Review Detail

As with Daedal's edit of Jackie Brown, I find myself fully in agreement with the concept of the edit, but not really vibing with the tone it ends up with. I will say that I think this makes a good alternative way to rewatch 12 Monkeys, and it's really just two big points that hold me back from loving this edit.

So firstly, I'll again compliment Daedal's technical skills on both the visual cuts and the music and sound replacement. All very well done. From a technical standpoint, the only thing to give away that this is a fanedit is that the on-screen credits look very cheesy and kind of reminiscent of '80s video camera effects. The central point of the edit, to remove the scenes taking place in the future, is executed very well and I think lends better intrigue to the film.

The big problems I have with the film are the opening and ending. This could be something that is culturally or linguistically relevant, as of course people from different places respond to the tones in films differently. (I have seen Daedal write that they are not a native English speaker.) To me, the use of the Nine Inch Nails song simply does not fit the atmosphere of the scene, or the film. Perhaps it's because I'm so familiar with the song and bring in my own baggage, but when combined with the close-ups and slow motion of the beginning and ending, it all just comes across as impossibly melo-dramatic to me, almost laugh-inducing. It's the opposite of the reaction you want at those moments. They should feel mind-blowing, not like a Mexican telenovella.

Besides the music replacement, I also think that the opening reveals too much and is too obvious. This contradicts the point of the edit, to add more intrigue and doubt about James and whether he's crazy and what will happen in the future. The opening could work, but it needs more cutting down, less revealing shots of Bruce Willis, and honestly, less long slow motion shots all around. It's also a mistake to cut in the scene of James in the trenches halfway through the film. There's no reason for it to be there: it plays currently as if Dr. Railly is somehow having a dream and seeing what happened to James. Despite us basically thinking James is not crazy at this point, there's still no narrative reason to see this footage here, and it's also not needed: Railly still remembers where she's seen James before and finds the photo with him in it later. No war footage needed.

Overall, this edit mostly works very well and would still be a cool way to watch the film for the first time, if you could show it to someone that way. The beginning and ending feel really on-the-nose in a way that doesn't jibe with the rest of the film for me, but maybe that's subjective. I do think the edit could connect better with someone who has different sensibilities, and maybe this is just a personal thing.