12 Monkeys (1995)
88%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys is a film that transcends time, both in its narrative and its relevance. While some critics may argue that it lacks the visual and emotional impact of his previous works, such as Brazil and The Fisher King, it is undeniable that Gilliam’s signature style is present in every frame. The film’s blend of virus thriller and post-apocalyptic genre, along with its contemplation of circularities of time and apocalypse culture, make it a pop miracle that still resonates with audiences today. As we navigate our own uncertain future, 12 Monkeys serves as a warning and a reminder that the choices we make today will shape the world of tomorrow.
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you question everything you know about time travel, viruses, and the future, then 12 Monkeys is the film for you. Terry Gilliam’s dystopian sci-fi is a wild ride that will leave you both intellectually stimulated and emotionally drained. Sure, it’s a bit of a mess, but what do you expect from a movie that blends virus thrillers with post-apocalyptic genres? Plus, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt give performances that are out of this world. So, grab some popcorn, buckle up, and get ready to travel through time with 12 Monkeys.
Production Company(ies)
Ensemble, Universal Pictures
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Streaming
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:2h 11m
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Language(s):English
ALL CAST, AUSPICES, AND BELOW THE LINE
SEASON 4 (2017-2018)
SEASON 3 (2016-2017)
SEASON 2 (2015-2016)
SEASON 1 (2014-2015)
DEVELOPMENT (2014-2015) -
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 26, 1995 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2008
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller/Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
starring Bruce Willis, starring Madeleine Stowe, starring Brad Pitt, directed by Terry Gilliam, written by Chris Marker, written by David Webb Peoples, written by Janet Peoples, mystery, thriller, sci-fi, box office, budget, reviewed by Ed Potton, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, reviewed by Emanuel Levy, reviewed by Michael Atkinson, reviewed by Vadim Rizov, produced by Charles Roven, MPAA rating R, time travel, dystopian, virus, plague, Jeffrey Goines, Kathryn Railly, James Cole, Dr Leland Goines, Jose, Young Cole, Christopher Plummer, Jon Seda, Joseph Melito, Universal Pictures, DTS, Surround, DTS-ES, Stereo, Flat (1.66:1)
Worldwide gross: $87,020,996
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $57,141,459
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Madeleine Stowe – Kathryn Railly
Brad Pitt – Jeffrey Goines
Christopher Plummer – Dr. Leland Goines
Jon Seda – Jose
Joseph Melito – Young Cole
Director – Terry Gilliam
Producer – Charles Roven
Writers – Chris Marker, David Webb Peoples, Janet Peoples
Director(s)
Terry Gilliam
Writer(s)
Chris Marker, David Webb Peoples, Janet Peoples
Producer(s)
Charles Roven
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (9)
This dystopian time-travelling sci-fi is a reminder that the director can make films that are visually inventive, intellectually engaging and downright exciting.
October 12, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Ed Potton
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
While all of Gilliam’s movies are worth seeing, there’s a fair amount of his designer grimness here mixed in with the cabaret comedy.
May 27, 2011
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Neither as visually compelling as Brazil nor as emotionally gripping as The Fisher King.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Gilliam gives the material a lunatic poetry of his own, but remains impervious to the requirements of narrative pacing.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Dark and somber like Blade Runner, this sci-fi is a spectacular mess, a convoluted film with too many ideas for its own good, blending (among other things) the virus thriller with the post-apocalyptic genre.
August 12, 2005 | Rating: B-
Emanuel Levy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
There’s always overripe method to his madness, but in the new 12 Monkeys Mr. Gilliam’s methods are uncommonly wrenching and strong.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
The movie contemplates the circularities of time, apocalypse culture, and movies themselves… That shouldn’t seem like some kind of pop miracle, but it does.
December 27, 2022
Michael Atkinson
Spin
Soothing in its inevitability, Melancholia without the really heavy devastation…
December 1, 2022
Vadim Rizov
Filmmaker Magazine
It is only the latest in a parade of movie downers intent on convincing us that the future will be a bleak world that is either devoid of water and gas, or one in which we’ve blown ourselves up with atomic power. Enough.
March 1, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Mal Vincent
The Virginian-Pilot
The great Terry Gilliam’s dystopic (of course!) vision of a future where we can’t tell what’s real or not seems disturbingly prescient.
December 27, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Christopher Lloyd
The Film Yap
The received wisdom is that science fiction is always, when you get right down to it, about the period in which it is written, but in the grim Spring of 2020… 12 Monkeys looks startlingly prescient, even if the dates are wide by a decade or two.
July 14, 2021
Travis Johnson
Blunt Magazine
…12 Monkeys looks back fondly to a cleaner air world, before the virus wars began and societal norms collapsed, and can’t help but strike a chord now…
June 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com…
Plot
Imprisoned in the future, James Cole is sent back in time to gather information about a deadly virus that will wipe out most of humanity, but faces obstacles and unexpected twists in the process in the sci-fi thriller “12 Monkeys.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t have anything goofy or funny or odd to say about the film Signed in.
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