A Celebration of Madness (Twelve Monkeys (DVD))

Member Name: Midrange

Product:	Twelve Monkeys (DVD)
Date:	25/06/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intriguing mixture of time-travel, mental divergence and reality.

Disadvantages: Things get a little confusing towards the end if you're not paying attention!

I watched this film a few days ago whilst working through a list of recommended Sci-Fi movies. The setting is one that is all too familiar to sci-fi fans - a dystopic future, where Earth's population has been ravaged by a deadly virus. As Bruce Willis, the hero of the story, keeps repeating "5 billion people are going to die".

Bruce Willis is sent back in time, not to avert the catastrophe (the future is like a jigsaw and always fits together no matter what you do), but to gather information about the release of the virus. He is then returned to his present time to share this information which will help control and ultimately defeat the infection, saving the human race. The trouble is our hero is somewhat mentally deranged by the process.

For me, this is where things got interesting. In time travel films, there's always the difficulty for the time traveller of explaining their situation without being locked up. A good example of this is the Terminator series of films. Twelve Monkeys deals with this issue at a much deeper level, as the hero of the film becomes convinced that his *is* psychotic. Matters are complicated when a female psychologist (and ultimate love interest) starts to follow his trail. She too is baffled by his story but is compelled to believe him. Throughout the film I was intrigued to see how the "jigsaw" of events would fit together and, I must say, I was not disappointed with the ending. I must confess though I was a little confused and had to check over the plot on a few movie websites afterwards!

Strong (if not weaving and deranged) plot with a harrowing portrayal of a mental institution. Madeliene Stowe stars as Bruce Willis's psychiatrist / accomplice who helps unravel the mystery of the Twelve Monkeys. Brad Pitt plays Bruce's hyperactive "cell mate" in the mental institution - a role which I think he plays rather well, perhaps demonstrating a few too many ticks and oddities but being rather creepy nonetheless.

The DVD
The disc sports a plethora of visual and audio options (features which I, as an amateur movie watcher, don't honestly understand!) and a not-overly-exciting "making of" documentary about the film.

Summary: A Sci-Fi "Must See". Clever, twisting and unexpected.