included · Mechanical

Twelve Monkeys

Terry Gilliam · 129 minutes

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.

Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction

Before you choose

What kind of time-travel story is this?

Temporal events and their consequences run throughout the story.

Meets the archive’s time-travel criteria. The mechanism is classified as Mechanical.

Why the archive makes this assessment (spoilers)

Cole's repeated missions, misdated arrivals and childhood memory resolving into his own fate make temporal causality pervasive.

Future scientists use a time machine to project Cole into earlier years. The fixed causal history is not a repeatedly experienced interval.

Check the supporting sources ↓

An editorial assessment based on the archive’s documented plot research.

Scale, legacy & time

The scores

Titan148.5

Weighted archive score

Time-travel significance10/10

high confidence

Quality consensus7.8/10

Aggregate source ratings

How Titan works

Titan combines the archive’s quality, audience and legacy base with the significance of time travel. It is an index, not a score out of 100, and is distinct from the FMV archive’s scoring model.

Titan = base × [0.20 + 0.80 × (time-travel score ÷ 10)²]

This film: 148.54 base × 100.0% weighting.

Partial inputs flag incomplete source metadata. Provisional weighting flags a time-travel assessment that remains uncertain; it receives no additional confidence penalty.

The evidence

Research & sources

Research notes may reveal plot details.

These sources support the plot facts and catalog research. The numerical scores are the archive’s judgments, not ratings supplied by these sources.

Cast: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, David Morse

Edition by edition

Releases & formats

29 cataloged editions. Narrow by format, then check region, audio and subtitles. Missing specifications mean unknown, not absent.

These listings do not establish a best edition. Use the specifications to shortlist compatible releases, then follow the source to verify details and availability.

4K UHD

12 Monkeys 4K (1995)

Compare this edition’s specifications

Release date: Apr 26, 2022
Studio: Arrow
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
Region / playback: 4K Blu-ray: Region free
Discs: 4K Ultra HD | Blu-ray Disc | Single disc (1 BD-100)

Twelve Monkeys

What kind of time-travel story is this?

The scores

Research & sources

Releases & formats

12 Monkeys 4K (1995)

12 Monkeys 4K (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

Universal 10-Film Sci-Fi Collection (1995-2018)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys / Brazil (1985-1995)

Doomsday 4-Movie Collection (1995-2006)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys / Brazil (1985-1995)

Doomsday 4-Movie Collection (1995-2006)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys / Mercury Rising / The Jackal (1995-1998)

12 Monkeys / Children of Men / Repo Men / Doomsday Four Feature Films (1995-2010)

Universal 10 Film Sci-Fi Collection (1995-2018)