A visionary masterwork; simply the finest fantasy and kids film ever - it has everything they should have; unlimited imagination and extreme extravagance with common morality. It adapts to the general conventions of the superhero subgenre - an eccentric lead character (played by John Nelville) with servants of abnormal ability (one a man with strength, another with incredible eyesight, another with superb hearing and lungs and one with ultimate agility). There is not a moment in this film where I felt bored or unengaged with the 'normal' world being just as fun as the fantasy - though the film does not put a definitive line between the two. The epic set decoration and art direction left me in a state of absolute awe. The whimsical score also helped the cinematic value as this is a film that completely grasps its scale (which is all the way round the world and even to the moon). A comparison of the naivety between the two protagonists (the Baron and a girl he befriends - a young Sarah Polley giving one of the best child performances I've ever seen - and of which her father actually portrays the Baron in a play, with a neat twist of the actors playing the servants also playing the actors who play the servants) is a delightful and a key theme in enjoying it. In modern day films in the mainstream line, threats are usually ineffective because there's a definite certainty that the protagonist is going to survive, but in this film, despite following these same conventions the threats are still exciting. Every single attempt at humour is hilarious, no matter how corny or dry. One could see the film as a satire on heroism - the Baron as the hero cliché is supposed to save the town the girl lives in - but his servants are old, tired and unable to perform; which provokes the idea of heroism as a limited virtue but forever a standard - as a quote from the Baron suggests, "I'm usually on the good side." It's the lust for reward and priase that causes this and finally allows them to succeed. It then presents us with the idea that heroism is indeed in fiction and true heroism is but a state on mind (perhaps a reference to Gilliam's previous film, Brazil). This film could also be interpreted as a satire on the ridiculous and pointlessness of warfare to prove ones righteousness as a quote from Johnathan Pryce's character suggests; "We surrendered last time, it's your turn." Unfortunately the special effects are inconsistent - sometimes impressive but sometimes so basic (like models and objects on strings) it took me out of the moment. It also suffers from many contrivances in considering how the characters bump into each other as a consequence of a villain's action, especially since it was unintentional and the primary goal was to reunite the gang. Eric Idle gives a wonderful comic performance (like a jester figure) as does Robin Williams; plus a very, very sexy Uma Thurman. Very unpredictable screenplay - a factor I value greatly, plus it doesn't rush it's pace too much (at least in the first hour). This is clearly Gilliam doing exactly what he loves - a film with a big heart and passion behind it, and it shows.
8/10
8/10