Review of Twelve Monkeys (1995) by Michael Z — 29 Sep 2012

[b]"There is no right or wrong, only popular opinion."[/b].

[b]Twelve Monkeys[/b], five billion people are dead, but how is it caused by the Twelve Monkeys. A better question, who are the Twelve Monkeys? Long ago I attempted this movie, and I was left gobsmacked. Terry Gilliam had yet again created a truly bizarre movie, different from his other works, in fact different from all previous works. Upon my second viewing, yet again I remain undecided on this movie. I cannot tell if this is a comedy, dark comedy or with the lack of the better word, serious. We are hinted comedy at first; it almost mocks itself in every way, from the performances, characters and the story itself. The performances at time seem purposely ridiculous, or cliché. The characters never seem to hit a serious tone, which never seems to be a flaw of this movie, yet another reason this movie falls into the category of film I like to think as a clever blend of many categories, much like Donnie Darko or Eraserhead.

[b]The plot[/b] follows James Cole (Bruce Willis) is an odd post-apocalyptic dystopian society living under the surface of the planet (Earth). The way of the actual way of life is not shown, nor are we told what year it is. With an indeterminable repetitive dream Cole, which continuously occurs throughout the movie, we are thrown straight into the action. Taken for involuntary voluntary work, he is sent back into time, to understand the cause of their way of life. A virus caused the death of five billion people and the condemnation to live under the surface. Cole is not sent to stop the virus, but find the "how, what, when, why, who". They send him to the wrong time, and of course being a man from the future, they take him to a mental institution, yet this is the very beginning of a very odd and muddled plot, including Dr. Raily (Madeleine Stowe).

This plot is nothing new to the common science fiction, perhaps one of the most common types of story found in science fiction. Yet this one has a very odd twist, it never takes itself seriously, and always remains a constant mystery. It continuously jumps back and forth non-stop, really leaving you confuse as the whole conspiracy theory is jumbled and baffling.

It takes much inspiration from Vertigo, which is even shown in the movie.

[b]The acting[/b] is another aspect too difficult to fully grasp. Bruce Willis creates an odd character that at times is funny and mysterious. Although Willis is almost mocked by the movie around him the whole time, creating such a surreal affect. It's rather strange and frustrating how he never fully explains himself. An example would be when he is dropped in the middle of a war in WW1, but never cares to explain that situation and the co-star Madeleine Stowe has to find that out on her own, so at times his counter-productiveness does get on my nerves. Madeleine Stowe does a reasonable performance, although she is like a Jodie Foster from Silence of the Lambs at first, soon becomes more of a cliché non-believer, turned believer. Brad Pitt continues to amaze me, said to be one of the most attractive men according to the endless women's magazines (sad exploitations of celebrities and their sex lives to amuse the bored housewife, that's right I said it). You would imagine Brad Pitt to be a 'trophy actor', placed to merely look good in an action, but it is of course quite the opposite. Brad Pitt happens to be a fine actor, much showcased in Fight Club. In Twelve Monkeys his over-acting fits perfectly with the sardonic tone of this movie, and his ramblings are such a joyful listen, much like Jules Winfield's (Samuel L. Jackson) tone ultimate coolness.

[b]The direction[/b] is much like most of Terry Gilliam's work, strange and at times unappealing. He never really was one of visual feast, but portrayed odd visuals, which some incorrectly describe as visual feasts. In a nutshell his movies aren't really kind on the eyes, Twelve Monkeys is no exception, at times he gives us an imaginative dystopian world, but simply casts all the potential 'advertisement time' for this movies crazy story. Which is some cases just doesn't work, but Twelve Monkeys has provided one of the most interesting movie experiences. This is a success in creating a memorable experience which Gilliam can so often do, but of course when he fails, it's quite an unpleasant one; Dr. Parnassus.

[b]Overall[/b], Twelve Monkeys has many flaws, and manages to be one of the strangest movies I have come by. It always leaves me baffled, if this is a comedy or a dark comedy, and yes of course it could be serious! Whatever this is, it is a mix of everything, certainly creating an uncomfortable viewing, and the plot is not great towards the end, but it creates an experience like no other, and is now essential viewing. The ending is guaranteed to leave you frustrated and disappointed, as the scene itself is the most bizarre of all, such a serious scene manages to be so funny, but you soon realise it how humbling the experience you have just undertook.