Review of Looper (2012) by Evergreenoldboy — 28 Sep 2012

What did I like about Looper? Well, the better question is, what didn't I like? Legitimately, I sat up all night pondering this question and can honestly say I couldn't come up with anything. It has they style of Drive, the sci fi level of detail of Children of Men, the ingenuity of ,well, I can't think of a good comparison (:P), and a razor sharp script to boot (filled with deliciously dark humor).

It is an extremely dynamic movie, and can be appreciated on so many levels from action fans, to sci fi fans, to movie buffs, its all there. While it may not be packed to the gills with symbolism like Prometheus, it doesn't need to be and completely avoids that movie's pretentiousness for it.

In Prometheus, some of the scenes are so stagy that it practically screams at the viewer "THIS SCENE HAS MEANING", whereas in Looper, you could miss the symbolism entirely simply because of the distracting level of quality found in the rest of the film.

Looper is a film that respects the viewers intelligence, exemplified in the scenes where it denies the viewer an explanation of its time travel mechanic, because rather than telling you, Looper shows you.

Take Prometheus' exploration of man's origin, which is alluded to from its title, vs. Looper's challenging of the notion that maturity comes with age, while the messages are fundamentally different, Looper has courage to be subtle and explain its message through the character's actions alone (seriously, the whole future Joe vs.

past Joe is a really smart way of representing self conflict). I can totally understand why some people didn't like this movie, but that same reason is why I absolutely loved it. It constantly toys with your expectations.

The movie actively anticipates your attempts to figure out the resulting changes to the timeline and narrative, but each time playfully veers in a different direction. As for the people that talk about it how it is just a rip off of Blade Runner universe, what these people fail to realize is that every sci fi builds on other sci fi, so even Blade Runner's overcrowded dystopia cribbed from something else at some point.

The worst part about this though is the fact that they criticize Looper for taking the good bits of Blade Runner and other sci fi, (SINCE WHEN IS TAKING THE GOOD ELEMENTS OF ANOTHER MOVIE A BAD THING!) but completely fail to see what it adds to the formula to create something all its own.

From the technologies, to the fashion, to the TK(telekinesis), it all works to create its own rich dystopian society driven by superficial gimmicks. This influences the way people act and even the idea of closing a loop, which is impractical and unnecessary, but also highly dramatic and believable in this context of this world.

Everything works to create a fantastically well realized universe that rivals the depth found in Children of Men. The only thing I would say to be wary of, is if you don't have a stomach for cruelty because Looper has a good deal of the stuff.

However, don't let that turn you away because every aspect of the movie serves to aid the narrative, including the cruelty. So please don't listen to the nit pickers on this one, if you are looking for a great movie regardless of genre check out looper.

Instant classic.