4. 12 Monkeys(1995)
12 Monkeys was the film that got me hooked on time travel and its theories. I remember getting it on VHS as a naïve pre-teen expecting the usual
Bruce Willis shoot em up swearfest, putting into my video recorder and just thinking what the fuck? for 2 hours. The more I thought about it though and the more I re-watched it the more I couldnt stop considering its themes so he watches himself die? (sorry if you havent seen it!) Loosely based on French short
La Jetee and directed by
Terry Gilliam (who also directed
Time Bandits)
12 Monkeys paints a bleak future for mankind forced underground by a deadly virus. The film explores a number of dark themes but still managed to achieve commercial success to go along with the positive critical reception it received. The success of the film has to be partly attributed to the performances from its leading men:
Brad Pitt, at the tail-end of his ascendancy to superstardom, gives a suitably manic performance that gained him a Supporting Actor nod at the OSCARS and Willis is on fine form as time-traveller James Cole striking a note-perfect performance of menace, confusion and ultimately warmth.