Subject: REVIEW: 12 MONKEYS (1995)

From: [email-masked] (Chuck Dowling)
Date: 3 Sep 1996 18:37:19 GMT

12 MONKEYS
                       A film review by Chuck Dowling
                        Copyright 1996 Chuck Dowling

(1995) ****1/2 - C:Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher
Plummer, David Morse, Frank Gorshin.

A very entertaining science fiction story about a man from the future
(Willis) who is sent into the past to gather information about a virus which
virtually wipes out the world's population. The plague forces the survivors
to live underground while animals take control of the earth's surface. Now
those people have developed the ability of time travel and aren't trying to
prevent the virus from starting, but simply to find information about it's
beginnings to develop a cure for themselves.

What makes the film so good is that it's completely different from 99% of
the films Hollywood churns out of its cookie cutter factory. Most films are
linear, and you know exactly where the film is going and what will happen
when it gets there. But not "12 Monkeys". This film is all over the place,
bouncing from World War I to 1990 to 1996 to the future, and not necessarily
in that order. BUT, not in a way that's confusing. As long as you give the
film your full attention, it will make sense.

I also liked the fact that their time travel system was far from perfect.
Willis is sent to a couple of incorrect time periods before finally reaching
his objecive, and even those mistakes figure into the plot. Now as far as
the theory of time travel goes, about what if you can change the past by
blinking because you weren't supposed to be there to blink in the grand
scheme of things, etc. etc. I don't even want to jump into that type of
discussion. But my main argument in defense of time travel films is that
time travel has never been accomplished, so no one can argue about how it's
supposed to work. So until time travel is made possible (which is doubtful,
especially in my lifetime), sci-fi films can use it almost anyway they wish
and they'll get no argument from me.

I was immensely entertained by "12 Monkeys". It kept me guessing, it was
original, and that's good enough for me. Brad Pitt received a well deserved
Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe award for his performance as the
deranged son of a scientist, who may or may not be responsible for the
spread of the virus.

-- 
Chuck Dowling
Visit Chuck's Movie Reviews at http://users.southeast.net/~chuckd21/
Over 1,500 movies rated and/or reviewed!  Movie news, box office
reports, film related links, and reader's polls and reviews.