"Why'd you pull your teeth out, Bob?"

This is one of the best sci-fi movies ever !! Bruce Willis was amazing and touching The story was convoluted but not too hard to follow..... Time travel is always fraught with ambiguities, but everything flowed pretty well. And the characters were not two dimensional. I loved it.

While it's a well-regarded film I agree that it deserves to be hailed a bona fide classic. It's Gilliam's most mainstream film, but also his best. I wish he'd tackle more thrillers like this - where he anchors his amazing visuals and art-house sensibilities to a pulsing plot that really engages the brain.

It never gets old and captures the 90's in a special way, while also showcasing how good Willis can be when he drops his ego and tries.

Don't forget it's depiction of madness. The best thing about this film for me was how it made you feel you were inside a madman's head. You never know if it's all real or not. The best sci-fi films transcend their sci-fi-ness to explore more human, relatable qualities.

@Drooch said

It's Gilliam's most mainstream film, but also his best.

After The Fisher King I'd say. And as per @JustinJackFlash 's comments, perhaps they're not so different thematically...

Same here. I adore this film as much as my lovely "Brazil". Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Madeleine Stowe showed an amazing acting

Anyone rewatched this after 2020? :)

A film that does not come close to matching its source of inspiration, Chris Marker's 1962 black-and-white short, La Jetee.

@CelluloidFan said:

A film that does not come close to matching its source of inspiration, Chris Marker's 1962 black-and-white short, La Jetee.

I can't remember La Jetee very well but did it do anything that Twelve Monkees didn't do? Other than telling the story first obviously, and using all static shots. Did it have the insanity angle?

@JustinJackFlash said:

@CelluloidFan said:

A film that does not come close to matching its source of inspiration, Chris Marker's 1962 black-and-white short, La Jetee.

I can't remember La Jetee very well but did it do anything that Twelve Monkees didn't do? Other than telling the story first obviously, and using all static shots. Did it have the insanity angle?

To respond to your questions, I don't remember. You and I definitely don't see movies with the same criteria... Marker's film does more, with less. It doesn’t have to do all those things.

@CelluloidFan said:

@JustinJackFlash said:

@CelluloidFan said:

A film that does not come close to matching its source of inspiration, Chris Marker's 1962 black-and-white short, La Jetee.

I can't remember La Jetee very well but did it do anything that Twelve Monkees didn't do? Other than telling the story first obviously, and using all static shots. Did it have the insanity angle?

To respond to your questions, I don't remember. You and I definitely don't see movies with the same criteria... Marker's film does more, with less. It doesn’t have to do all those things.

I loved La Jetee as well as 12 Monkeys... the thing is you can't approach them the same way because they're literally 2 different forms of artistic media. La Jetee is a photographic exhibit while 12 Monkeys is a theatrical showcase of acting and motion. So it's kinda like comparing a poem to a novel. The poem will have beauty in simplicity & things unsaid while the novel will have its own beauty in dialogue & details.

@rooprect said:

@CelluloidFan said:

@JustinJackFlash said:

@CelluloidFan said:

A film that does not come close to matching its source of inspiration, Chris Marker's 1962 black-and-white short, La Jetee.

I can't remember La Jetee very well but did it do anything that Twelve Monkees didn't do? Other than telling the story first obviously, and using all static shots. Did it have the insanity angle?

To respond to your questions, I don't remember. You and I definitely don't see movies with the same criteria... Marker's film does more, with less. It doesn’t have to do all those things.

I loved La Jetee as well as 12 Monkeys... the thing is you can't approach them the same way because they're literally 2 different forms of artistic media. La Jetee is a photographic exhibit while 12 Monkeys is a theatrical showcase of acting and motion. So it's kinda like comparing a poem to a novel. The poem will have beauty in simplicity & things unsaid while the novel will have its own beauty in dialogue & details.

They're both films....