12 Monkeys – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1995
Director: Terry Gilliam
Writers: Chris Marker, David Webb Peoples, Janet Peoples
Cast: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, Christopher Meloni, Frank Gorshin

Release Date: April 25th, 2022 (UK), April 26th, 2022 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 129 Minutes 26 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK) / $49.95 (USA)

“In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4k 16 bit resolution at EFilm, Burbank. The film was restored in 4K and graded in HDR10 & Dolby Vision at Silver Salt Restoration, London. The SDR grade from Arrow’s prior master served as our primary grading reference and this was supervised and approved by director Terry Gilliam.”

12 Monkeys comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.1 GB

Feature: 85.9 GB

For this release's transfer, Arrow Video takes their already solid source that they used for their 2018 Blu-ray. And though this new transfer is not as much of a noticeable upgrade as Arrow Video’s Blu-ray was when compared to Universal’s Blu-ray, The result is a transfer that takes full advantage of HDR and Dolby Vision formats.

It should be noted that footage from the forty-minute fifty second mark to the forty-one minute 10 second mark is not correct, and in its place is the footage from the forty-one minute 11 second mark to the forty-one minute thirty-one second mark. Though the footage is repeated, the audio is not affected. Also, Arrow Video’s 2018 Blu-ray also repeats this footage.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. These are the same two audio tracks from Arrow Video’s 2018 Blu-ray. You can’t go wrong with either of these audio mixes. They’re in excellent shape; dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced; ambient sounds and the score are well-represented. Included with this release are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 26 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an image gallery (237 images-logo designs/costume diaries/location photographs/costume & production design/storyboards/stills/poster concepts/posters), an appreciation with film scholar Ian Christie (16 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Terry Gillian from the 1996 London Film Festival titled The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam (23 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys (87 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven. a slipcover, a reversible cover art and a 44-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Audacity of Hopelessness: Twelve Monkeys’ Grim Vision of the Future and the Present written by Nathan Rabin, an interview with Terry Gilliam titled Gilliam on Gilliam: Twelve Monkeys interview by Ian Christie and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Though Terry Gilliam’s career has spanned six decades, It was not until I saw 12 Monkeys, a film that is widely regarded as Terry Gilliam’s most mainstream film, that I first became aware of him. And like many films that introduce you to a filmmaker who had not been on your radar before, 12 Monkeys is the Terry Gilliam film that I revisit the most often.

Throughout his career, most of Terry Gilliam’s films have had science fiction elements. Only two of his films, Brazil and 12 Monkeys, are actually science fiction films. With the bulk of the films that he’s directed being fantasy films,

Time travel is one of science fiction cinema and literature’s most durable premises. And though this premise allows for a range of possibilities, More often than not, most time-travel films and literature follow a similar blueprint.

One of the rare exceptions to this rule is 12 Monkeys, a film that presents what is arguably one of the more interesting theories about the rules of time travel. And nowhere is this clearer than in how the film lays out how one’s fate cannot be changed. Any attempt to try to change destiny is futile. Another area where 12 Monkeys sets itself apart from other similar-themed films is how it presents the possibility that what has just unfolded might be the delusions of a disturbed person.

The most surprising aspect of 12 Monkeys is its casting. Most notably, the casting of Bruce Willis (Die Hard) in the role of James Cole, a man from the future who’s been chosen to go back in time and save humanity by preventing an apocalyptic event. Bruce Wise delivers a powerful performance that perfectly captures his character's state of mind. Another strength of this performance is that his character’s unstable state of mind serves as a perfect guide for the audience.

Other performances of note include Madeleine Stowe (Unlawful Entry) in the role of Kathryn Railly, a psychiatrist who forms a bond with Cole, and Brad Pitt (Fight Club) in the role of Jeffrey Goines, the mentally disturbed son of the scientist who has created a deadly virus. Performances by the entire cast are all excellent in their respective roles.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where 12 Monkeys does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, the well-constructed narrative ensures that pacing is never an issue, and the ending provides an extremely satisfying conclusion to the events that have just unfolded.

Cinema’s most celebrated directors all have one thing in common; a signature style that is instantly recognizable in the opening moments of the film. Terry Gilliam is such a filmmaker, and his visuals are the one element more than any other that defines his films. And, once again, he creates a visual feast for the eyes with 12 monkeys.

12 Monkeys makes its way to 4K UHD via a strong release from Arrow Video that improves upon their solid transfer and ports over all the extras from their previous release, recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer