Movie: Looper
My Rating: 4
stars
I kinda loved this movie, and, I really wasn’t expecting
to. The movie received such mixed
reviews that I had figured this was going to be just another generic
thriller. But, I thought this movie was
actually pretty fresh and fun. Of
course, I do love time travel stories, so I was already pretty interested going
in. But, it’s always fun to be
pleasantly surprised. I guess that’s the
benefit of going in with low expectations.
This isn’t exactly your classic time travel story. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play
the same person. They’re futuristic
assassins (Loopers), who get rid of bodies by killing people who have been sent
back in time. But, since their
profession is illegal, evidence of their own existence needs to be erased too
once their contract is up. Their time
lines converge as Willis is sent back to be killed by his younger self. There are a few basic rules that we’ve all
learned from time travel stories in the past, and this movie goes out and breaks
every single one of them right away. For
one thing, it was always considered to be a very bad thing to go back and alter
the course of history. But, that’s
pretty much the sole purpose of time traveling in this story. And, another thing a person was never
supposed to do was travel back and encounter his younger self. But, every single traveler does that as a
matter of course in this film.
Traditional rules are broken left and right, but the story still worked
really well for me. That kind of thing makes
me very happy because it’s so easy to fall in the same kind of storytelling
rut. I had almost given up on seeing
anything new in this genre.
I’m not really sure why some people didn’t like this
film. It has an interesting story, features
pretty great acting, and it creates a pretty cool, alternate future world. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a pretty amazing
job of capturing Bruce Willis’ mannerisms and demeanor. And, I always enjoy Noah Segan in any role he
plays. Both Segan and Gordon-Levitt were
amazing in one of my old favorites, Brick,
so I was really interested in seeing them together again in this film. This movie is for people who enjoy time
travel stories. But, maybe it’s not for
anyone who likes to pick stories to pieces.
How about we all agree to suspend our disbelief a little sometimes? This is entertainment, people! But, definitely check this one out. I’d be interested in hearing other people’s
thoughts on what they liked and didn’t like.
6 comments:
Looper is a time travel film that does tend to grow on me. I walked away from the movie feeling that it was OK, but upon reflection, see it as better than I first thought. To address your last sentence, let me explore why I am of mixed feeling on this film. My guess is that the violence was a slight turn off for me. It was not gratuitous, as it was important for the plot, but I did not find it enticing or satisfyingly portrayed either. Another issue was the introduction of telekinesis. I don’t remember being used for reasons of importance. I only remember it being used as a sexual attractant. I am huge fan of science (or speculative) fiction. That said, one of the great things about speculative fiction is that you can make up the rules for each universe that you want to explore. Of course, these non-physical rules must be self consistent, and should be used to advance the story. So, your point that Looper breaks some of the standard ideas of time travel in are quite appealing. However, nonessential use of telekinesis also puzzles me. So, in review, Looper is good, but not great as an SF film.
This gets me thinking of some of the time travel films that I really liked. Coming up with a quick (incomplete) list some of the films are Richard Matheson’s Somewhere in Time (1980), Nicholas Meyer’s Time and Again (1979), Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day (1993), also the J.J. Adam’s Star Trek (2009), and the film of Audrey Niffenegger’s Time Travel’s Wife (2009). Looking at that list, it could just be that I am a romantic at heart.
Now, the best speculative fiction is done in books, not movies. Two of my favorite books that do a great job with time travel, are Jack Finney’s Time and Again, and Ken Grimwood’s Replay (of which the film Groundhog Day is a weak variant). But, then this is a topic for another discussion…
consistent, and should be used to advance the story. So, your point that Looper breaks some of the standard ideas of time travel in are quite appealing. Thus, nonessential use of telekinesis also puzzles me. So, in review, Looper is good, but not great as an SF film.
This gets me thinking of some of the time travel films that I really liked. Coming up with a quick (incomplete) list some of the films are Richard Matheson’s Somewhere in Time (1980), Nicholas Meyer’s Time and Again (1979), Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day (1993), also the J.J. Adam’s Star Trek (2009), and the film of Audrey Niffenegger’s Time Travel’s Wife (2009). Looking at that list, it could just be that I am a romantic at heart.
Now, the best speculative fiction is done in books, not movies. Two of my favorite books that do a great job with time travel, are Jack Finney’s Time and Again, and Ken Grimwood’s Replay (of which the film Groundhog Day is a weak variant). But, then this is a topic for another discussion….
Primer is also an amazing time travel film. It's a very low budget, super bare bones film, but it's very thorough and more scientific than others. It's also a very dark film. Definitely worth a few watches.
Of course, just after I posted my comment, I recalled that the telekinesis was used to good effect in the ending of the film, as the child had that skill, and it was important to what was going to happen. So, the more I think about and remember the film, I more I did like it.
I will have to see Primer on your recommendation.
Looper has had some brilliant reviews. It's a film I keep telling myself to buy.
Yeah, I'm definitely going to want to watch it again.
I agree with Jonathan, this is definitely a movie that keeps growing on you over time. Some movies you watch and that is that, but this is one I keep coming back to and continue to enjoy and discuss.
Post a Comment