Normally, I'm a fan of Terry Gilliam's aesthetic but this movie left me completely cold. I just couldn't get into it at all.It's the 18th Century, somewhere in Europe, and a town is being attacked by the Turks. Inside the beleaguered town, a group of actors is putting on a play about the fantastical adventures of Baron Munchausen when the man himself (John Neville) comes in and starts claiming that it's all a pack of lies. The town is about to get bombed to smithereens and the troupe leader's daughter (Sarah Polley) convinces Munchausen to save them. So he builds a hot air balloon out of women's underwear so he can escape and search for his companions. The daughter stows away on board, which is good, considering that Munchausen is easily distracted from the goal. They sail to the moon and are imprisoned by the King (Robin Williams, who asked not to be credited) because the last time Munchausen was there, he seduced the Queen (Valentina Cortese). They find one of the companions there, left behind when Munchausen escaped. They escape again with the Queen's help and fall from the moon into Mount Etna, where Vulcan (Oliver Reed) is having a labor dispute with his Cyclops. They pick up another companion and then get kicked out again when Munchausen dances with Vulcan's wife, Venus (Uma Thurman). From there, they get swallowed by a sea monster and find the other two companions. Now they just have to get back in time to save the town.
Some of the cinematography and set design is beautiful but most of the movie is just a mess. I'd say give this a pass.
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