Who knew there was a TV show based on Terry Gilliam's 1995 film TWELVE MONKEYS? Apart from the SyFy Channel, obviously, who made it, and those who watched it on its initial broadcast, but the idea that there was a four season series was news to me. But now, for anyone curious (and, perhaps surprisingly, it's worth it, believe me) Fabulous Films are releasing the entire run on DVD and Blu-ray.
The show follows the same basic storyline as the film. James Cole (Aaron Stanford in the Bruce Willis role) is sent back in time from the year 2043, where a plague has destroyed most human life, to find and kill the person responsible for setting the disaster in motion. He makes contact with Dr Cassie Reilly (Amanda Schull in the Madeline Stowe role, although Stowe herself appears later on in the TV show playing someone else) and together they have to work out how the plague was caused. This is complicated by Cole 'splintering' back and forth in time and by the presence of the sinister 'Pallid Man' (Tom Noonan at his most sinister) who has his own reasons for wanting the pandemic to go ahead.
TWELVE MONKEYS the TV show is surprisingly good. Production values are high, acting is good and the writing is clever. Even the gender swapping of the Brad Pitt movie role to Emily Hampshire (see above) works well. The original film was based on Chris Marker's 1962 short La Jetée and both he and the Gilliam film's screenwriters, David & Janet Peoples gave the production team their blessing and support with the project. All of them get namechecks in the story.
Fabulous Films' Blu-ray set spreads each season over two discs each, so you get eight discs for the (in total) 47 episodes which oddly enough run around 47 minutes each. The DVD spreads the show over 14 discs. Extras are also spread over the discs and include deleted scenes, gag reels,. commentary tracks, a making of, audition footage, podcasts and other bits and pieces. There's so much around for the SF fan to watch these days and TWELVE MONKEYS - THE SERIES is certainly one to add to the 'worth watching' list.
TWELVE MONKEYS - THE COMPLETE SERIES is out in an eight disc Blu-ray set and a fourteen disc DVD set on Monday 5th December 2022
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