Chris Marker's iconic 1962 short film LA JETEE begat Terry Gilliam's brilliant feature film 12 MONKEYS, which has now led to the SyFy Channel's new 12 MONKEYS television series.
The story remains close to the Gilliam feature, while of course, expanding on the premise. Cole, our "chrononaut" hero, comes from the future to stop the eventual annihilation of the human race by a yet-to-happen in our timeline, pandemic. In the first episode, he convinces virologist Amanda Schull that he is not just a lunatic, but indeed the real McCoy, and that something must be done now (then?) to thwart the coming (happened?) catastrophe.
You get it, right?
12 MONKEYS initial episode bounces back and forth between multiple timelines, Cole reporting to the organization in his present (our future), and ping ponging around in his past (our present), trying to find a perch and place where/when he can put a true stop to the ensuing disaster. It's apparent each episode will string the viewer along in a series of answers that beget yet more questions, like all time travel adventure mysteries do. So I'm not going to go further into the endless paradoxes set up by the concept, it's all gloriously mind bending, and maddeningly futile. but that's the beauty of a show like 12 MONKEYS. And a damned decent show it seems to be from the initial episode. Slick production values, tight writing, solid cast, and briskly paced, SyFy could potentially have another show the magnitude of the modern classic, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, on their hands as far as the sci-fi geek fanbase goes. This has a shot at becoming another water cooler program, sparking nerdy debates from an avid viewership, addicted to weekly speculation. Future episodes will be introducing more core characters, all pointing to an increasingly wild ride.
Good stuff Maynard. I'll be watching more, that's for sure. With 12 MONKEYS and the up-coming space opera/mystery show THE EXPANSE hitting soon, SyFy just may be back on track. I'm off to rub my temples now, and untwist my brain.
12 MONKEYS airs Friday nights on the SyFy network. Check the website or local listings for your time zone.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (so far...let's see what the "future" holds, shall we?)
~Sean Smithson
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