Sunday, September 30, 2012

Review: Looper (2012)

Willis and Gordon-Levitt are both Joe.

Directed by Rian Johnson 
Produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern 
Written by Rian Johnson 
Starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, and Jeff Daniels


***

"Close the loop, Joe." That's all he has to do, but that, of course, goes wrong. It is 2044, and the future holds the discovery of time travel. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Joe, a looper, meaning he kills people from the future as soon as they appear in the past. When he must kill his future self (Willis), he fails to "close the loop", which is an insurance policy for his bosses that comes with being a looper. So, the younger Joe must chase down his older self, while his older self is bent on eliminating a child who will grow up to be "The Rainmaker" and bring about the destruction of their world as they know it. This chase leads the younger Joe to a farm where a woman's (Blunt) child is one of the potential targets for the older Joe. With the child's life at stake, the younger Joe must stay and prepare for the onslaught coming from his bosses and the older Joe.

This film will, no doubt, be a delight for hardcore science fiction fans. For movie fans, it is also a worthwhile trip to the cinema. Rian Johnson follows Brick and The Brothers Bloom with another unique film that will leave some viewers enchanted and others passive. The screenplay does a tremendous job of "closing the loop", making sure that the essential details are explained and that the intricacies of this plot and world are addressed and fully developed. Though, the film eventually settles down. It is quiet in moments, reflective in others, and, unfortunately, even flat in some parts. Gordon-Levitt and Willis do a terrific job portraying a young man with selfish motivations and an older man with the world and his past deeds weighing heavily on his shoulders. They depict Joe's changes perfectly, and Dano and Daniels also do well in the small roles they're given. The film feels like a mixed bag, but comes through with an interesting story and an intriguing construction. Again, it's a unique film, which is wonderful. It does struggle to find a balance for all of the parts contained though. While it's a solid, different kind of movie, it does have some missteps that keep it from sheer greatness.

Oscar Potential: Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects

14 comments:

  1. Good review Josh. The plot makes perfect sense even if it may seem a bit confusing at first, and the suspense draws you in but something just did not mix so well in the end. I didn’t really care all that much for the characters and that’s sort of why the pay-off didn’t do much for me.

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    1. Thanks Dan. Yeah, everything seems right on paper, but something felt off in the film.

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  2. This sounds like such a fun movie, like The Terminator but better. :-) I keep reading positive reviews, and I'm getting excited about seeing it. I've always liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt, too.

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    1. It's a fun movie, but I like The Terminator better. It's a good film though, and JGL is great in it. :)

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  3. It is quite confusing to watch at times, but makes for an interesting discussion afterwards. I haven't reviewed it yet but overall it was enjoyable.

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    1. I was never confused, but the film just didn't gel with me. As unique as it is, I'll probably forget about it in a few months.

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  4. Great review! The consensus seems to be that it's original but far from perfect, but originality in today's cinema is something so incredible I'm pretty sure I'll end up liking it :)

    What we need now is original horror film, but I'm not holding my breath for seeing any of those soon.

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    1. Thanks! Oh, definitely. I liked it, but I don't think it's one of the year's best.

      Ha! That would be great.

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  5. I didn't enjoy this one too much, and I agreed with your review. Too over the top. It was nice, but not fantastic. Definitely not one of the most memorable movies this year.

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    1. "Nice, but not fantastic" is the perfect way to describe this film. I can see why some people love it, but it didn't do much for me.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Hey buddy, part one of the birthday double feature left me cold and slightly concerned that Johnson may never meet the same heights as he did with Brick. You make a lot of very good observations that I agree with but I'd like to ask two things if I may:

    1) Why do you say it should be a delight for hardcore science fiction fans?

    2) Do you think that Total Film calling it "This decades The Matrix" should now mean that they are so completely out of touch with reality that their magazine be shut down permanently?

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    1. Hey man, sorry you didn't like the film more.

      1) I just mean that it has many sci-fi elements that should appeal to fans of the genre. For instance, it's got time travel, a futuristic setting, advanced technology, and telekinesis, to name a few. I think hardcore fans would enjoy it because of that.

      2) Haha. Yes. I didn't even know that happened, but that's overreaching. I'd rather them call it this year's Inception, if they must.

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  7. Honestly love the film very much, but it's kind of bad.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a0Oi4gFIro

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    1. I should probably rewatch this film at some point. I haven't seen it since it came out in theaters, but I liked it then.

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