12 Monkeys

Name: 12 Monkeys
Released: 1995-12-27
Cast: Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer, Frank Gorshin

12 Monkeys

R
2h 9m
1995

89%

age 17+

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Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to save the human race from a deadly virus that has forced mankind into dank underground communities in the future. Along his travels, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a mental patient, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Believing he can obtain a pure virus sample in order to find a cure in the future, he is met with one riddle after another that puts him in a race with time. This sci-fi masterpiece from the genius mind of Terry Gilliam is a modern-day classic.

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Producer:

Charles Roven

Writer:

David Peoples, Janet Peoples

Cast:

Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer, Frank Gorshin, Jon Seda, Ernest Abuba, Bill Raymond, Simon Jones, Bob Adrian, Carol Florence, H. Michael Walls

Rotten Tomatoes® Score

TOMATOMETER®

89%

Critics Consensus: The plot's a bit of a jumble, but excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists make 12 Monkeys a kooky, effective experience.

Reviews

TheIndependentCritic.com

Richard Propes

I didn't care largely because of the lack of authenticity that Willis brings to the character of James Cole.

A fascinating journey, topped off with an unforgettable conclusion, made even more compelling with repeated viewings.

Prevention, not time travel, is the key to halting a viral contagion.

Gilliam seems to stick pretty intently to the script, but his visual genius comes through repeatedly. He is also perhaps one of the best filmmakers at creating dreamscapes which threaten to crack apart, become sentient, and then turn murderous.

if there is something that stands out above everything else is the hypnotic production design that Gilliam and his team creates for the future in which the action starts. [Full Review in Spanish]

August 24, 2019

FULL REVIEW

Common Sense Media

age 17+

Common Sense Says

Terry Gilliam's violent dystopian masterpiece.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is a disturbing dystopian film that addresses the near eradication of human civilization by a virus. Characters drink, smoke, get in fights, evade the police, and kill one another. There are also upsetting scenes of mental institutions and jails as well as a graphic scene depicting WWI trenches. James Cole is repeatedly sedated, and images of him drooling and nearly catatonic are featured at several points. The movie raises lots of complex moral questions.