A few words about...™ 12 Monkeys -- in Blu-ray - Page 2

I love 12 Monkeys and enjoyed its presentation on blu-ray.

I think the PQ and AQ of the 12 Monkeys blu-ray is quite good and very accurately, but not perfectly, replicates Gilliam's and Pratt's intentions when they made the film. It is by far the best quality home video version of the film to date.

Some say that the image is soft, but I believe this to be the manner in which the film was originally shot.

The filmmakers used various forms of diffusion to "soften" the image. I believe the intention of shooting in this way was to connect the audience with the film's protagonist, played by Bruce Willis. He is jumping back and forth in time. He has been called insane and placed in a mental institution. He doesn't know up from down and is losing his grip on reality. His world is "hazy." All the disorientation that Willis' character goes through is nicely presented to the audience with the "hazy" visuals which are meant to connect the audience to the mindset and emotions of Willis' character. His reality is "hazy or diffused," thus, our view of the film is "hazy or diffused." 

To dislike the "soft" look of the film is to miss a vital theme within the film and to lack a certain emotional connection to the film. It is a misunderstanding of the film. The filmmakers shot the film this way because it deepens the audience's relationship with the film and the protagonist. I for one love their visual choices and applaud their techniques.

Could a new scan and encode look better? Possibly, but it will never look like a film shot cleanly (without filters) on today's film stock or on high definition digital video because it was shot on 90's film stock with diffusion filters. That is why I believe that fans of the film should be quite satisfied with its current presentation on blu-ray.