IMDb plot summary: An account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences with his band of misfits.
Directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, and Oliver Reed.
(Very mild spoilers ahead.)
I frequently love Terry Gilliam. His work with Monty Python is great, of course, but as a director, The Fisher King is in my top 250 movies and Brazil is a fascinating watch. 12 Monkeys didn't make an impact on me when I first watched it but I've grown to appreciate it. It's kind of interesting that Gilliam's distinctively whimsical tone plays best for me in less whimsical genres: psychological drama and post-apocalyptic sci-fi. With Baron Munchausen, the genre Gilliam's going for is adventure fantasy, and while you'd think that would be the perfect fit, it's not as interesting to me as I expected. Maybe it's that I need something to ground Gilliam's work, to be the basis for his whimsy. Here, the adventure is all play and nothing deeper. The few attempts to reach slightly more emotional depths (for example, when Sally urges him not to give in to Death) come seemingly out of nowhere with no impetus, so they can't make much of a mark. The adventuring parts are fun, and there are funny and entertaining moments throughout, but it feels hollow when it comes down to it.
How it entered my Flickchart:
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen < Extremities
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen < Death to Smoochy
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > Blade
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen < Be Kind Rewind
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > Invictus
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > The Master
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen < The Cutting Edge
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen < Monsters
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > Mudbound
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > A Chorus of Disapproval
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen > Frank
Final spot: #1214 out of 2943.
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