Good, but not "Top 250" good.

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2004)

I mean really, is "12 Monkeys" one of the top 200 movies ever? I do agree that Terry Gilliam is one of the greatest directors, of the last 30 years, at giving the viewer wonderful things to look at on the screen. I think, however, that this film proves that he has some trouble connecting these fantastic images with a truly gripping narrative. "12 Monkeys" has some moments, mainly where the plot twists appear, that are riveting. These moments, combined with the magnificent scenes which take place in the future, almost make the police chase scenes and the seemingly endless scenes where Bruce Willis' character beats people up, fly out of all memory. But they don't. Throughout the film, just as Gilliam gives us something mindblowing, he stoops to the level of a dopey scene where a detective lectures "Dr. Railly" on the dangers of defending her kidnapper, or a scene where the pimp accuses the lady of "working his turf" and then gets beaten up. I do like this movie, I just feel that to be one of the top 250 films out of the thousands and thousands of films ever made, it better be close to perfect. "12 Monkeys" is a very entertaining film and the cinematography deserved at least an Oscar nomination, but it is not even Gilliam's best film, much less "Top 250" material.
7 out 10