#47 Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt

Where do you begin when talking about Twelve Monkeys. It's such an unbelievably complex film that I'm wondering if I need to create a whole new blog just dedicated to it. The underlying problem I have with writing about this film is my indecision as to whether or not I actually like it. Beacause of this, I will break it down and talk about each major point.

Firstly, the performances. Bruce Willis is fantastic in his role. It's a tricky part to play but he does superbly. Brad Pitt is also a standout performer with his character being one of the highlights of the whole film. Madeleine Stowe's character as the female lead/love interest i found to be a bit annoying though. Her performance, at times, seemed a bit unrealistic too, especially in the initial kidnapping scenes.

Next, the cinematography. For a film made in the nineties, it holds up pretty well to todays standards. Nothing looks too ridiculous or badly done. Some of the sets look fantastic too, especially when you consider when this was released.

As for the story, it's complicated but not too tough to follow. There are a few plot holes, although few compared to many other time travel themed films. Looking at the likes of Looper, which has lots of problems, Twelve Monkeys actually does really well at limiting the amount of continuity errors. One of the issues I had though, was trying to actually decipher what the film was trying to be. A comedy, a drama, a thriller or a mix of all three. That's where my main problem lies, as it all feels slightly confused as to it's genre. I think it would have worked better by just choosing one and following it. I have no issue with dashes of humour in a film, but this seemed too much at times and made other elements seem devoid of any real direction.

Overall, Twelve Monkeys is a very good Sci-Fi film. One of the best time travel films I have seen and holds up well to multiple viewings. Its flaws, of which it has few, are unfortunately too big for me to dismiss and end up leaving me with slight disappointment. I would however, highly recommend watching this for yourself and making up your own mind.