Excellent Science Fiction Film

Rating: 10/10 (29 December 2011)

An intense film about time travel, this sci-fi entry was directed by Terry Gilliam,Twelve Monkeys is a science fiction film inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film La jetée.It stars Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt,and Christopher Plummer.
James Cole is a prisoner of the state in the year 2035 who can earn parole if he agrees to travel back in time and thwart a devastating plague. The virus has wiped out most of the Earth's population and the remainder live underground because the air is poisonous. Returning to the year 1990, six years before the start of the plague, Cole is soon imprisoned in a psychiatric facility because his warnings sound like mad ravings. There he meets a scientist named Dr. Kathryn Railly and Jeffrey Goines, the mad son of an eminent virologist. Cole is returned by the authorities to the year 2035, and finally ends up at his intended destination in 1996. He kidnaps Dr. Railly in order to enlist her help in his quest. Cole discovers graffiti by an apparent animal rights group called the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, but as he delves into the mystery, he hears voices, loses his bearings, and doubts his own sanity. He must figure out if Goines, who seems to be a raving lunatic, holds the key to the puzzle.
Dark and somber, this sci-fi is a spectacular mess, a convoluted film with too many ideas for its own good like blending the virus thriller with the post-apocalyptic genre.The film is definitely mystifying, intriguing, even infuriating,as it shows what happens when an unconventional talent meets straightforward material.Aside from that,it is also rich in visual detail and it offers an involving and occasionally baffling storyline that builds the tension to positively unbearable levels until the final reel.As for the performances of the cast,Bruce Willis gives an eruptive performance of startling emotional intensity as Cole.This is a must-see for people who loves sci-fiction for it is both satisfying and entertaining due to the excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists.