, he doesn’t die in the Taika Waititi Apple TV+ show. Pure Evil doesn’t kill anyone except for his minions who go against him. He doesn’t even torture Kevin’s parents despite holding them captive. The worst he does is torture the time bandits and Saffron to convince Kevin to give him the time map.

Kevin eventually does this in the Time Bandits season 1 finale, or at least that’s what Pure Evil thought. Instead, Kevin had switched out the lunch box he’d been holding the time map in, giving Pure Evil one without it. Pure Evil realized this after everyone left his Fortress, which turned out to be his punishment, not death. Pure Evil surviving the Time Bandits season 1 finale means he can return as the main villain again in a potential season 2.

2 Kevin’s Polaroid

Kevin Doesn’t Have A Polaroid In The Time Bandits Show

In the Time Bandits show and movie, the time portal in Kevin’s door opens once before the bandits later appearin his bedroom. When this happened in the movie, his room returned to normal, but a picture was added to his wall similar to the forest he saw through the portal. To prepare for it potentially happening again, Kevin put a Polaroid camera in his satchel and eventually took it with him on his travels through time.

After Pure Evil was defeated and Supreme Being had the time map again, Kevin woke up in his bedroom. At first, it seemed like everything might have been a dream, but when Kevin reached into his satchel, he saw polaroid pictures from his time travels. With the different ending to Time Bandits season 1, Kevin never had a polaroid. This also could have been a symptom of the different time periods the stories took place in.

1 Kevin’s Parents’ Fate

Kevin’s Parents Are Coaled At The End Of Time Bandits (1981)

The big cliffhanger at the end of the 1981 Time Bandits movie had Kevin’s parents turn into coal after ignoring Kevin’s orders. When Pure Evil was burnt to death, Supreme Being warned the bandits to collect the pieces of concentrated Evil, as they could be deadly. When Kevin woke up in his bed, his house was on fire, supposedly due to his parents leaving food in the toaster for a few days. Kevin’s parents were obsessed with technology and fought over what gadgets they couldn’t save in the fire.

When they retrieved the toaster, Kevin noticed a piece of Evil in it and told his parents not to touch it, but they did so anyway and exploded. At the end of Time Bandits season 1, episode 2, Kevin’s parents were turned into coal in a much different way. Fianna coaled them when trying to get to Kevin and the time map. However, their fates were reversed when Kevin and Saffron traveled back in time and met their parents as children. This gave Time Bandits season 1 a happier ending than the movie.

Time Bandits (2024)

Eleven-year-old Kevin joins a group of time-traveling thieves on a comedic and perilous adventure. As they navigate through various historical periods, they embark on a mission to save Kevin’s parents and ultimately the world, blending humor with high-stakes drama in this adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s cult classic​.

Cast

Kal-El Tuck , Sarah Darkin , Lisa Kudrow , Tadhg Murphy , Rune Temte , Roger Jean Nsengiyumva , Kiera Thompson , Nikita Chronis

Release Date

July 24, 2024

Seasons

1