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| Left to right: Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
12 Monkeys (1995)
- Alternative To -
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
This weekend, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is released to finish off the story left off from the first one. After the spread of a human-made virus has caused the population to dwindle, it is up to man to survive against the hyper-intelligent apes and overcome their developing sociopath tendencies.It is a rip roaring good time and is one of the best examples of blockbuster film making of 2014. Full of subtext, it is a film that builds upon its predecessor and enhances the world in all of the right ways.
However, 19 years before that, Terry Gilliam introduced a new kind of outbreak and a different kind of "monkey" with his time travel sci-fi epidemic film 12 Monkeys. It is a film that pitted Bruce Willis against newcomer Brad Pitt and turned the story of an epidemic into one of the most strangely enjoyable tales of the year. Between Pitt's overacting and Gilliam's penchant for insane camera techniques, this adaptation of La Jetee became one of the most revered films of the 90's. Its dystopian future was unlike any crafted before and with strange symbolism, the film continues to baffle as well as entertain.
Probably the most unintentionally similar aspect that it shares with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, besides the word monkey, is that it is part of a hypothetical trilogy. While it isn't a traditional one, this is the second film in Gilliam's dystopian satire trilogy after Brazil and before this year's Zero Theorem. With both being the middle film, there is a lot of weight that must be delivered to not sink to its predecessor. In the case of 12 Monkeys, it isn't quite as widely revered as Brazil, but it isn't from lack of trying. The film is a technical marvel and features some of Willis' best acting in the last decade where he tried to be awesome.
In 12 Monkeys, there isn't actually a singular monkey uprising, but an organization of men who are taking down society with one wild experiment. It isn't known until the end what exactly that is. However, in between moments, we get to see where Willis is being transported from. We get context clues and surreal visuals to accompany. Meanwhile, Pitt is fantastically doing anything and everything to play eccentric. If nothing else, it is an interesting juxtaposition to how Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a reflection of cinema from that period. It is more subdued and stern in its execution. It wants to be taken seriously. Gilliam, who is a veteran of Monty Python, is a serious filmmaker, but has a coy sense of lunacy that makes his work unique.
It may be a stretch to compare these two films for reasons other than being epidemic films. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes doesn't really have any time travel nor does it actually have much in the ways of crazy sci-fi. Its universe is more grounded than 12 Monkeys. If there is one reason to recommend this film, other than its highly enjoyable style, it is for a lighter take on contemporary social issues. This film isn't nearly as heavy with its topics while still also presenting one of the best head trips out there.
It is a great time to be going to the movies, especially with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes being as impressively interesting and wild as it is. Technology has advanced so much that it has made realistic-looking apes that are violent creatures capable of carrying a film. It is an unexpected smash in an unexpected reboot of a silly series. That is very much true of 12 Monkeys (save for the series part) and the career that it lead Pitt to have following the film. Where both will go on to become iconic films in the genre, it is interesting to see how they are both similar and different.
It may be a stretch to compare these two films for reasons other than being epidemic films. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes doesn't really have any time travel nor does it actually have much in the ways of crazy sci-fi. Its universe is more grounded than 12 Monkeys. If there is one reason to recommend this film, other than its highly enjoyable style, it is for a lighter take on contemporary social issues. This film isn't nearly as heavy with its topics while still also presenting one of the best head trips out there.
It is a great time to be going to the movies, especially with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes being as impressively interesting and wild as it is. Technology has advanced so much that it has made realistic-looking apes that are violent creatures capable of carrying a film. It is an unexpected smash in an unexpected reboot of a silly series. That is very much true of 12 Monkeys (save for the series part) and the career that it lead Pitt to have following the film. Where both will go on to become iconic films in the genre, it is interesting to see how they are both similar and different.
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