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12 Monkeys [HD DVD] [1995] [US Import]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Inspired by Chris Marker's acclaimed short film La Jetée, 12 Monkeys combines intricate, intelligent storytelling with the uniquely imaginative vision of director Terry Gilliam. The story opens in the wintry wasteland of the year 2035, where a virulent plague has forced humans to live in a squalid, oppressively regimented underground. Bruce Willis plays a societal outcast who is given the opportunity to erase his criminal record by "volunteering" to time-travel into the past to obtain a pure sample of the deadly virus that will help future scientists to develop a cure. But in bouncing from 1918 to the early and mid-1990s, he undergoes an ordeal that forces him to question his own perceptions of reality. Caught between the dangers of the past and the devastation of the future, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) who is initially convinced he's insane, and a wacky mental patient (Brad Pitt in a twitchy Oscar-nominated role) with links to a radical group that may have unleashed the deadly virus. Equal parts mystery, tragedy, psychological thriller, and apocalyptic drama, 12 Monkeys ranks as one of the best science fiction films of the 1990s, boosted by Gilliam's visual ingenuity and one of the finest performances of Willis's career. --Jeff Shannon


Brucie at his best!
Review date: 2008-02-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

This flim is rightfully cited as one of the best sci-fi flims of the 90s. The acting is brilliant- it really explores the talents of Bruce Willis and brad Pitt in challenging roles. The plot is expertly exposed and is full of twists and turns, so that the viewer is unsure if the sci-fi elements of the flim are real of just in Cole's (Willis' character) head.
The only thing that annoyed me about this film is that the futuristic underground world is not explored as much as I would like. Despite this not being a 100% Gilliam flim- he took no part in writing the screenplay- he certainly left his mark.

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Reviews


Modern Classic
Review date: 2008-01-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is without doubt one of the best sci-fi/time travel movies ever made. 12 Monkeys demands more from the viewer than your average movie.
The plot is intelligent, the acting is superb and it looks beatifully gritty.
I never get tired of watching this film, it's a classic that constantly rewards the viewer with each subsequent viewing.



monkeys eh
Review date: 2007-07-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

This film was on the good ol' 'amazon reccomends' list. and at nearly a fiver it was worth a pop. In fact, i was absolutely bowled over by one of the best acting performances i've seen on film. Brad Pitt as the unquestionably derranged Jeffrey (sp.?) is far outside his 'comfort zone' of hollywood acting heroes/smouldering bandits/intelligent evil guys. The character requires depth, careful study and a little individual flare, all of which is bought perfectly together by his firm grasp of the character. Pitt gives Jeffrey certain gestic movements, which sets off the more observant character played by Willis.

Although the dvd commentry claims to have turned away from old Brucey's die hard image, theres definitely an element of you can't un-know knowledge in his fluency of beating certain minor characters. The commentry also comes gives the impression that the production team and se3nior staff working on the film credited themselves with it being more complex than it actually is. I think they were thinking matrix-style wtf stuff, but it's actually fairly straightforward if you read the dates in the sub-text.

It's the acting and some wonderful camera angles that really pull of this film. A CLEAR COLLECTORS MUST

Not bad...
Review date: 2007-07-20 Rating: 8 out of 10

When a man is sent back into the past to find the cause of a disease which devastated the earth he ends up in a mental home which he escapes from. He then ends up torn between the two worlds going back and forth as he gets into a relationship with a woman in the past. This film is rather odd but in a good way. It is a Sci-Fi thriller about time travel and madness.

Surreal Sci fi from Gilliam
Review date: 2007-05-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

Twelve Monkeys is another bizarre but brilliant sci-fi epic from Terry Gilliam. Bruce Willis plays James Cole, a man we first encounter in a futuristic, squalid, underground prison. Cole, in exchange for parole, agrees to be sent back in time to find out about the virus that forced humanity underground. Time travelling seems not to be an exact science, and he is sent back to 1990, six years before the virus breaks out. In 1990, he meets Kathryn Railly (Madeline Stowe) and tries to convince her that he is not crazy but actually is from the future (as soon as Cole starts opening his mouth in 1990, he is shipped to the local mental institution). As the movie continues, Cole takes several jumps back in time and encounters Railly again and again, until she is finally convinced that what he is saying is true. Twelve Monkeys is intercut with surreal images, and the plot seems so bizarre at times that you could leave the film thinking Cole had dreamt the whole thing, or is he having some sort of psychotic breakdown and none of what we see is actually happening. But this is the brilliance of Gilliam; when you watch a movie of his, you never quite know what has actually happened, and you can have many a heated debate as to what it all means.

Another truly great aspect of this film is the Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt. He is brilliant as the insane son of a research scientist. He is essentially the comic relief of the film, although he is dressed up as the suspected villain. His performance is truly amazing and not wooden and stilted, as he can be when he takes the lead. Spinetinglers believes he is a character actor trapped in a lead actor's body, as over his career he has put in some great performances when he has not had his name above the titles (Floyd in True Romance, Mickey O'Neil in Snatch and Tyler Durden in Fight Club.)

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Michael Chance
Annie Golden
Frank Gorshin
Bob Adrian
Stephen Bridgewater

Creators:
Bob Adrian (Primary Contributor)
Stephen Bridgewater (Primary Contributor)
Roger Pratt (Cinematographer)
Paul Buckmaster (Composer)

Recording label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
EAN: 0025192778025
Binding: HD DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: AC-3, Colour, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen,
Release date: 2006-10-24
Universal product code (UPC): 025192778025
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Running time: 130 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1995
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: French (Dubbed)

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