Looper Movie Review
‘Looper’ Throws Viewers For a Loop with Sci-Fi Time Travel
Movies about the future can be hit or miss, but Looper can be considered a direct hit. Looper stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as Joe, a “looper,” which is a term for those that kill people sent back in time from the future to close their proverbial loop. The concept in and of itself is intriguing and exciting. Several of Joe’s co-workers (also loopers, who are hired by the mob) have been having their loop closed lately, where they essentially kill their 30 years from now future self. Loopers have been known to celebrate the achievement, knowing that they can live out the next 30 years with a bit of abandon. For Joe, the thought seems a bit more melancholy. The stakes are upped once Joe discovers that he will face a similar fate.
In this dystopian future (the movie is slightly unconvincingly set in 2074) Joe encounters old Joe, Bruce Willis, who somehow manages to escape death from young Joe. This leads to a cat and mouse chase thriller with a twist. Joe goes on the lam from Joe and encounters Sara (Emily Blunt) who has a strange situation herself. There is a reason that the attractive woman is alone with her son in the middle of nowhere raising crops. That will be revealed upon watching, no spoilers here.
Looper provides some interesting sci-fi and some cool “what ifs”. The movie engages us from the start and despite a seemingly challenging premise, all is easy to follow and makes sense upon watching the film. Director Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom) who once stamped himself as a director to watch with the best film of 2006, solidifies that notion here, with a strong script and excellent direction, despite what appears to be a moderate budget at best. Looper has an indy feel, which is a bit strange for a movie that would be a blockbuster.
‘Looper’ features an angry Joseph Gordon-Levitt toting guns. Say “hello” to my…
It’s worth noting that Looper employs some cool effects and makeup to allow Joseph Gordon-Levitt to look so much like a young Bruce Willis. As such, Looper hits plenty of the right notes. The one thing that the film lacks is much of a sense of humor. It is serious in tone and while that’s fine, the subject matter could have lent itself for a few chuckles here or there. The film is also very sci-fi, mending horror elements into it. That was unexpected but not unwelcomed due to how deftly it all plays out. Looper is the first must-see action film of the fall, so get out there to see it before your loop gets closed.
