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12 Monkeys (1995) poster

1995 · sci-fi · thriller · drama

12 Monkeys

Directed by Terry Gilliam2h 9m1995

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.

Our read: 12 Monkeys (1995) reads as a heavy, steady, inventive sci-fi · thriller · drama entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.

Movie DNA

Heavy, steady, measured sci-fi / thriller, inventive in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, cold.

ElsewhereIMDb8.0677kRT88%Metacritic75TMDB7.69k
  • heavy
  • intense
  • inventive
  • bleak
  • cold
  • twisty
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Watching 12 Monkeys tonight? Spin for your lens.

Everyone on the couch spins once and gets one craft to watch for. After the credits, compare what you caught.

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Availability in Latvia · via JustWatch

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Where the cast leads
DNA · twelve axes

How 12 Monkeys feels to watch.

Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.

MoodHeavy ↔ Cosy
PacingSlow-burn ↔ Kinetic
IntensityGentle ↔ Extreme
WeirdnessConventional ↔ Surreal
HopeNihilistic ↔ Redemptive
StakesIntimate ↔ Epic
HumourNone ↔ Broad
RealityGrounded ↔ Fantastical
DensitySparse ↔ Twisty
WarmthCold ↔ Tender
AuteurTransparent ↔ Signature
Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

“You want a mind-bending time-travel puzzle with dark twists and fate.”

ends devastatingit leaves you shakena rollercoastergrips by minute 5attention 4/5earns its length
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-upgraphic violencedrug usesuicide themenudity

Skip it tonight — You want straightforward plots or dislike bleak sci-fi and insanity.

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