A sci-fi time travel film presented in a quintessentially Gilliam style !!!

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2015)

'Twelve Monkeys' is a sci-fi thriller directed by Terry Gilliam. It is based on the French sci-fi featurette 'La Jetée'. It stars Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt. Time travel is the basis of a major section of the literal storyline. After a virus wipes out 5 billion people in 1997, the remaining human population is forced to abandon the surface of the earth and somehow survive underground, while the animals reclaim control of the surface of the planet. Bruce Willis' character James Cole is picked as a volunteer who is going to be put in a time machine so that he can go back in time so that he can acquire some information about the virus at its unmutated state which would help the scientists in the present to come up with a cure. We are informed that a group named the 'Twelve Monkeys' was behind the spread of this virus in the first place.
The script by David and Janet Peoples which is based on Chris Marker's script for 'La Jetée' is brilliantly written. The beauty of the screenplay lies in its versatility and with Terry Gilliam's visual flair and bravura, the film elevates to the next level. There can be various interpretations for the film. I think Gilliam's style of storytelling actually provokes varied interpretations. There are red herrings, there are subtle hints and there are unanswered questions. This can be seen as a straight up sci-fi film set in a dystopian future with the phenomenon of time travel in it. The concept of whether time and history can be altered or not plays a big part. However it can also be seen as a film about trauma and reality-escapism. Everyone knows that Terry Gilliam is one of the champions of standing up against the mechanical and overly commercialised treatment of the art form of cinema by the big studios and this discontentment and anger is present in the film. Gilliam clearly again makes subtle commentary about the ill-effects of uncontrolled capitalism. We see people make monologues about the materialistic life, the exposure to commercials,etc. Cruelty towards animals is another topic that is addressed which subtly refers to the repression of the poor by the rich.
The film is another example of Terry Gilliam's visual bravura. Just by looking at the dystopian future presented in the film, a viewer would know that this has been made by Gilliam. The look of the film really reminded me of Blade Runner and it has a cyberpunk-esque vibe to it. The film looks bleak and almost dirty, but very intentionally so. The music composed by Paul Buckmaster is beautiful too.
When it comes to the acting, I think this is my favourite performance by Bruce Willis. This was back in the day when Willis actually cared about playing a character rather than himself in every film. He really goes for it here and shows range. He is terrifying, he is weird and at times he exudes child-like innocence(which is important in the context of the film). Madeleine Stowe is also very good. She actually has a tough job of playing the most 'normal' character in the film while all hell is breaking loose around her. Brad Pitt is a dynamite in the film. He has to be admired for deciding to play a character like this at a stage in his career when he could have easily used his looks and played generic characters in romantic comedies. He thoroughly deserved the Oscar nomination.
'Twelve Monkeys' is a philosophical sci-fi film that leaves the door open for varied interpretations. The acting is great, Gilliam's style and attention to detail is meticulous. This film has to watched and then re-watched to fully admire its brilliance.