Looper 2012
A good sci-fi movie just uses the science to set things up, still relying on characters and action to tell a compelling story. Terminator did this effectively and therefore enjoyed broad appeal. In a lot of ways Loooper does it as well. Like Terminator this movie involves people being sent from the future. With time travel especially, you have to just accept the premise without thinking too hard about it, and that is certainly true here. It is better not to be spoiled in any way before watching this movie, though it is probably good to know that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has lot of make-up to make him look more like Bruce Willis, but mostly he just doesn’t look as much like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which is a distraction. The movie stays interesting, goes in some unexpected directions, and has a couple of slow spots, but is still entertaining and will keep you thinking, exploring some nuances of time travel without getting mired in babble. In fact, the writing keeps rules to a minimum but still does a good job of letting you know what is going on. Probably better that way since that would just explore what seems like a bunch of plot holes. Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis do a great job with their characters, Jeff Daniels has a nice role, and even Emily Blunt turns in one of her better performances. Still, it is a movie that makes you think, but you also can’t think about it too much without rejecting the whole idea. For me it worked, but I can’t give it the highest marks due to the sometimes lack of logic.
Written: 25 May 2020
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital