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Saturday 29 September 2012

Movie Review: Looper


Title: Looper
Director: Rian Johnson
Year Released: 2012
Running Time: 118 minutes
Classification: R (MA15+)
Genre: Science fiction, Action/Adventure, Thriller

It was the premise that hooked me: a hitman's next target is his future self. Will he kill himself or let himself go? Whatever the outcome, it's a great concept. Thankfully, it's also a concept done well. Looper is one smooth sci-fi caper and a welcome breath of fresh air in an era of sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes.

So the year is 2044 and Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who looks strange but fairly convincing in Bruce Willis-ifying make up with extra thick eyebrows) is a looper, an assassin who kills and disposes of mob targets sent from the future. The world is a grim place, with rampant crime and poverty, but it's also close enough to ours to seem possible. Life is pretty routine for Joe until he finds out that the future crime king, the Rainmaker, is “closing the loops” - that is, sending the loopers' future selves back in time for assassination. When Joe's future bad-ass self (Bruce Willis) is sent back, he escapes assassination. The various conflicts between young Joe, old Joe, the mob and eventually Sara (Emily Blunt) provide rich fodder for suspense and moral dilemmas, making for a smart and intriguing film.

If the time travel aspect seems daunting – don't worry; the film is easy to follow and explains what you need to know. As old Joe says, you can just figure out the diagrams and stuff later on. I'm just going to say that I love time travel stories and have noticed that there are usually two types (as depicted in fiction). First, there's the closed system kind (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Gargoyles), in which there is only one reality – any attempt to change the past is impossible, as it will just bring about the things that were meant to happen. Second, there's the infinite possibilities kind (Back to the Future, The Lake House), where you can change the past, but this creates paradoxes or alternate realities. Looper belongs in this second group and it has paradoxes. My advice? Don't think too much about it unless you're a fan of headaches or you like playing “spot the paradox” or “why don't they just do [x]?”. Whether this bothers you is a matter of taste, but I'll say that it's closer to Back to the Future than The Lake House in terms of making sense.

The film has a slick feel to it, but it's not like your typical Big Action Movie. Sure, it's fast-paced and most of Bruce Willis' scenes involve him being Bruce Willis (in a good way), but there are also slower moments and sparse-looking shots that bring an almost art-house or dramatic vibe to the movie. The world-building is solid as are the performances, including child Cid (Pierce Gagnon). I liked that all the characters had their own motivations, were interesting, and worked well with and against each other in the grand scheme of things. As an aside, one aspect I should warn you about is the violence and gore – the fate of Seth (Paul Dano) is the stuff of nightmares oh my god.

However, I get the feeling that Looper won't stick around in my consciousness for too long. Not sure why, but I felt like there could have been something more, or that something was missing – it felt a little cold, almost clinical. Despite the moral and emotional issues at hand, I didn't really connect with the characters. The plot somehow felt too straightforward at times, despite the time travel and the twists (only a few of which were obvious to me). I also feel like it's the kind of movie I don't need to rewatch any time soon. I can't put my finger on why this is so and am willing to chalk it up to subjective taste.

Looper is fresh, intelligent and definitely one of the better movies I've seen in recent times. I'm probably biased towards it since I've been craving some original high concept sci-fi, but I don't care, it hit the spot like a cool glass of lemonade at the end of a hot day. Rian Johnson's done a fine job and I'll definitely be watching out for his future projects.


Alex's Rating: 4/5

9 comments:

  1. The cast is great, especially JGL who has been having a stellar career so far, but the plot it what really kept me interested as it continued to throw twist-after-twist at me, without any confusion whatsoever. It’s a great sci-fi flick that actually makes sense. Good review Alex.

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    1. Hey, thanks for your comment! :) Gotta agree with you, good performances from the cast all around and yes about the plot making sense! It's kinda fun watching JGL's career progression, still remember him from 3rd Rock :P

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  2. Not sure where to put this, but I thought here would be appropriate, since I talked about it in the review.

    Anyway, I just wanted to concede to Terri that the parallel universe (a la Star Trek 2009) form of time travel is another kind of time travel. I bow to your superior knowledge and shall never doubt you again.

    -Alex

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  3. It has taken me awhile, since I have been absent but I hate to say it Alex.....
    I was right.

    Don't mess with my superior knowledge of time travel.

    -Terri

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    1. Lol, sif you "hate" to say it :P But yes you are right. Was thinking of writing a review thing of time travel romances, but not sure if I've seen enough. Thoughts?

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  4. I've honestly can't say I've seen any time travel romances so can't help you there.
    I've only seen the movies most people have seen.
    IE: Back to the future, Star Trek

    Terri

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    1. I've seen The Lake House, Il Mare and another communicating-through-letters-in-time film whose name I can't remember.

      I guess The Time Traveller's Wife and Benjamin Button also qualify? I'm wondering if you've seen those

      -Alex

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  5. I've only seen The lake house. If Benjamin button counts, then how about Sliding doors? Sunshine of a spotless mind? I know its not time traveling but its to do with time running backwards in a relationship.?

    Sorry, I don't think think I can help.
    Terri

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    1. Man, that's true. Too many types of time issues :P will have to pick...
      That's fine; I'll see what I can do. Not any time soon though :\
      - Alex

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