12 Monkeys: A Reboot That Misses the Mark
In an attempt to distance itself as much as possible from the original film, the creators of the new “12 Monkeys” have overplayed their hand, turning the pilot into a rather dull and clichéd spectacle on par with the most mediocre of sci-fi series.
Two years ago, a young biologist named Cassandra Railly was attacked by an unknown man who managed to convince her that he was a visitor from a bleak future, where almost all of humanity has been wiped out by a deadly virus. The stranger, who called himself James Cole, promised to return soon, but only now, in 2015, has he reappeared, obsessed with finding and destroying one Leland Frost, who is credited with inventing the disease that decimated the future population. Together with Cassandra, Cole reaches the target of his search, but discovers that the future cannot be changed so easily; the “plague of the 21st century” was not unleashed by one person, but by an entire army, the “Army of the Twelve Monkeys.”
The creators of the series stated that when writing the script and during filming, they were inspired not only by Terry Gilliam’s film, but also by the concepts of another science fiction film starring Bruce Willis – “Looper.”
It is possible that one of the first goals for future time travelers will someday be flights to our time with the simple intention of stopping the flow of reboots, remakes, and re-imaginings that have engulfed not only cinema, but now television as well. The new “Fargo,” the upcoming “Twin Peaks,” the announced “X-Files” – these are just the latest examples of how reviving long-forgotten ghosts has become commonplace on TV. And Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys” could not escape the insatiable producers. Until the time machine is invented, let’s take a look at the new screen incarnation of the fearless heroes of the future, who set off to certain death in our not-so-friendly world.
A Shadow of the Original
The creators of the “12 Monkeys” series can hardly be unhappy that their creation will be compared to the 1995 film – it was their conscious choice. And this comparison is certainly not in favor of the new show. Gilliam’s film, although itself a kind of remake of an old French short film, was distinguished by its originality and non-standard plot twists. The “12 Monkeys” of the new generation follow a well-trodden path, offering nothing particularly fresh, even on the contrary, smoothing out the rough edges and simplifying the narrative as much as possible. There is no need now for suffering with unsuccessful trips to the distant past, no need for long lists of heroes who disappeared without a trace during transportation – the authors brushed all this aside (hopefully, for now). The main thing has become the interaction of the two main characters – Dr. Cassie Railly and Cole.
Interestingly, four of the actors in “12 Monkeys” – Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Noah Bean, and Xander Berkeley – have already starred together in the television series “Nikita,” which ran from 2010 to 2013 on The CW.
Lacking the Emotional Punch
However, even in this, the new heroes are inferior to the old ones. Gilliam didn’t need an hour to introduce the viewer to the story, to make them empathize with the characters, to convince them of the truth of what was happening and the sincerity of the feelings and actions of the characters. The serial format, on the one hand, gives more freedom of action, because the heroes have at least a dozen more episodes ahead of them, but on the other hand, it simultaneously requires a constant build-up of emotion, and this is where “Monkeys-2015” has a problem. And it’s not even about the plot, although the premise is really not particularly strong. The thing is that Aaron Stanford is not Bruce Willis, and Amanda Schull is not Madeleine Stowe. The “television” of the acting ensemble greatly affects the perception of what is happening on the screen – the authors are simply incredibly far from the atmosphere, the emotional connection that Terry Gilliam’s film gave. And without a sense of a real apocalypse, “12 Monkeys” looks like just another not-so-exciting plot, not standing out from the ranks of “Continuum,” “Defiance,” “Helix,” or “Z Nation” – other projects of the SyFy channel.
Glimmers of Hope?
However, we, always looking for the bright side, are inclined to give the new “12 Monkeys” a chance, but only for two reasons. The first is speculative and may well turn out to be a false hope, this is the appearance in the very finale of the pilot of a heroine named Jennifer Goines. As you understand, this is a female embodiment of the character that Brad Pitt played in the film. A move that is unusual and gives many opportunities for a successful development of events. The second reason is the obvious idea of a confrontation between Cole and his “Target Number One” Leland Goines, the role of which went to the colorful Željko Ivanek. A battle divided by space and time may turn out to be not uninteresting.