12 Monkeys (TV Series) Splinter (2015) User Reviews

Seems Interesting!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 14 April 2015]

This is the first episode of the first season of 12 Monkeys, one of the newest Scy-fy shows. Seeing the movie, I was wondering what to expect in a television remake. If the pilot is any indication, well we might have ourselves a worthy remake. The plot itself may be confusing at times, but I certainly liked the script. As for the acting, it's actually decent. Aaron Stanford plays James Cole differently than Bruce Willis did, but I think it's a good change. Amanda Schell does a fine job as the virologist and I think there is more to her character than what meets the eye.

In this episode, "Pilot," there was a plague that ravaged the Earth destroying most of humanity. In 2043, James Cole is sent back in time to stop the plague from ever happening. But James must recruit the help of a virologist named Cassandra Railly and they must find a Leland Frost if they have any chance.

Overall, this was a fun introduction to the series and I am eager to see how this season plays out and the differences that exist between this adaptation and the film. Not a perfect episode, but I was very much entertained.

My Grade: A-

Surprisingly good

[maertyonboard · 7/10 · 20 January 2015]

Out of the three new Syfy shows (Ascension, 12 Monkeys and The Expanse) I had expected Ascension to be decent but not great, 12 Monkeys to suck hard and The Expanse to be really awesome (and I'm still looking forward to it). I was right about Ascension being decent but I was wrong about 12 Monkeys sucking.

12 Monkeys is really good (well at least it starts off on the right track) surprisingly enough given its creators Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett's resume including the unmitigated disaster that is Terra Nova (okay they didn't make it but they did write two of its worst episodes).

"What makes it so good?", you ask? Well the answer is that it's the best kind of a remake, one that keeps the elements that made the source material great but does just enough of a fresh spin on it to not feel pointless.

The premise, as with the movie, concerns a post-apocalyptic future where the Earth was ravaged by a deadly incurable virus, killing most of the human population and driving the survivors underground. When a team of surviving scientists revive an abandoned time travel experiment they devise a mission to send scavenger James Cole (Aaron Stanford) back in time to the present times to find the man responsible for the outbreak and kill him before he can (unwittingly or not) kill the human race.

Stanford is no Bruce Willis that much is clear but he does play the character his own way and is a damn fine actor, definitely skilled enough to carry the show, while Cole as a character remains just sympathetic and intelligent enough to not come across like an unjustified murderer.

The rest of the main cast however is a mixed bag, the virologist lady has the phrase "future love interest" written with a permanent marker all over her, Cole's future BFF doesn't show any personality traits aside from the ones in the "post-apocalyptic best friend" archetype and virologist lady's ex-boyfriend doesn't seem like he has any purpose in the story at all aside from artificially inserting a love triangle in it.

But while the characters are a little under cooked, the show makes up for it by being an engaging mystery and yes I know they are changing stuff from the original film but then again a mystery wouldn't have the same punch if it's retold the exact same way with the exact same plot twists and reveals.

And speaking of making up for shortcomings, the show's production values are just as great as you'd expect from a Syfy TV series, and say what you will about their low budget b-movies, when they actually put some effort into making a show it always looks as legit as possible, from the ravaged future to the elaborate CG effects.

Overall the show isn't perfect, the characters don't quite click just yet and the story sometimes resorts to conspiracy thriller clichés and the time travel storytelling can be hard to wrap your head around especially when a time paradox appears to generate an explosion comparable to a hand grenade instead of, you know, destroying 2/3rds of the universe and causing the main character to go bald, but now I'm just nitpicking.

7/10.

Rise of Army of the Twelve Monkeys!

[ivo-cobra8 · 8/10 · 14 August 2016]

I just watched today the first episode of 12 Monkeys and I must say I was blown away from the first episode and I was hooked up. I love to death the 1995 movie Twelve Monkeys with Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt. It is my favorite Bruce Willis film and I have already reviewed that film. Staring: Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Noah Bean and Zeljko Ivanek.

Plot: 27 years after a virus wipes out most of humanity, scientists send a man (James Cole) back to 2015 to stop the plague from ever happening. Cole's only lead is a virologist (Dr. Cassandra Railly), who knows the dangerous source of the outbreak.

The original film is way different from the series in the film the year is 2035, James Cole (Bruce Willis) is a prisoner living in a subterranean shelter beneath the ruins of Philadelphia. Cole is selected for a mission, where he is trained and sent back in time to collect information on the virus in order to help scientists develop a cure. He arrives in Baltimore in 1990, not 1996 as planned. Six years too early and soon he is arrested, then thrown in to a mental institution on the diagnosis of Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe). There he encounters Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt), a fellow mental patient with fanatical views. After an escape attempt, Cole is locked in a cell, but soon disappears, returning to the future. Back in his own time, he get's a second chance and he is sent back again this time in 1996 when he meets again Dr. Kathryn Railly and this time she believes him. Together they are trying to stop Goines (Pitt) and his army of twelve monkeys, releasing a deadly virus that it will wipe out almost all of humanity in 1996, on the end of the film you have a twist and you are very surprised and shocked with what happened to our favorite character Cole (Willis).

In the pilot Episode the plot is completely different the future is set in the year of 2043 time traveler James Cole (Aaron Stanford) travels from the year 2043 to the present day to stop the release of a deadly virus by the enigmatic organization known as "The Army of the Twelve Monkeys". That virus, in Cole's original timeline, caused the death of 93.6% of the world population. He meets in 2013 Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull) and he tells her that he is from the future and he was sent to soon so he time travel back to his time and he meet 2 years later Cassandra Railly in 2015 to find out who is Leland Frost, the man responsible who for releasing the virus out, with Casandra's help he goes on party to find Leland Frost and kills him, it turn's out Leland Frost is actually Leland Goines (Zeljko Ivanek) on the end you have twist with Leland knowing Cole from 1987 and on the end Cole kills Leland and he travels back to his time. But he did not stop the virus from been released out. There was more people involved and they are "The Army of the Twelve Monkeys".

The pilot episode is different from the movie but I still like it. And I am prepared to see season 1 all episodes. I am very excited to see it. For me it is Rise of Army of the Twelve Monkeys, which it ended with the movie but after 20 years later, the company production made the movie in to a TV series. Aaron Stanford is awesome! I remember him from my favorite horror remake film The Hills Have Eyes (2006) movies like are: X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). He also played Birkhoff in Nikita. It is a shame that MARVEL does not cast Aaron anymore in the X-Men movies as Pyro. He is incredible awesome actor and I like him a lot. Noah Bean from Nikita is also in here, both Aaron and Noah worked together in Nikita and I just read Amanda Schull also played as a guest star in Nikita Season 3 Episode 11 Black Badge so they all three worked together in Nikita and they are working together now in 12 Monkeys. Zeljko Ivanek from Slovenia my country also guest stars, he was portraying Emile Danko in Heroes Season 3 but the first episode of Season 4 he was killed off. I love Time travels and I love the movie and I am giving a chance on this show.

The rating I am giving is 8 out of 10 the actors portraying in this movie where outstanding, keep up the good job.

Such pandemic days, seeing another pandemic

[CursedChico · 8/10 · 23 February 2021]

Such pandemic days, seeing another pandemic

AFter i finished season 1 of medium series, i came here. I watch series season by season. So, after finishing season 1 of this, i will move to another series.

I chose 12 monkeys because i needed to watch some different science fiction.

I hope i can enjoy.

EPISODE REVIEW

I did not watch movie. I like the intro. It is exciting and there are lots of action.

Seeing Kirk Acevedo as José Ramse is good. I know him from oz and arrow. Nice actor.

That 2 years from 2013 to 2015 is not shown. Must be really hard for cassandra

Great Start!

[zeeshanabid · 10/10 · 12 August 2023]

I love this show and I've watched this show completely multiple times. Main reason for watching this show multiple times are the first two episodes. They're created so nicely that when you're rewatching the series you're hooked up completely in the story. Lots of the people compare this show with the Bruce Willis movie it is based on. And it's logical to do so. However, these two episodes prove us that the series is only 'based' upon the concept, rather that it is 'same' as the movie. While the movie is a mystery thriller, this show is more of an action adventure romance. If people watch these episodes without comparing to the movie they would surely emerse into the show.