Desperate Dystopian Downer!

Rating: 9/10 (13 June 2008)

A killer virus in 1996 has wiped out billions of people, in the year 2035, a convict is selected to go back in time and gather information about the virus' origins.
It took me a few viewings to firmly get close to just how marvellous this film is, nothing at first is ever crystal clear, even now after watching it again I find my partner and I having differing opinions as regards the finale. So with that in mind I really wont expand on the plot structure of the film, if you haven't seen then I urge you to do so, and then watch again and again until its glory hits you in the face.
Twelve Monkeys finds director Terry Gilliam crafting his mind meddling panache with other peoples sources, writers David & Janet Peoples (Blade Runner & Unforgiven) to be exact. The Peoples extract the best premise from French short La Jetée, give it a pounding time jumping head spin, and then gleefully thriving on the paranoia of killer virus' that were laying waste to many in the 1990s. Enter Gilliam to bring it all together, showing restraint from his outlandish (yet incredible) vision that he used for Brazil in 1985, Twelve Monkeys still ends up something of a complex masterpiece without over stretching the viewers' patience. There is no glossy Hollywood smears in the film, this isn't the type of film where Bruce Willis (never better) saves the day and cracks a quip at the end, or a film where Brad Pitt (again, rarely better) shows off his pectorals to get bums on seats in the theatre, this is a cold unnerving film that demands not only to be watched, but also respected.
Now about that ending...........thank you Terry Gilliam, genius. 9/10