11. 12 Monkeys
The Remake: A terrific sci-fi film directed by Terry Gilliam in which a convict (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to gather information about a man-made virus which causes an apocalypse. Consistently regarded as one of the best sci-fi films of the 1990s, 12 Monkeys was also nominated for two Oscars, for Brad Pitt's supporting performance and the costume design.
The Original: 12 Monkeys is heavily inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film La Jetée, running just 28 minutes in length, shot mostly in still images and available for viewing (in French)
here . Though Gilliam's film is an obvious expansion of such a brief project, many of the core concepts are lifted directly from Marker's short, namely of sending a prisoner back through time for preventative purposes, and also the memorable plot twist, that the protagonist has been haunted by the scene of his own death.
Which One Is Better?: As ingenious as the short is, and it contains the seeds without which 12 Monkeys would never exist, Gilliam really ran with the ball here and created something vastly superior, admittedly in large part due to the greater budget and star availability at his disposal. Still, Marker's effort deserves recognition all of its own.
