Don't let the title fool you... it's not about a jury of Jerry Springer audience members

Rating: 6/10 (27 March 2003)

Much as I like Terry Gilliam, "12 Monkeys" disappoints. It's familiar, belabored, too slow, and too long. The meaning of the mysterious airport flashback becomes obvious miles in advance, and when I look back on the movie, all I get is talk, talk, talk, accompanied by very little of Gilliam's trademark visual bravado. A good cast tries gamely, and the soundtrack music is good and quite memorable as well. But "12 Monkeys" mainly just made me curious to see "La Jettee," the 1963 French short that inspired it.