Comparative Analysis Of Films About Time Travel: Time Bandits And Back To The Future
Time Bandits directed by Terry Gilliam and Back to the Future directed by Robert Zemeckis are both 1980’s films about time travel, but that’s where the similarities stop. Time Bandits, released in 1981 tells the story of a boy named Kevin and his adventures through time and space with six dwarfs and a map of the “time holes” of the universe. Back to the Future, released in 1985, shows teenage Marty McFly accidentally travel thirty years back in time to when his parents were his age. After unintentionally getting involved with his parent’s lives, Marty has to make sure his parents end up together before the course of the future is changed forever. Besides differences in plot, the movies contrast each other in the political and cultural contexts they were created in, the critical and popular reception of the films at the time of their release, and the way they reflect the cultural and political attitudes of their respective culture at the time of their release.
Time Bandits was created and released in the United Kingdom in 1981. 1981 was a very memorable year for the United Kingdom, characterized by riots and public unrest. In April of 1981, rioting in Brixton after the arrest of a local black man sparked violent unrest across England. Across the country, crowds rioted, looted and fought the police. These riots reflected local problems, particularly tensions between predominantly black communities and the police. In October of 1981, the hunger strike started by prisoners at the Maze prison, over the right to be treated as political prisoners rather than criminals, ended after ten men starved themselves to death. In addition to those ten deaths, sixty-one people were killed outside the prison in related violence. On a more positive and cultural note, one of the most famous weddings in history, the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana occurred in July of 1981. Back to the Future was created and released in the United States in 1985. In the year leading up to the release, many events occurred that are still important cultural topics today. In August of 1984 NASA’s space shuttle Discovery took off on its maiden voyage. In December, four teenagers attempted to rob Bernhard Goetz on an express train in The Bronx and were shot. This sparked a national debate about urban crime, which was prevalent in the 1980’s. At the beginning of 1985, Ronald Regan was sworn in for his second term as president. In July of 1985, a series of rock concerts called Live Aid were held to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia around the world.
The budgets and domestic total gross earnings of the films are drastically different. The budget for Time Bandits was $5 million and its domestic total gross earnings is $42, 365, 581, while the budget for Back to the Future was $19 million and its domestic total gross earnings is $210, 609, 762. Although the budgets and earnings are very different, the public and critical reception is similar. Although viewers watching Time Bandits in 2018 will be quick to point out how outdated it is, back in 1981, the technology and plot was still fresh, resulting in the film being well received among the public and critics alike. Critic Michael J Gaughn describes Time Bandits as “witty, inventive, and, ultimately, disturbing. ” He points out that the film stands out among others in the “kiddy film” genre due to the use of “heavy-handed violence and gore. ” Gaughn points out that “Gilliam’s film-making is reflexive which gives the characters room and develops situations from their personalities” unlike other filmmakers of this time. Gaughn also says the film sets itself apart by handling the loss of innocence directly. He states: “The ideals which sustained Kevin throughout childhood are shown to be meaningless; he is confronted with both the vastness and the emptiness of the Universe at an age when most minds are barely attuned to algebra. ” While the public and most critics loved Back to the Future, Shelia Benson of the Los Angeles Times published a review the same day it was released, sharing her distaste for the film. Benson calls the film “big, cartoonish and empty, with an interesting premise that is underdeveloped and overproduced” as well as “hollow and materialistic. ” But most critics had positive remarks about the film like Janet Maslin of The New York Times who wrote “One of the most appealing things about ‘Back to the Future’ is its way of putting nostalgia gently in perspective. ”
While both films where well-loved at the time of release, Time Bandits has not stood the test of time like Back to the Future has. Over thirty years later, Back to the Future is still a pop culture staple. As most films, Time Bandits and Back to the Future reflect the cultural and political attitudes of the time of release. Time Bandits toys with the concept of new technology and how it’s influencing society in the beginning and end of the film when Kevin’s parents are on screen. The 80’s marked the beginning of the emergence of modern technology, so the film addresses this at the start of this time period. In Back to the Future when Marty goes back to 1955, comments are made about Ronald Reagan being president and the town Marty lives in having a black mayor. The towns people laugh but Marty knows both of these things will happen in thirty years. The reference to Ronald Reagan becoming president after being an actor is satirical and pokes fun at the American government.
The brief discussion of race makes the audience aware of how much the culture of the US has changed in such a short time. While both Time Bandits and Back to the Future fall under the same category, they are very different films. Although they were both well-received at the time of their release, Back to the Future’s higher production value and cultural relevance has clearly stood the test of time while Time Bandits has been left in the past.
