Review: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Year: 1988

Genre: Fanstasy Comedy

Stars: John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Jonathan Pryce & Uma Thurman

Director: Terry Gilliam

Overview: Though not as big of a hit as Time Bandits or Brazil or as big a cult favorite as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or 12 Monkeys, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen still provides all the spectacle and whimsy of director Terry Gilliam’s greater works. Hieronymus Karl Frederick Baron von Munchausen (Neville), is an eccentric Baron who tells the tall tales of his unbelievable past. Escaping by balloon with young Sally Salt (Polley) the duo try to find the Baron’s talented henchmen to help prevent Turkish invaders from decimating their town. Throughout the movie, they travel to the moon, through Aphrodite’s boudoir (Thurman) and into the belly of a sea monster. Fellow Python Eric Idle costars as the Baron’s loyal upstart Berthold.

Writing: Though director Terry Gilliam is known for his visual flair, his stories have always been somewhat convoluted. Baron Munchausen is certainly no exception to that convention. Many characters float across the screen many of which, their names are either never heard or if they are, forgotten in a matter of minutes. That's not to say the script is bad in fact its quite good. The film rarely talks down to its audience and the themes are complex and even metaphysical, but be forewarned, this movie's script is not for the average moviegoer.

Direction: Director Terry Gilliam is tasked with creating not just one fictional world but many. Even in its more rational first act, the world created by the theatre folk who make fun of the Baron is ingenious as the stage is filled with various gadgets and do-dads that make the set pieces come to life. Also a cinematic treat are the scenes on the moon featuring a miniature cityscape that brings to mind Gilliam's work on Monty Python. Out of the countless directors in the industry Gilliam is one of the few that deserves his own adjective...truly Gilliamesque.

Acting: This is where the movie starts to sink a little. Supporting cast members like Oliver Reed, Valentina Cortese and an incredibly irksome Robin Williams chew the scenery in every scene they're in. Eric Idle does a commendable job but the rest of the Baron's mates are underwhelming. Even the Baron himself isn't as euphorically whimsical as the set pieces. There are a few standouts however. Though not as memorable as Craig Warnock's Kevin in Time Bandits, Sarah Polley displays gumption and depth as the child protagonist. Jonathan Pryce also displays that rare mix of poise and menace as The Right and Ordinary Horatio Jackson, putting a face and name to heartless empiricism.

Bankability: Though many of Munchausen's stars were big in the day, many of the cast is unrecognizable by contemporary audiences. Uma Thurman who is cast as Aphrodite is very young in this picture and Robin Williams for all his obnoxiousness in this movie, is only in it for about fifteen minutes. The story also isn't as tight as modern audiences would likely enjoy. Though its far from the sluggish pace of say 1963's Cleopatra its also not as frenzied as National Treasure.

ALL-Factor: As said before, the movie is a little dated and though its humor is amusing it doesn't coax many belly laughs. Intensity is built when Death quite literally catches up to the Baron, nearly killing him. Though Death appears a few times throughout the film, tension only brews at the end and by then its too little too late. The emotion most prevalent in this movie is wonderment which though is hard to pull off even by today's standards Baron simply doesn't have enough emotional payoff to endorse outright.

Conclusion: This movie is a must see for Terry Gilliam fans, budding cinematographers and set designers and those willing to step out of the usual fare and try something new. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is fun, smart, imaginative and a personal favorite for those nights when I have nothing to do. That being said however, I cannot recommend this to the casual movie renter. A confusing narrative, "weird" art direction and a few scenes that just don't work reserves this gem for the few that 'get' it.