Review of Looper (2012) by Barney O — 06 May 2017

WHAT I LIKED: In an age of sequels and reboots, 'Looper' is for once a properly fresh, properly original film made by creative people all driving to test the boundaries of blockbuster cinema by using their influences in new and exciting ways. For one the ideas it tackles are extremely ambitious, and its story and technical achievements are brilliant too, but frankly, what makes the film so special is actually none of those things. Yes Looper is only so successful because its script and direction give everything so much breathing room to bring you into the world and build a relationship with the themes. As a result, you not only get time to think about the huge ideas and mad story, but you also get plenty of spare moments to wallow in the gently light-hearted surface stuff that enhances the journey as it goes on. That beneficial humour and quirkiness? on top of a unique and developed foundation all leads to a very memorable and deeply profound blockbuster that ticks far more boxes than it needs to.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The characters themselves are so wrapped up in story and themes, that they occasionally lose their human touch. As a result the film may invest you in its ideas, but it wont get particularly close to bringing emotion.

VERDICT: Sadly blockbusters like this are becoming increasingly rare. Looper is genuinely ground-breaking and remarkably enjoyable, and it places director Rian Johnson firmly on the Hollywood map.