August 15, 1996 -- One of the most intriguing science fiction films to come out in some time is director Terry Gilliam's "Twelve Monkeys." While the film never came to Laramie, the video did.

Recently released on videotape, this film has sparked more discussion on the Internet (in the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.movies, for instance) than most science fiction films made in the years since "Blade Runner."

The tragic tale of "Twelve Monkeys" has a prisoner, James Cole (Bruce Willis) as a reluctant time traveler from the future to collect information about a deadly virus that has wiped out most of the human race in 1996 and 1997. The idea is to get a sample of the original virus before it mutated into a deadlier strain in hopes of finding a cure.

Along the way, Cole meets Jeffrey Goins (Brad Pitt), son of the virologist (Chistopher Plummer) who did research on the virus before it was released. He also meets Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) while trapped in a mental institution in 1990. Eventually, Railly comes to believe he really is a time traveller.

The film is reminiscent of Gilliam's earlier films, "Brazil" and "The Fisher King" and Pitt's earlier film "Seven" in which the hero struggles pitifully against a pre-determined fate. Like those other films, "Monkeys" is very dark, portraying a dirty, violent, depressing world.

Apparently, Gilliam does not believe in free will. Other time travel films, such as the "Back to the Future" series, and "Grand Tour: Disaster in Time" take another view, that multiple futures (time lines) are possible.

The script, based on another film, "La Jetee," written by Chris Marker, David Webb Peoples and Janet Peoples, is very clever, but there are some logical problems. For instance, there seem to be quite a few time travelers from the future running around the area where the virus is released, but nobody seems to be able to find out who actually released it.

The people in the future came up with the fantastic breakthrough of time travel, but act like complete idiots in every other respect. Also, why get a sample of the virus before it mutated if that's not the virus you want to find the cure for?

Even with that, it is still an intriguing film. It will keep you thinking long after you watch it. Who, for instance, is sitting next to the man in the plane near the end of the film? Did she appear earlier in the film? A lot of people have been speculating about that one. This film rates a B.

If you like "Monkeys" you might want to check out a couple of other, lesser known videos available locally. The first is called "12:01." It is about a man trapped in a "time bounce," caused by an experiment gone awry. It's like "Groundhog Day" in that he keeps living the same day over and over.

The second is called "Grand Tour _ Disaster in Time." It is about a group of time-traveling tourists who visit famous disasters. They come to a small town to see a meteor hit it. Jeff Daniels plays the owner of a bed and breakfast place who finds out about the impending disaster.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 1996 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.