A solid piece of sci-fi let down by a lazy finale

Rating: 7/10 (14 April 2020)

As far as psychological thrillers go, I guess 12 Monkeys is one of the better ones. However, I would have to question whether it deserves the acclaim it received. The concept is exciting, and considering this is from the mid-90s, I guess its fairly original too. Unfortunately, the film is let down by some sloppy character development and a very rushed ending that feels like an afterthought and devalues the entire viewing experience.
I'm not much of a Bruce Willis fan but I quite liked him in this movie. The role is a good fit for his style and he carries the film very nicely for the most part. I did feel there was some very inconsistent writing of his character however, as we see him inexplicably transform from being barely conscious and almost illegible to suddenly turning into a nineties Jack Bauer. As for Brad Pitt, well it's certainly a fun performance and one of the most enjoyable aspects of the film, but the Oscar nomination is probably a bit of an overreaction. His twitchy manic qualities are just a shade too excessive and make his character almost cartoonish.
Overall, I quite liked the pacing, the atmosphere and the lead performances. The plot was intriguing but unfortunately it unravelled somewhat towards the end. A very compelling time-travel dystopic that just falls a bit short in places.