Editing 12 Monkeys (section)

===Critical response===
[[File:Brad_Pitt_Cannes.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Brad Pitt]] received critical acclaim and his first [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination.]]
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|88|7.6|73|The plot's a bit of a jumble, but excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists make ''12 Monkeys'' a kooky, effective experience.|ref=yes|access-date=November 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629125012/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/12_monkeys|archive-date=June 29, 2023|url-status=live}} {{Metacritic film prose|74|20|ref=yes|access-date=November 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206231353/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/twelve-monkeys|archive-date=February 6, 2023|url-status=live}} Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= CinemaScore 12 MONKEYS (1995) B |work= cinemascore.com |access-date= March 25, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= December 20, 2018 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

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| quote = The film's startling depiction of the world in 2035—where human life has been driven underground by a 1990s viral outbreak that annihilated 99% of human life—may not always make sense. But ''12 Monkeys'' rattles with insightful sound and fury, and its bleak visions are hard to shake.
| source = —Peter Stack, writing for the ''San Francisco Chronicle''<ref>Stack, Peter (5 January 1996). [http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/12-Monkeys-Is-Not-Exactly-a-Barrel-of-Laughs-3000037.php  {{"-}}'12 Monkeys' Is Not Exactly a Barrel of Laughs / Willis, Pitt in grimy futuristic thriller about killer virus]. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Retrieved 2015-07-26. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409092622/https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/12-Monkeys-Is-Not-Exactly-a-Barrel-of-Laughs-3000037.php |date=April 9, 2021 }}</ref>
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[[Roger Ebert]] found ''12 Monkeys''{{'}} depiction of the future similar to ''[[Blade Runner]]'' (1982, also scripted by [[David Peoples]]) and ''[[Brazil (1985 film)|Brazil]]'' (1985, also directed by Terry Gilliam). "The film is a celebration of madness and doom, with a hero who tries to prevail against the chaos of his condition, and is inadequate", Ebert wrote. "This vision is a cold, dark, damp one, and even the romance between Willis and Stowe feels desperate rather than joyous. All of this is done very well, and the more you know about movies (especially the technical side), the more you're likely to admire it. [...] And as entertainment, it appeals more to the mind than to the senses."<ref>{{cite news|author=Roger Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/12-monkeys-1996 |title=12 Monkeys |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=2022-06-13}}</ref>

[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated, "This apocalyptic nightmare, a vigorous work of dark, surprise-filled science fiction, is much tougher and less fanciful than the director's films have often been. [...] ''12 Monkeys'' is fierce and disturbing, with a plot that skillfully resists following any familiar course. The film's hero fears that he's half-crazy, and for two hours Mr. Gilliam artfully keeps his audience feeling the same way."<ref>{{cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|date=December 27, 1995|title=FILM REVIEW; A Time Traveler With Bad News|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/27/movies/film-review-a-time-traveler-with-bad-news.html|url-status=live|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202234500/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/27/movies/film-review-a-time-traveler-with-bad-news.html|archive-date=February 2, 2023|access-date=November 8, 2023}}</ref> [[Desson Thomson]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' praised the art direction and set design. "Willis and Pitt's performances, Gilliam's atmospherics and an exhilarating momentum easily outweigh such trifling flaws in the script", Thomson wrote.<ref>{{cite news |author=Desson Howe |author-link=Desson Howe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/twelvemonkeys.htm |title=Gilliam's Barrel of 'Monkeys' Shines |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 5, 1996 |access-date=2012-04-10 |archive-date=September 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924094633/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/twelvemonkeys.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Peter Travers]] from [[Rolling Stone (magazine)|''Rolling Stone'' magazine]] attributes the film's success to Gilliam's direction and Willis' performance.<ref>{{cite news |author=Peter Travers |author-link=Peter Travers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/12-monkeys-19950101 |title=12 Monkeys |work=[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]] |date=January 1, 1995 |access-date=2012-04-10 |archive-date=September 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919052345/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/12-monkeys-19950101 |url-status=live }}</ref> Internet reviewer [[James Berardinelli]] believed the filmmakers had an intelligent and creative motive for the time-travel subplot. Rather than being sent to change the past, James Cole is instead observing it to make a better future.<ref>{{cite web |author=James Berardinelli |author-link=James Berardinelli |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/t/twelve_mon.html |title=Twelve Monkeys |work=[[ReelViews]] |access-date=2009-04-01 |archive-date=April 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409092642/https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/t/twelve_mon.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Richard Corliss]] of [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] felt the film's time-travel aspect and apocalyptic depiction of a bleak future were [[cliché]]s. "In its frantic mix of chaos, carnage and zoo animals, ''12 Monkeys'' is ''[[Jumanji (film)|Jumanji]]'' for adults", Corliss wrote.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Richard Corliss |author-link=Richard Corliss  |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983933,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722050616/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983933,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 22, 2010 |title=Back To The Bleak Future |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=January 8, 1996|access-date=2012-04-10}}</ref>