12 Monkeys (1995)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:41
Rotten:7
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: The plot's a bit of a jumble, but excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists make 12 Monkeys a kooky, effective experience.
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: In this intriguing science fiction film from director Terry Gilliam, penal colony prisoner James Cole must travel back in time from the year 2035 to find the cause of a virus that killed five... [More]
Starring: Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Plummer
Director: Terry Gilliam
Reviews for 12 Monkeys
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Gilliam gives the material a lunatic poetry of his own, but remains impervious to the requirements of narrative pacing. Full Review |
||
|
|
Disorientating, but good performances all round. Will have you thinking for days afterwards. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
Terry Gilliam's most mature film to date demands rigorous analysis from the viewer. Add to this the director's grotesquely comic hallmarks, and the resulting film is a complex and rewarding fantasy. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
Gilliam's polarizing style is at its near-best...a dazzling feat of storytelling that bristles with provocative ideas. [Blu-ray] Full Review |
||
 |
Neither as visually compelling as Brazil nor as emotionally gripping as The Fisher King. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
Gilliam has taken on a conventional Hollywood sci-fi thriller with big stars and turned it into his own rough beast. Full Review |
||
|
|
12 Monkeys seems to go down smoothly without compromising anything or dumbing itself down. Full Review |
||
|
B- |
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. Full Review |
||
|
A- |
..less an essay on the nature of madness than a crazy person’s poem. It is wild and beautiful and deeply disturbing all at once. Full Review |
||
|
|
Oh my! Full Review |
||
|
2.5/4 |
A messy mélange of action, adventure, sci-fi, romance, horror, and comedy. Full Review |
||
|
B |
An antithesis of how The Terminator handled time travel. Full Review |
||
|
4/5 |
A clever, complex, and poignant success is as astonishing as it is satisfying. Full Review |
||
|
4/5 |
There's always overripe method to his madness, but in the new 12 Monkeys Mr. Gilliam's methods are uncommonly wrenching and strong. Full Review |
||
|
2/4 |
Distinctly lacking in sentiment. Give me cataclysm, but at least act like you care. Full Review |
||
|
3/4 |
It will keep you thinking long after you watch it. Full Review |
||
|
|
It often seems as though Gilliam is the least prolific of fantastic directors working today (with the possible exception of Alejandro Jodorowsky), but once again, it was worth the wait. Full Review |
||
|
|
The more I see this film, the more I'm impressed by it. I love movies that are rich and complex, filled with different layers of reading. Full Review |
||
|
|
Weird meditation on time and apocalyptic possibilities. Full Review |
||
|
4/5 |
No review available.
|
CommentLatest News for 12 Monkeys
July 20, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with Duncan Jones
Duncan Jones has done the impossible -- tell a smart, engaging and entertaining sci-fi story on a modest budget. In Britain. As his debut feature film. No wonder everyone's... More...
May 10, 2007:
Forum Poster Bruce Willis Ain't Cool With Michael Bay
Bruce Willis has been chatting up some lucky web readers over his upcoming reemergence in "Live Free or Die Hard," talking movies and alienating "Armageddon"... More...
January 03, 2007:
Kevin Smith Fulfills His Bruce Willis Dream, Appears in "Die Hard 4"
If you're MySpace friends with "Clerks" man Kevin Smith, you already know that the uber fanboy is a ginormous Bruce Willis fan (OMG he's online now!)...and now, the... More...
October 04, 2006:
Christopher Nolan Discusses "The Prisoner," "Following," and "Dark Knight" Rumors
Christopher Nolan recently held a Q&A session following a screening of his movie "Following," and while he gave only a few vague responses in regards to "The... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds