LogFAQs > #913484136

"12 Monkeys continues the streak of amazing Brad Pitt performances throughout the 90s, but its Bruce Willis that really nails the central aspects of the film. This is one of his best roles next to David Dunn. The use of time travel and subjective memories is deep and rewards close attention, creating one of the best sci-fi plots ever put to screen. " ~Snake

"This guy goes back in time after a pandemic apocalypse only to find that everyone thinks he's crazy and puts him in the nuthouse. He kidnaps his psychiatrist and the two of them go on a roadtrip looking for the people who released the virus.
One really has to wonder if this dumbass was really the best person available to take on such an important mission with the fate of humanity at stake. Much inconvenience could have been avoided if the future science council had simply sent someone back who wasnt high on crystal meth or imbued with social skills worse than that of the Incredible Hulk.
Near the end James does the stupidest thing he has done all movie (and that is saying a lot) and unwisely decides to try hop on a flight while a wanted fugitive. 'Hey, wow, this looks exactly like my dream in the airport with my girlfriend screaming while this guy gets shot who looks exactly like my disguise I am wearing right now! So let's keep going!' Here's your Darwin Award, good sir.
There is some top-notch character interaction and something is always keeping the movie interesting. Despite the eccentric nature of most of the characters you get the feeling that they are all real people. However, at the end things go south in a really bad way with a plethora of irrational behavior on the part of everyone culminating in James trying to shoot the perpetrator of the pandemic despite him repeatedly stating that this is the kind of time travel where you cant change the past.
It's a neat concept, though it probably could have done with a few less monkeys. Or at least kept them away from the writers' keyboards." ~Karo

"At first, I found all the Dutch angles and wide-angle shots quite irritating. But as the movie went along, I found that the headache it was giving me was totally worth it, because there was a method to Terry Gilliam's madness. This is a tense, tightly-woven tapestry of a film with memorable characters and a visual style that, while a bit overbearing, ends up elevating the material. There are some great performances here, too Bruce Willis and Madeleine Stowe (who ever since I watched We Were Soldiers I've wanted to see in a better movie than that) have great chemistry as they both progressively lose their shit more and more as the movie goes on. Brad Pitt is a little more one-note, but it's definitely fun to watch him devour the scenery on the way to his first Oscar nomination. I enjoyed the shit out of this film, all told. Great poster, too." ~KBM

"12 Monkeys brings up interesting questions about time travel. Namely are we doomed to create the past in our efforts to change it? If the events are already written then are they destined to happen regardless of whether someone is sent to intervene? I couldn't help but feel bad for Willis' character here." ~Genny
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful