Review of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) by Simon D — 23 Jul 2014

The final movie in Terry Gilliam's unofficial "imagination" trilogy is easily the most insanely magical. I'd try to explain it, but I'm not sure what really happened and what did not. As near as I can tell there is only about 10 minutes of film that is not a complete fantasy being made up by Baron Munchausen, yet based on how things end it seems that some of what he said perhaps did happen? I don't know. What I liked in the movie is the fact that the world the Baron presents us with is so physics-defying that it's kind of like watching a Looney Tunes cartoon. It feels like a kids movie (much like Time Bandits did) and then there will be a scene with a nearly nude Uma Thurman or a woman moaning in ecstasy and you wonder "Is this really for kids?" Yet almost every scene in the movie is like looking into a child's mind. A man is drowning in water, so how does he get out? Well, he just pulls up his own hair and that lifts him out of the water, of course. Not enough rope to climb down from the moon? Simply get as far down as you can then take some of the rope from the top of the line and drop it down to the bottom. It is so crazy, yet it made me smile.

My favorite aspect of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen was the Baron's band of super heroes. It was fun watching them use their crazy abilities in the early scenes and then later having them as old men trying to remember how to use their skills. That final battle sequence is easily the highlight of the movie especially when Eric Idle starts running around. I think the big problem I have with all of these Gilliam films, however, is that I don't feel grounded enough in any reality. He doesn't define the limits of his worlds so I can't get a proper grasp on what is really happening. I can see how some people might revel in this, because you can almost draw your own conclusions, but I find it extremely disorienting. There are moments in Munchausen that are fun, I definitely didn't hate it, but I cannot articulate the plot and I find that frustrating. Soon I will be venturing into some of Gilliam's 90s films and I hope they will entertain me more. I can take some light, fantastical elements when they're in a world I understand...