Monday, December 30, 2024

Movie Review: 12 Monkeys




It may seem a bit strange to review a movie that came out more than a quarter of a century ago. In fact, it's been closer to 30 years now since this movie was released.

But this is no ordinary movie.

Of course, let's get one obvious thing out of the way immediately: it is a strange and unconventional movie, to say the least. The title itself suggests as much, as there is no way for anyone not somewhat familiar with this movie, or the television series, to glean any meaning from it or get an idea of what this movie is about just from the title. Then, add some scenes from the movie at random, as I have seen in some of the original trailers, and it probably gets even more confusing. There is a guy who seems dressed up in a space suit, monkeys climbing up a construction site in a modern American city, elephants running through that same city, glimpses of what could be taken as a car chase as well as gun shootouts, and a lot of mysterious talk about viruses and time travel. Again, if you are not familiar with this story, all of this would surely add to the confusion. Even just describing all of that reminds me that, yes, it is a weird movie. 

And to think that even a full viewing of the actual movie might seem to many even stranger still!

Add to that the tagline (although it was ultimately rejected), which reads: "The Future is History."

Now, isn't that intriguing? Just four words, yet in some respects, it kinds of explains the entire movie. Time travel is once again conveyed, yet it also suggests a kind of apocalyptic obliteration of the future, that it no longer exists (or at least, not in any way we would recognize or want it). I still wonder why they rejected this tag line?

This movie has long been one of my favorites, although admittedly, it is not a movie that is too easy to follow (at least not until well, well into the movie). I used to warn people to give it at least twenty or so minutes. If you could bear with it through that much, everything would fall into place, I promise.

After watching it again recently, however, it was obvious that I was wrong, and had underestimated just how long the confusing part specifically meant to disorient the viewer really is. In fact, the first hour or so is specifically designed to make you feel almost disoriented. Here's the thing: this is not a simple movie to "get," but rather, like artwork, it takes a serious and complete examination to fully appreciate it. Because really, it is a work of art, inspired by an artsy old French film, La Jetée. Inspired by that movie, but not a replica or remake. This movie is it's own product, and it is, in many respects, very unique and original. At least as original as a modern move can get in this day and age when no ideas seem to be completely new ideas anymore. 

Believe it or not, this movie has many layers to it. Yes, it addresses numerous issues which remain very relevant to our world today. In fact, I suspect that in many respects, it is more relevant today even than it was back in the mid-nineties, when it was first made and released.

Let me just say, first and foremost, that there is a lot going on in this movie. Thus, it requires some effort, not least of which is patience. I'm not kidding. Indeed, this movie can be both very entertaining and rewarding, even, on many levels. On some levels, it both implements and explores history, mythology, and even popular notions of sanity. And it does this in an interesting and unique way, as it actively tries to make you think about what we understand as sanity versus insanity. It does this right away by deliberately making you wonder exactly what is going on, and to seriously wonder if the main character (James Cole, played very capably by Bruce Willis) is sane or not. After watching it this most recent time, I could see how this movie might bother some people and almost feel possibly like an exercise in lunacy. There are parts of it that are or can be unpleasant to watch, even. Included in this is a sort of repetition in actions and themes, although it is subtle and set under very different circumstances. Yet, it reinforces this notion of this movie and the main character both being and feeling disoriented, not to mention disorienting for the viewer.

I have recommended this movie to some people, and was disappointed in a few cases to hear that they could not get past even the first twenty to thirty minutes. Let us just say is that this is the type of movie that rewards your patience, assuming that you go into it with some and give it a chance. 

The fact of the matter is that this is a purposely strange and unorthodox movie. All kidding aside, it asks more than most movies do, requiring patience and trust on the part of the viewer that the makers of this movie actually know what they are doing, and that things will make sense before all is said and done. I remember feeling confused the first time that I saw it, not knowing exactly what was going on for quite some time.

Trust me, though, it does all come together eventually and, once it does, this movie really becomes rewarding to the viewer. In fact, I liked it so much that it instantly made me want to watch it again, knowing this time what it was about. It became one of my very favorite movies, one which I rarely go more than, say, a couple of years or so without watching. Again, it takes a little patience, although some of the people that I talked to about this movie (I long ago learned not to even bother advocating this movie to most people) never really gave it a chance. Once you actually watch it from beginning to end, there is a good chance that this will be the type of movie that will make you want to see it again and again. I have seen it a number of times over the course of many years now, and it always seems like there is something new, some aspect of it that I had not seen, or at least not had appreciated as much in previous viewings, which I see with the latest viewing.

I have now watched the movie numerous times, and have been on kind of a 12 Monkeys kick lately, since I decided to watch it again a couple of weeks back, and then decided to watch it yet again, feeling that I saw some things with that viewing that I had not paid as close attention to before. So I cannot stress enough at this point that it requires some effort on the part of the movie watcher to actually peel away some of those layers themselves, since the film makers did not want to make it to easy for the viewer. They intentionally made it a movie that requires some thinking.

Frankly, I do not like to overstate things, because that can come back to bite you later. But this movie seems to me to be a masterpiece. It is entertaining, fun and funny at times, yet also serious enough to give you serious pause for thought. Kathryn Railly (played very well by Madeleine Stowe) is everything you could want in a woman, and there are even times when this movie has a nostalgic, old movie feel to it. There are even brief periods when it almost becomes romantic, although it never goes to far or takes itself too seriously in this regard. To me, this has almost everything that you could want in a movie, and comes highly recommended - but again, you have to have some patience with this one. If you do, it will almost assuredly reward you, as this is a movie that you likely will remember and think about for the rest of your life.

Give it a chance, and see what you think.

Also, don't forget to share any thoughts or feelings you may have - positive or negative - here with me. I would welcome any discussion on this movie. 

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