Based on Chris Marker's 1962 short film "La Jetée," Terry Gilliam's 1995 film "12 Monkeys" begins in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by a deadly virus. Cities are already being reclaimed by plants and animals, and humans have moved into cage-like, nightmarish structures underground. Despite the dire circumstances, humans still adhere to a frustrating bureaucracy, forcing mentally detached people to attend meetings and make plans. Luckily, humans also have access to a time machine, and they have selected James Cole (Bruce Willis) to go back in time to 1990 -- and then again to 1996 -- to find out more about the virus and help find a cure. Because it's a Terry Gilliam film, the picture doesn't exactly end on a note of hope.
Terry Gilliam's films tend to be fraught affairs, usually wracked with production problems, delays, and other things that are out of the filmmaker's control; he seems to be very unlucky.
Terry Gilliam's films tend to be fraught affairs, usually wracked with production problems, delays, and other things that are out of the filmmaker's control; he seems to be very unlucky.
- 5/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Star Trek: Picard" shares more than a little DNA with "12 Monkeys." In its third season, the recently ended "Trek" sequel series was captained by showrunner Terry Matalas, who co-created the wild Syfy Channel adaptation of Terry Gilliam's also-wild film. Aside from a shared showrunner, "Star Trek: Picard" was home to several key cast and crew members who worked on both shows – and nearly featured one more.
In a Reddit Ama about the show's third season, user Drewski1138 pointed out several narrative choices in "Picard" that echoed "12 Monkeys," including references to a mysterious red realm, a new drug called "Splinter" (a reference to "12 Monkeys" time travel), and more. "Were there any '12 Monkeys' Easter eggs we might have missed ... Were there any that you were told you couldn't put in?" the user asked Matalas. The answer? No, but there was one Easter egg that never came to...
In a Reddit Ama about the show's third season, user Drewski1138 pointed out several narrative choices in "Picard" that echoed "12 Monkeys," including references to a mysterious red realm, a new drug called "Splinter" (a reference to "12 Monkeys" time travel), and more. "Were there any '12 Monkeys' Easter eggs we might have missed ... Were there any that you were told you couldn't put in?" the user asked Matalas. The answer? No, but there was one Easter egg that never came to...
- 1/8/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
With his 1995 film "12 Monkeys," director Terry Gilliam found a Hollywood-scale Trojan horse through which he could launder bleak, dystopian visions into a major science-fiction hit. The filmmaker had clashed with Hollywood before, struggling to bring his provocative, idiosyncratic work to life in an industry that prioritized homogeneity. His chaotic approach to filmmaking had led not just to issues in the industry — it also terrified Sarah Polley, the child star of his 1988 film "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen."
But "12 Monkeys" would suggest, for a minute, an attempt of Gilliam's to walk the line between art and commercial Hollywood. That Gilliam was able to use major movie stars like Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis, each at peaks in their careers, and have them totally sacrifice any sense of celebrity vanity, spoke volumes to his confidence in the material. How many sci-fi blockbusters were based on experimental French New Wave short films?...
But "12 Monkeys" would suggest, for a minute, an attempt of Gilliam's to walk the line between art and commercial Hollywood. That Gilliam was able to use major movie stars like Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis, each at peaks in their careers, and have them totally sacrifice any sense of celebrity vanity, spoke volumes to his confidence in the material. How many sci-fi blockbusters were based on experimental French New Wave short films?...
- 11/28/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
U.S. writer-director Terry Gilliam had the crowd in stitches throughout his masterclass at the Lumière Film Festival, where he presented the restored version of his 1995 cult movie “12 Monkeys.”
The former Monty Python member, whose career as a director started with the 1975 satirical comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” said that while he was keen to approach difficult subjects, he had learnt from Mary Poppins the secret of success.
“She taught me that the sugar helps the medicine go down,” he quipped, to the audience’s delight.
On a more serious note, Gilliam said that his main goal as a filmmaker was “to make films that make you think about the world in a different way.”
Rejecting the way reality is presented by the media, which he described as “too limited,” Gilliam said it could be “more fascinating, bizarre and surprising.”
“I don’t make fantasy films, though,...
The former Monty Python member, whose career as a director started with the 1975 satirical comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” said that while he was keen to approach difficult subjects, he had learnt from Mary Poppins the secret of success.
“She taught me that the sugar helps the medicine go down,” he quipped, to the audience’s delight.
On a more serious note, Gilliam said that his main goal as a filmmaker was “to make films that make you think about the world in a different way.”
Rejecting the way reality is presented by the media, which he described as “too limited,” Gilliam said it could be “more fascinating, bizarre and surprising.”
“I don’t make fantasy films, though,...
- 10/18/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
The existence of the 21st century itself is almost inconceivable. Ask any one who was around in 1999 how they felt about the incoming year 2000 and they’ll be happy to tell you how surreal it all felt. Hell, they may even be nice enough to give you a non-perishable treat from their Y2K bomb shelter.
The fact that we’re even in the 2000s and have been for many years feels like science fiction to begin with. It’s only fitting then that television, a very 20th century innovation, has been at our side the whole time to make sense of it.
Sci-fi TV in the 21st century was both a friendly companion and a bold boundary pusher. Whether it took us to the heights of outer space, alternate universes, or even just around the neighborhood, science fiction stories truly enriched our pop culture landscape. What follows are our...
The fact that we’re even in the 2000s and have been for many years feels like science fiction to begin with. It’s only fitting then that television, a very 20th century innovation, has been at our side the whole time to make sense of it.
Sci-fi TV in the 21st century was both a friendly companion and a bold boundary pusher. Whether it took us to the heights of outer space, alternate universes, or even just around the neighborhood, science fiction stories truly enriched our pop culture landscape. What follows are our...
- 8/10/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.
The 21st Rule of Acquisition teaches us “Never place friendship above profit.” By that measure, no one has proven to be less Ferengi than Terry Matalas. The Star Trek: Picard showrunner has always made a point of including his friends in his series, even if only in fun cameos. Take season two of Picard, which saw Impractical Joker Brian Quinn drop by as a dog walker in Guinan’s bar, or the addition of 12 Monkeys star Todd Stashwick to the Picard cast as USS Titan Captain Liam Shaw (Matalas co-created the Syfy series). It’s clear the showrunner likes inside jokes, even if the audience doesn’t always get it.
That tendency is on full display in the latest episode of Picard season 3, “Disengage.” While investigating the terrorist attack from the last episode, Raffi’s now-unofficial Starfleet intelligence mission leads her to a Ferengi criminal called Sneed.
The 21st Rule of Acquisition teaches us “Never place friendship above profit.” By that measure, no one has proven to be less Ferengi than Terry Matalas. The Star Trek: Picard showrunner has always made a point of including his friends in his series, even if only in fun cameos. Take season two of Picard, which saw Impractical Joker Brian Quinn drop by as a dog walker in Guinan’s bar, or the addition of 12 Monkeys star Todd Stashwick to the Picard cast as USS Titan Captain Liam Shaw (Matalas co-created the Syfy series). It’s clear the showrunner likes inside jokes, even if the audience doesn’t always get it.
That tendency is on full display in the latest episode of Picard season 3, “Disengage.” While investigating the terrorist attack from the last episode, Raffi’s now-unofficial Starfleet intelligence mission leads her to a Ferengi criminal called Sneed.
- 2/23/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
“I am insane. And you are my insanity.”
Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys (1995) will be available on 4K Ultra HD April 26th from Arrow Video.
Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples inspired by Chris Marker’s classic short film La Jetée.
In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure.
Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam’s most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to...
Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys (1995) will be available on 4K Ultra HD April 26th from Arrow Video.
Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples inspired by Chris Marker’s classic short film La Jetée.
In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure.
Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam’s most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to...
- 4/4/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This month marks the 25th anniversary of “12 Monkeys,” one of the best time-travel movies ever made, and one of Bruce Willis‘s best performances in a film, but things could have gone very differently. In a new oral history on the making of “12 Monkeys,” director Terry Gilliam reveals we could have a very different actor instead of Willis.
Read More: ’12 Monkeys’: The Pandemic Thriller Turns 25… Mid-Pandemic
The oral history comes courtesy of Inverse, where Gilliam revealed some of the other actors who could have got the role of the visitor from the future, James Cole.
Continue reading ’12 Monkeys’: Terry Gilliam Says Studio Wanted Nicolas Cage For Bruce Willis’ Role at The Playlist.
Read More: ’12 Monkeys’: The Pandemic Thriller Turns 25… Mid-Pandemic
The oral history comes courtesy of Inverse, where Gilliam revealed some of the other actors who could have got the role of the visitor from the future, James Cole.
Continue reading ’12 Monkeys’: Terry Gilliam Says Studio Wanted Nicolas Cage For Bruce Willis’ Role at The Playlist.
- 1/9/2021
- by Rafael Motamayor
- The Playlist
Terry Gilliam is one of the most famously outspoken directors in the industry, and he knows fine well the impact it had on his career. If he’d simply smiled and nodded like many other filmmakers do, then he would have ended up tackling a number of high profile blockbusters having turned down Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump, both of which experienced major success with Robert Zemeckis at the helm.
He also knocked back an Alien sequel and eventual Best Picture winner Braveheart, tried twice to drag Watchmen out of development hell, found himself on the shortlist for The Truman Show and was J.K. Rowling’s number one choice for adapting Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The author’s preferred candidate was shot down by Warner Bros., but Gilliam remembered and then rejected the opportunity to enter talks for sixth installment Half-Blood Prince.
That leaves 1995 sci-fi 12 Monkeys...
He also knocked back an Alien sequel and eventual Best Picture winner Braveheart, tried twice to drag Watchmen out of development hell, found himself on the shortlist for The Truman Show and was J.K. Rowling’s number one choice for adapting Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The author’s preferred candidate was shot down by Warner Bros., but Gilliam remembered and then rejected the opportunity to enter talks for sixth installment Half-Blood Prince.
That leaves 1995 sci-fi 12 Monkeys...
- 1/9/2021
- by Scott Campbell
- We Got This Covered
Based entirely on his constantly disinterested face alone, Bruce Willis appears to have been on autopilot for quite some time now. The action icon was once one of the biggest and highest-paid movie stars on the planet, but these days, he’s content to show up in a procession of bargain basement VOD action thrillers that almost always find themselves being panned by critics and even his most ardent fans.
Of course, even during his heyday, Willis was known much more for his action credentials than his acting abilities, but he gave one of his best ever performances in Terry Gilliam’s mind-bending sci-fi 12 Monkeys. It may have been Brad Pitt who stole the show and scored an Academy Award nomination for his efforts, but it’s the leading man who anchors the complex narrative as hero James Cole.
It remains the biggest box office hit of Gilliam’s...
Of course, even during his heyday, Willis was known much more for his action credentials than his acting abilities, but he gave one of his best ever performances in Terry Gilliam’s mind-bending sci-fi 12 Monkeys. It may have been Brad Pitt who stole the show and scored an Academy Award nomination for his efforts, but it’s the leading man who anchors the complex narrative as hero James Cole.
It remains the biggest box office hit of Gilliam’s...
- 1/6/2021
- by Scott Campbell
- We Got This Covered
Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys” is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary since it was released nationwide January 5, 1996. Inverse marked the occasion with an oral history that features Gilliam, screenwriters David Peoples and Janet Peoples, producer Charles Roven, and casting director Margery Simkin. It comes as no surprise that Gilliam makes a few hilarious off-the-cuff remarks while reflecting on his time travel movie, which was inspired by Chris Marker’s 1962 short film “La Jetée.”
“12 Monkeys” stars Bruce Willis as James Cole, a prisoner selected to take part in a time travel experiment in which he travels back and forth through history in an attempt to find a cure to a virus that wiped out mankind. Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt also star in “12 Monkeys,” but it was the casting of James Cole that proved most important for Gilliam.
“The pressure was to get a movie star in,” Gilliam said.
“12 Monkeys” stars Bruce Willis as James Cole, a prisoner selected to take part in a time travel experiment in which he travels back and forth through history in an attempt to find a cure to a virus that wiped out mankind. Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt also star in “12 Monkeys,” but it was the casting of James Cole that proved most important for Gilliam.
“The pressure was to get a movie star in,” Gilliam said.
- 1/5/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.) The Movie: 12 Monkeys Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max The Pitch: Convict James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time from 2035 to 1996 to gather info on a deadly plague that […]
The post The Quarantine Stream: ’12 Monkeys’ is the Perfect 2020 Holiday Movie appeared first on /Film.
The post The Quarantine Stream: ’12 Monkeys’ is the Perfect 2020 Holiday Movie appeared first on /Film.
- 12/23/2020
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (1995) starring Bruce Willis and Brad Piit will be available on Blu-ray October 30th From Arrow Video
The Future Is History
Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples inspired by Chris Marker’s classic short film La Jetée.
In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure.
Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam’s most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to present the film in a stunning new restoration.
The Future Is History
Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples inspired by Chris Marker’s classic short film La Jetée.
In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure.
Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam’s most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to present the film in a stunning new restoration.
- 10/2/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Network: Syfy Episodes: 47 (hour)Seasons: FourTV show dates: January 16, 2015 -- July 6, 2018Series status: Ended Performers include: Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Emily Hampshire, Barbara Sukowa, Kirk Acevedo, Noah Bean, and Tom Noonan.TV show description: This science fiction TV show begins in 2043. A virus has wiped out most of the world's population. One time traveler, James Cole (Aaron Stanford), must journey to 2015 to stop the virus from ever happening.After surviving the plague and living for years as a scavenger during the apocalypse, James Cole can kick ass when he needs to. However, his wits are his primary tool. -- he's impulsive, bold and brave beyond common sense. Though coming of age in a time when the basic tenets of society have unraveled, Cole has somehow retained a...
- 7/7/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
There’s a weird, wonderful beauty to be found in a television show that just completed a four-season run in the era of “too much TV” and only exists thanks to a ’60s French art film. Technically, of course, the Syfy original series “12 Monkeys” is far more indebted to the 1995 film starring Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe, but every episode includes a mention of the 1962 short “La Jeteé” in the final credits — and more importantly, echoed that basic weirdness in its very existence.
Keeping many of the same character names from the film, the show took the original premise — a man gets sent from the future to stop the spread of a deadly virus, with the help of a modern-day doctor — and warped itself with time loops, alternate universes, and crazy twists that required a conspiracy-board-level of attention to detail to understand, but was a lot of fun to follow.
Keeping many of the same character names from the film, the show took the original premise — a man gets sent from the future to stop the spread of a deadly virus, with the help of a modern-day doctor — and warped itself with time loops, alternate universes, and crazy twists that required a conspiracy-board-level of attention to detail to understand, but was a lot of fun to follow.
- 7/7/2018
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Friday’s 12 Monkeys.
Mother shocker!
Friday’s batch of 12 Monkeys episodes led viewers to believe that James Cole’s mom was The Witness’ daughter Emma before revealing that the mystery mama was actually time-traveler Hannah (played by Brooke Williams)! Yes, Jones is Cole’s grandmother. Let that sink in for a moment.
The twist was set into motion when Jones sent her daughter Hannah to 2009 to gather information on Cole’s mom Marion Woods and to find out how she knew the legend. What she found was Emma living under the alias, leading...
Mother shocker!
Friday’s batch of 12 Monkeys episodes led viewers to believe that James Cole’s mom was The Witness’ daughter Emma before revealing that the mystery mama was actually time-traveler Hannah (played by Brooke Williams)! Yes, Jones is Cole’s grandmother. Let that sink in for a moment.
The twist was set into motion when Jones sent her daughter Hannah to 2009 to gather information on Cole’s mom Marion Woods and to find out how she knew the legend. What she found was Emma living under the alias, leading...
- 6/30/2018
- TVLine.com
There's no use wondering whether the 12 Monkeys TV show will be cancelled or renewed for season five on Syfy. When the cable network picked season four, it announced the series would end there. We're still tracking 12 Monkeys ratings in the fourth and final season, because it gives us a benchmark for Syfy's other series. Will this show rebound for its final run, or fall further? Stay tuned. A sci-fi mystery, 12 Monkeys stars Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Todd Stashwick, Emily Hampshire, and Barbara Sukowa. The drama series follows the journey of James Cole (Stanford), a man from 2043, who is sent back in time to stop the evil Army of the 12 Monkeys from destroying the world. In season four, James and Cassandra travel further back in time than they have. Syfy says, "According to legend, their only hope lies with a...
- 6/19/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Vulture Watch Has the Witness been stopped? Is the 12 Monkeys TV show cancelled or renewed for a fifth season on Syfy? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of 12 Monkeys, season five. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you? What's This TV Show About? A Syfy mystery, 12 Monkeys stars Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Todd Stashwick, Emily Hampshire, and Barbara Sukowa. The sci-fi drama series follows the journey of James Cole (Stanford), a man from 2043, who is sent back in time to stop the evil Army of the 12 Monkeys from destroying the world. In season four, James and Cassandra travel further back in time than they have. Syfy says, “According...
- 6/19/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
How satisfying is the fourth and final season of the 12 Monkeys TV show on Syfy? As we know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether the TV show 12 Monkeys is cancelled or renewed for season five. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because of that, many viewers are frustrated their viewing habits and opinions weren't considered, before Syfy decided to end (i.e. cancelled) 12 Monkeys after its fourth season. We care what you think, so we invite you to rate all of the 12 Monkeys season four episodes for us, below. A Syfy mystery, 12 Monkeys stars Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Todd Stashwick, Emily Hampshire, and Barbara Sukowa. The sci-fi drama series follows the journey of James Cole (Stanford), a man from 2043, who is sent back in time...
- 6/16/2018
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Season 3 of Syfy's 12 Monkeys series follows the journey of a time traveller from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will nearly destroy the human race.
12 Monkeys continues the journey of James Cole (Aaron Stanford) a man sent back in time to eradicate the source of a deadly plague and his partner brilliant virologist Dr Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull). While attempting to untangle an insidious conspiracy that's been spun throughout centuries the duo embark on a desperate search acros...
12 Monkeys continues the journey of James Cole (Aaron Stanford) a man sent back in time to eradicate the source of a deadly plague and his partner brilliant virologist Dr Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull). While attempting to untangle an insidious conspiracy that's been spun throughout centuries the duo embark on a desperate search acros...
- 4/17/2018
- QuietEarth.us
Two 1980's science fiction efforts from the 'eighties: Millennium is an expensive book adaptation with Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd navigating a time travel story about body snatchers from the future. R.O.T.O.R is direct to video and strictly from hunger. Oh, the agony… However, both films surely have lessons to teach the budding filmmaker who thinks moviemaking is easy. Millennium and R.O.T.O.R. Blu-ray Color Scream Factory Street Date February 23, 2016 / 26.99
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory plumbs the depths of the MGM library, which includes not only the holdings of United Artists, Orion and the old American-International Pictures, but also an alphabet soup of smaller outfits that were bought up in the 1990s. The independent productions seen on this Scream Factory Blu-ray double bill give us two kinds of science fiction properties. One is an expensive Canadian production with a big star, and the other is a...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Scream Factory plumbs the depths of the MGM library, which includes not only the holdings of United Artists, Orion and the old American-International Pictures, but also an alphabet soup of smaller outfits that were bought up in the 1990s. The independent productions seen on this Scream Factory Blu-ray double bill give us two kinds of science fiction properties. One is an expensive Canadian production with a big star, and the other is a...
- 2/21/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A visionary filmmaker, Gilliam has few competitors in terms of sheer inventiveness and visual imagination. In each of his films, he constructs a universe that overwhelms the senses with bravura production design, but in the process neglects dramatic logic and narrative coherence, basic principles that would make his stories more involving and meaningful. Gilliam’s work is long on sensibility, short on sense.
A dark and somber sci-fier in the mold of “Blade Runner,” Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys” is a spectacular mess, an excessively complicated film that attempts to be timely by blending a “virus” thriller with a post-apocalyptic anti-science drama. Gilliam’s seventh feature is neither as visually compelling as “Brazil” nor as emotionally gripping as “The Fisher King.” A cast boasting two of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, should elevate pic’s visibility in the crowded holiday season, but ambitious, big-budget effort will ultimately prove a B.
A dark and somber sci-fier in the mold of “Blade Runner,” Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys” is a spectacular mess, an excessively complicated film that attempts to be timely by blending a “virus” thriller with a post-apocalyptic anti-science drama. Gilliam’s seventh feature is neither as visually compelling as “Brazil” nor as emotionally gripping as “The Fisher King.” A cast boasting two of Hollywood’s hottest stars, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, should elevate pic’s visibility in the crowded holiday season, but ambitious, big-budget effort will ultimately prove a B.
- 12/22/1995
- by Emanuel Levy
- Variety Film + TV
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