The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

Terry Gilliam's most underrated movie?

Buried on release by not only the critics but the studio itself, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is another of Terry Gilliam's hugely unlucky film productions. A huge shame really because viewed solely from an entertainment perspective and disregarding the huge budget, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen is a hugely entertaining film.

Released just as the regime at Columbia Pictures was changing, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen was severely affected by the fact that the new heads of Columbia didn't want a film made by the previous regime to be successful, so they effectively buried it. Bizarre business this may be, but money aside this also meant that one of the purest fantasy movies of all time has been terribly overlooked.

The film tells the tale of the Baron and his team of talented weirdos as they travel to heaven and hell, the moon and back, have a dance with Venus and even get eaten by a giant sea monster.

Visually lavish, the imagination of Terry Gilliam is here given free reign and there are sequences and images that you will simply never forget. Too lavish for some and perhaps a little rambling, the film has fun, scares, wit and acres of eye candy although its perhaps too scary for the very young.