I didn't really intend to, but after watching La Jetee yesterday I felt the need to watch the film it inspired so much again. And watching it with the powerful imagery of La jetee fresh in the back of my mind, I think Gilliam's film just possibly got a bit better. Even though I didn't think that possible.

I feel 12 Monkeys is one of the greatest Science Fiction films ever made and it certainly ranks among Gilliam's very best. It is a film that creates a perfect mixture of visual flair, intrigue, drama and Sci-Fi conceit. It simply excels on all levels a film should work on.

The first viewing of this film is arguably the best as the…

I feel that this type of 90s science fiction movies primarily heavily relied on the skill and storytelling talent of the cast. Nowadays you can cover bad, or even just average, acting up with some mind-blowing graphics and special effects and most people won't notice the glitch. That's such a shame. Too many modern science fiction films focus mainly on the visual effect they make on the audience rather than the story or the actors, which means when you're looking through the sci-fi genre you have to somehow sieve through all the movies to pick out the few with actual unique plots.

'Twelve Monkeys' has an incredibly strong plot that follows through perfectly and I thought it was backed up…

For my money this is Terry Gilliam's best film, one in which he gets to show off his tremendously unique visual style, but in which it doesn't overtake the story or collapse into a dissonant mess.

That story, based on a screenplay by BLADE RUNNER and UNFORGIVEN writer David Webb Peoples, is a corker, too. A memorably unhinged Bruce Willis plays an unstable man from the future sent back in time to gather information on a virus that wiped out 99% of the population and sent the remaining 1% deep underground, with the hope of developing a cure to restore the human race to the surface of the Earth in the present. Naturally, when he gets to the year 1996…

First things first, how come I've had this for seven months and I've only just got round to watching this? There is something wrong with you, Toby.

Anyway, the movie. From the psychedelic opening credits, you can tell that this is will be no ordinary sci-fi movie. And it isn't. Then you see the scientists talking to Bruce Willis and realize that nothing about this film could be described as ordinary in any sense of the term. By the end of the film, your mind will feel physical pain.

The acting here though is, quite simply, phenomenal, with Bruce Willis' performance as the man repeatedly sent back in time being one of the most emotional I've seen in a while.…

While not thoroughly outstanding in memory, Twelve Monkeys will always remain at an extravagant limbo of my mind, emerging constantly to exemplify my preferences concerning films. Gilliam version of Marker's story contains lots of what is necessary to keep my attention in focus. Confused, eccentric characters, dealing with intricate situations on an austere, decaying atmosphere.

Chances are, out of the billions of films that incorporate these characteristics, this one was the first to be analyzed by me with a critical eye. For this sole reason, my overall impression must have been impaired, and a good movie, perfectly enjoyable, suddenly becomes a term of reference for all ''time-travel, mind bending, dystopian science-fiction'' that insists on popping up in my conversations.

Inexplicably,…

Time travel films have been done many times, attempted before, but never succeeded fully to the level of Twelve Monkeys, which I am struggling to search for a plot hole for. I'm actually LOOKING for things to pick at, that's how damn good this movie is. My only complaint is the beginning is a little slow and not as interesting as I think it will be on a re-watch. I don't think I was in the right mood, but boy did this get me into it.

The final hour is immense, the pieces come together and the story soldiers on even stronger than before, it really is something to behold. Bruce Willis is excellent as is Madeleine Stowe, they are…