Director: Terry
Gilliam
Notable Cast: Bruce
Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeline Stowe, Christopher Plummer, David Morse, Jon Seda,
Christopher Meloni, Frank Gorshin, Vernon Campbell, Lisa Gay Hamilton
Time travel movies can, in a broader sense, be sticky. More
often than not for them to work, the film either has to completely disregard
trying to make sense and just plow through with its gimmicks or it has to make
any plot holes irrelevant to the narrative. When it comes to a film like 12 Monkeys, it’s the sense of style and
strange quirkiness to its proceedings that allows it to move above and beyond
the normal trappings of the time travel focused science fiction flick. This
late 90’s cult classic from the iconic Terry Gilliam is able to find that right
balance between artistry and consumption, humor and horror, and the line
between tongue-in-cheek and dramatic heft. Quite frankly, despite being one of
the last (only?) true studio productions for the British director, it inherently
features all of his style, but in a more packaged and easier to swallow
product. It’s an effective combination. On top of being a brilliant film, this
latest Blu Ray release for 12 Monkeys
is a welcome upgrade for fans. It’s packed with features to add even more
commentary and substance to the off beat and unique film and its context.