12 MONKEYS (A-)
STARS...
Bruce Willis,
Madeleine Stowe, Brad
Pitt, Christopher Plummer, David Morse,
Frank Gorshin, Jon Seda, and Joseph Melito.
PLOT SUMMARY...
A man travels from the future to the present, in an effort to prevent
a plague.
QUICK SCAN...
A well realized, near classic look at a post plague America and
the effort to change things. Bruce Willis, with his head shaved and
being frequently beaten up, gives a sympathetic performance. The film's
photography is superb, especially during a zoo escape.
DIRECTOR: Terry Gilliam
YEAR & RATING: 1995 (R)
BEST BETS:
SYNOPSIS...
A prisoner time travels from the future to the past. His goal is to
try to find clues about a 90s plague, which has wiped out much of the
future world's population.
He makes trips back to several years. Along the way, he forges a fragile alliance with a woman from the past.
At the airport, the time traveler and the woman make contact with himself, as a child. As the result of this contact, the future is changed.
Review:
Director Terry Gilliam's, 12 MONKEYS, is a sometimes bleak, at other
times whimsical Sci-Fi time travel tale.
Willis is excellent as the time traveling prisoner. With his head shaven, and frequently beat up, Willis is a very sympathetic as a man on a quest who fears he may be going crazy.
Brad Pitt offers great support as a man Willis meets in an insane asylum. Pitt, who is eventually revealed to be a key member of the 12 Monkeys, gives a fascinating, off beat portrayal that earned him an Oscar nomination. Willis' scenes with Pitt are my favorite in the film.
Madeleine Stowe is credible as a woman from the present who comes to believe in wild man Willis' mission. She almost looks as good crying, or about to, as Demi "Waterworks" Moore, a useful trait in the movie acting game.
Director ,Terry Gilliam, in known for delivering unusual films that sometimes work, ("Brazil," "The Fisher King"), and sometimes don't, ("The Adventures of Baron Munchausen"). 12 MONKEYS strongly lands in the former category.
12 MONKEYS was inspired by an odd short film, called "La Jetee." Having seen the original, I can say that 12 MONKEYS stays true to the spirit and mood of "La Jetee," while considerably expanding upon the themes and scope of the original.
One of the film's delights involves a group of wacko eco-terrorists, called the 12 Monkeys, who may have played a role in causing the plague. When their true role/purpose comes to light, it's one of the films joyful surprises.
The film offers many striking and memorable visuals. Particularly effective is a scene depicting freed zoo animals running through the city streets. The impressive Cinematography was by Roger Pratt.
12 MONKEYS is a sometimes sad, sometimes whimsical, sometimes confusing, but ultimately highly satisfying Sci-Fi tale. The Musical Score, Composed and Conducted by Paul Buckmaster, offers perfect sound track support for the "Monkeys"s varied moods and visuals.
12 MONKEYS should be very watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Willis fans, and there are many of us, will particularly enjoy this movie. 12 MONKEYS offers a barrel of quality cinema entertainment. You'll go ape!
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