Dec 10, 2006 06:57 PM
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(Updated Dec 10, 2006 07:01 PM)
The future is history.
Movie Twelve Monkeys
The Plot (movies.yahoo.com)
The year is 2035 and humankind subsists in a desolate netherworld following the eradication of 99% of the Earth's population, a holocaust that makes the planet's surface uninhabitable, and mankind's destiny uncertain. A desperate group of scientists secure a reluctant volunteer, Cole (BRUCE WILLIS), to embark on a dangerous mission back to the year 1996, where they hope he can help unravel this apocalyptic nightmare before it completely erases humanity from the planet.
When Cole arrives in 1996, he meets Jeffrey Goines (BRAD PITT), the unstable son of a renowned scientist, and Dr. Kathryn Railly (MADELEINE STOWE), a psychiatrist and author whose initial alarm over his prophetic warnings of the world's fate soon turns to conviction, and she comes to believe that mankind may indeed be doomed. While also questioning his own sanity, Cole struggles with Railly to unravel the mystery with his only two clues: a haunting childhood memory and a series of puzzling symbols from a group known only as The Army of the Twelve Monkeys.
My Review
I've been struck by Madeleine Stowe's beauty ever since I had a glimpse of her presence in the movie Twelve Monkeys. That was nearly 6 or 7 years ago but I never got myself to watch this movie completely. But finally I stole two hours of my Friday night to watch this on Star Movies. And I'm still struck by Stowe's beauty. And chilled by the story of Twelve Monkeys.
Good suspense....lot of tense, scary moments....wonderful performances from the lead actors (Bruce Willis, Stowe and Brad Pitt)....well made plot.....Brad Pitt should do more negative roles. Like Shahrukh Khan, he can easily don the garb of a cold, crazy maniac and overshadow the hero of a movie.
However not all would understand the story. The climax could confuse many....I certainly had my doubts but they were cleared after I read the explanation by some viewers of this movie in the website Imdb.com.
Watching the movie answers our gut feeling that biological warfare could be the deadliest weapon of mankind and it's nerve-wracking to think what terror even a tiny fraction of this weapon can unleash. But ofcourse, the story of the movie is far-fetched. In real world, there are several factors that effectively obstructs our Al-Qaeda from achieving what the Army of Twelve Monkeys did.
At the end of the day, its cinema. And you will enjoy it.
Now make way for my macabre mind to inject some CONS serum into this review :)
I think Bruce Willis was not the ideal choice. I still had my reservation watching him in this movie. Denzel Washington or Tom Hanks could have done better. His character of James Cole needs to display tremendous emotions considering the overwhelming, helpless situation around him. Bruce Willis does his best but I definitely felt a Denzel or Hanks could have made a greater impact.
Apart from the choice of Bruce Willis, there are few scenes that fell. Especially the one where Brad Pitt releases animals from the zoo. That was poorly done partly because the filmaker had obvious limitations to release zoo animals amidst city traffic.
And I must also say that the sets used for many scenes were unimpressive. 'Not camera friendly' is the apt word. Our veteran Bollywood art directors can be sponsored to visit L.A. and teach Hollywood, "The Twelve ways to choose a Location & other things" :-0
To sum up - despite the flaws, the movie is definitely recommended. It plays with our emotions of fear and anxiety for a long time. I like that :)
Some Trivia(imdb.com)
~ Inspired by French movie Jetée, La (1962).
~ Director Terry Gilliam was afraid that Brad Pitt wouldn't be able to pull off the nervous, rapid speech. He sent him to a speech coach but in the end he just took away Pitt's cigarettes, and Pitt played the part exactly as Gilliam wanted.
~ Brad Pitt was signed to this movie for a relatively small salary, when he was still an "up and coming" actor. By the time of the movie's release, however, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Legends of the Fall (1994), and Se7en (1995) had been released, making Pitt a top-salary actor.
Director- Terry Gilliam
Year- 1995
Starring- Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt
Verdict ~ Check it out....if not for the paranoia or chills about biological warfare, atleast to gaze at the wild Brad Pitt or the sensuous Stowe :)
